North Andover —
Have you ever heard of Noah Spence or Todd Bazarewsky?
Unless you're a really big high school football fan, you probably haven't.
But Tuesday, both Spence, a top-ranked prep defensive end from Harrisburg, Pa., and Bazarewsky, a highly sought linebacker from Plymouth, Mass., announced on Twitter they are no longer planning to attend Penn State.
They refuse to play for a football program associated with coach Joe Paterno and the child sex-abuse scandal enveloping his former longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Sandusky, 67, who also played for Paterno, was arrested over the weekend on 21 counts of abusing young boys over 15 years, some of them at the Penn State football facility. Since then, other victims have come forward, and the charges were increased to 40.
A grand jury investigation documented Sandusky's heinous actions in detail. But what about Paterno's?
A lot of people have called on Paterno to resign, and Wednesday he announced he will step down at the end of the current season. But he should also be prosecuted. He protected this animal. He enabled more kids to be abused.
The same goes for Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant, who, according to the grand jury report, in 2002 walked in on Sandusky raping a boy in the team's shower.
McQueary walked away without saying a word to Sandusky or stopping the assault. He called his dad and then told Paterno 12 hours later. Paterno, in turn, told his athletic director and then hid behind the ridiculous mask of "telling his superior."
There isn't anyone superior to the 84-year-old coaching legend Paterno at Penn State. This is the same guy who, six years ago, when the president of the university asked him to resign, told him to, "Go to hell!"
McQueary, a former star quarterback at Penn State, is now the team's wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. Were those promotions related to keeping quiet about Sandusky?
Anything to protect Paterno's sacred Nittany Lions. Who cares if children are being abused? As long as JoePa keeps his job, which by the way, he should have vacated years ago.
Sandusky, who in 1977 started and then exploited The Second Mile, a children's charity for at-risk kids, makes me lose faith in the human race. Paterno and McQueary just make me angry.
Do you think this would have been different if it were Paterno's grandkids?
And in the middle of all this, Paterno, who built his reputation by supposedly doing it the right way, only wants to talk football. Everyone seems to have a moral dilemma except the coach. But, hey, there is a big game with Nebraska this weekend!
Don't feel sorry for Penn State or Paterno. It's Sandusky's crime, but there's more than one guilty party involved in this sordid scandal.
They should all get what they deserve.
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Mike McMahon is an sports columnist for The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, Mass. Contact him at mmcmahon@eagletribune.com.
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