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"We should look at (Paterno) as a willing enabler of a convicted child molester," Brennan said. "I absolutely understand and respect the past. The games he won, the number of players he graduated, that's a tremendous record. This supersedes all of that. ... What happened to these children because of Joe Paterno -- it's because of Jerry Sandusky first and foremost. But Joe Paterno did not stop it and he enabled it, and that's just tragic."
Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted last month on 45 criminal counts of abusing 10 boys. Paterno died of lung cancer in January, two months after school trustees fired him for what they called a failure of leadership.
"I always thought he knew. To what extent, that was the only question," said Brad Benson, a former Penn State offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. "I thought that anyone who didn't think he knew was pretty naive. Joe knew pretty much everything going on there."
Even Knight acknowledged he had been on the wrong side of the moral divide, though his anguish at the dismantling of Paterno's legacy was clear.
"Throughout Joe Paterno's career, he strived to put young athletes in a position to succeed and win in sport but most importantly in life. Joe influenced thousands of young men to become better leaders, fathers and husbands," Knight said in a statement. "According to the investigation, it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day. My love for Joe and his family remains."
For those closest to Penn State and Paterno, though, their faith in the coach remains unshakeable. They believe Paterno, though not perfect, is being made a scapegoat, with no way to refute the accusations. Paterno had planned to cooperate with the investigation, but died before he could give Freeh's team his account of what happened.
"It's easy to vilify or blame someone who's not alive to defend himself," said Tim Sweeney, president of Penn State's official Football Letterman's Club.
There is no way Paterno would have covered actions as heinous as Sandusky's up, said Mickey Shuler, who played tight end for Paterno from 1975 to 1977 -- regardless of the cost to him or his program.
"Joe Paterno always taught us that whatever you are, be a good one. Whatever you're at, whatever you do, leave a place better for having been there. That's the thing he taught," Shuler said. "So to have people say that he's done something wrong, it's really upsetting."
But that misses the point, Benson said. The lives of at least 10 children have been changed forever, and that is where the focus should be.
"There's no way out of this to make it a good story. It's a shame," Benson said. "But we're being selfish saying it's a shame. It's a shame for these kids. Penn State will recover, these kids won't."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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