NCAA Hammers Paterno & Penn St

In Tweet earlier I asked if it was unfair what the
NCAA had done to Penn State and Joe Paterno today,
and I answered my own question by saying: "Let's
put it this way, in comparison to what those boys
went through, they were light", and I don't think
that anyone can truly argue with that.

Do the people who are presently at the school and
had zero to do with it deserving of such penalties?
I think it's easy enough to say no, but collateral
damage is always common in these cases, and they
have an the opportunity to go elsewhere in many
cases if they are too directly affected by these
sanctions and fines. Unfortunately it's not always
easy, but many will get to do this if they want.

I think the least of the penalties handed down
today is the vacated wins. Joe Paterno isn't #1
one on the wins list anymore? So what? If you
were a player on the field and won that day, you
won, no decision on paper can take that away from
you and your effort. If you were on the field and
lost that day, the last thing you want to hear is
that some guy in an office just handed you the win,
because some idiot did the wrong thing OFF THE FIELD.

Not the NCAA nor anyone in a position to do something
could pretend that what happened in court was enough.
Some of the people involved will never see a day of
prison or lose a dime of wealth, and the University
as an institution will eventually get past this, even
if it does forever remain ingrained in history books.
Something had to be done, and none of this will ever
come close to the pain and suffering inflicted on the
innocent involved at the pain Jerry Sandusky and the
silent inflicted on them.

These kids, named or not, out or not, will never be
the same. No money or conviction will ever change
that. Just be glad you or a member of your family
hasn't and doesn't ever become a victim to something
like this in your life.

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Joe Paterno Guilty, Now There Is No Question

Photograph: Pat Little/AP

I wanted to make sure I wrote something today like
I wrote when folks piled on Joe Paterno and bashed
him for being as bad as Jerry Sandusky. I said
that we should wait to get ALL the facts. Well
the facts are in, and so much so that if I hear
any more I may have to break down and cry.

The independent investigation took place, dirt was
found, and even dirtier dirt became unearthed, and
now there is no question. Joe Paterno was dirty,
no matter what the intentions, he failed miserably.
Whether it was ego, fear, greed or even ignorance,
IT WAS/IS WRONG. I never said he was clean, I just
felt that we should wait and see, and though this
could have exonerated Paterno, it didn't. All this
did was show us all just how dirty, weak, and greedy
humanity can sometimes be at the wrong time.

Joe Paterno sinned, and sinned deeply, now his family
and the victims are all left to ask that one question,
WAS IT WORTH IT? I think not.


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Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 6-23-12

The "Ranting with Rizzo" podcast is available now,
Clemens and Sandusky are part of the conversation
in this episode, as are the NBA Champion Miami Heat.
We take a closer look around the majors, and answer
some out of town listener email. Enjoy the podcast:



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Sandusky Jury Deliberates, Just Hope This Isn't Another Blown Case

I know it's not the Federal government and steroids,
it's much more important and sensitive than that.
I also know it's not a another political witchhunt
chasing John Edwards for chasing skirts on the dime
of his donors, it's a lot less shallow than that.
What I do know is this; if Jerry Sandusky is let
off the hook for what he is "accused" of doing to
those young boys, it will be the biggest miscarriage
of justice this side of the O.J. Simpson debacle.

It's a shame the jury can't see or hear it, but it
would have been nice if Matt, Jerry's adopted son
would have come out a little sooner and added his
testimony to that of the 14 other victims, instead
of waiting until it was too late. Matt Sandusky
now says, he too was abused by Jerry, but I'm sure
his "Mom" begs to differ, and will insist that
nothing went on in that house without her knowing
about it Zzzzzzzzzzz.

This isn't Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, or even
Roger Clemens, those guy were/are egotistical jocks
who wanted money and fame. This guy IS a monster
who preys on little kids. Hang him!

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Joe Paterno Good Deeds Shouldn't Be Overshadowed

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The World lost an icon on Sunday, and no it wasn't
just the sports world that lost that icon, even though
in the end it was that taking away of sports that may
have finally done in Joe Paterno. You hear it all too
often, a person retires and soon there after they die.
It's all they know, and all they were, and with Joe
Paterno it seems as though nothing could be closer to
the truth.

I'm not here today to defend Joe Paterno, he doesn't
need that, and though I may be guilty of defending him
in the past, I don't think I did. What I was merely
saying is that he deserved to be heard. Then lawyers
get involved, and no one is allowed to talk, and sh*t
hits the fan. Though he did finally speak, and I am
sure it was against the advise of counsel, it still
didn't satisfy most, and that is fair. Too much was
left unanswered, too much evil was done,

There is NO BUT. What there is though, is the fact
that there was good done as well, not in that incident,
and not for Sandusky's victims, but for others.
In today's world of Twitter, and rapid fire reactions
it's hard to see or even understand it, and the fact
is that this incident will forever tarnish a legacy
that also had alot of good in it. These words however
will not help the victims of the most recent events,
not by a longshot. His good deeds did help some, and
when good is done it shouldn't be ignored, just like
when bad is done, that shouldn't be ignored either.

Let me leave you with this thought. We as a people
for the most part tend to be forgiving, I can list
a multitude of athletes that have wronged, drugs,
infidelity, etc., and though these crimes are not
for the most part not nearly as bad as Sandusky's,
they are given a second chance. When they do the
right thing and succeed with that second chance, we
are all happy that we gave them another opportunity.
Why shouldn't this be a sort of reverse situation?
By that I mean, if Paterno had been guilty of such
silence early in his career, and then given a second
chance, and made good with it the way he did prior
to this, isn't it fair that though we would always
remember his bad, we would also point to what he did
since then and say: see, he tried to make up for it?

Let's not forget his good deeds or good deeds in general
when they are genuine and real. Just a thought anyway.
R.I.P Joe

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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 12-19-11

The talk was about "Elite" NFL QB's & the matchup
of Tim Tebow higher power vs the defensive mind of
Bill Belichick, some chatter regarding the Sandusky
hearings and the Sam Hurd drug charges. Enjoy




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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 12-12-11

Miss the show? Well here's the podcast for you.
We talk about, the Heisman and the order I voted,
a little NBA, yes a little. Bernie Fine, & Jerry
Sandusky the two dirtbags that won't leave the
headlines, and some MLB winter meetings, free
agency chatter. Check it out.




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Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo Replay 11-17-11

If you missed the show, the you missed that there
is still lots of talk regarding the emerging news
out Penn St, and the dozens of skeletons people
there have been hiding. The audio got off to a
rough start, but after that we also took a look
around the NFL, and the world as the sports world
always manages to offer us some entertainment.
The podcast is ready for your listening pleasure,
Enjoy !





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Hey Penn State What About The Victims ?

Now that lives have been ruined, people have been
fired, others placed in protective custody, and
finger pointing has reached a feverish level,
how about we concentrate on those poor souls
that have felt the most pain in all of this.

Andrea Anushko Phd is my guest writer for the
following piece and she has some Penn State
ties in the family so growing up in Pennsylvania
she knows all to well the "We are, Penn State"
sentiment. I think we can agree with Dr. Anushko
when she asks, what about the victims?

The following are her thoughts on this mess:

There is no shortage of opinions about Jerry Sandusky,
Joe Paterno, and the PSU board of trustees; however,
what has been missing from the media circus is a focus
on the support victims need and what parents, educators,
coaches, and children can do when child abuse is suspected.

Only now are media outlets starting to focus on the victims;
however articles, broadcasts, tweets and you tube videos
addressing what one can do if they are a victim of sexual
abuse, or witness something they feel is inappropriate are
lacking. There has been no information offered to parents
about how to talk to their children about inappropriate
touching or abuse. There have been few messages that as
adults and a university, we can be trusted.

Where are the hotline numbers? The resources for parents?
The resources for kids who have questions?

In all of the finger pointing, blame assigning, and morality
high-horsing few have stepped back to say what can I do to
prevent sexual abuse? What can I do to support victims who
experienced sexual abuse?

Here’s a new idea. While we wait for the facts about the
role of Paterno, McQueary and others, let’s use this media
spotlight on PSU to raise awareness and demand better
resources, better laws, and more responsibility from ALL
adults.

For those of you in attendance at the game tomorrow, in
addition to your “blue out”, how about instead of
“F the Board” you chant “Protect our Children” or
“We support the victims?” How about painting the number
for the National Child Abuse Hotline on your chest?
Show all kids, including the 8 year olds who will be
watching tomorrow, that PSU supports victims, not blames
victims. Show your local and state officials that better
information about what to do if child abuse is suspected
needs to be distributed to all adults, and that better
laws need to be in place to protect reporters of suspected
child abuse.

You are Penn State. You are not only football but academic
excellence. Gather your resources. Find your psychologists,
researchers, and social workers. Ask for information to be
distributed to parents on signs of sexual abuse and how to
talk to their children about abuse before it happens.
Talk to your teacher prep majors and ask them about
communicating the importance of telling an adult if an
interaction doesn’t feel right. Gather you poli-sci and
pre-law majors and review local and state laws. Find out
what else can be done to protect our children and keep sexual
predators off of the streets. Contact university administration
and let them know campus personnel need clear information on
what to do if they witness or suspect abuse. Campus Newspapers,
local newspapers and media outlets help provide quality
information to adults and children about sexual abuse.

The eyes of the entire country will be on you tomorrow
PSU - use that media coverage to show that for the victims
and for all children this is about adults not tolerating
child abuse. Use that coverage to distribute resources and
supports for parents and children – knowledge is the best way
to prevent future tragedies.

Madstork Sports wants you to post information for parents,
children and educators about sexual abuse. List local hotlines
and websites, national resources, or community centers where
adults and children can get information and help. Let’s demand
justice for victims and provide resources to families and
communities to address previous abuse and prevent future abuse.

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-252-2873
New York City Child Abuse Hotline -
General Public: 1-800-342-3720. In NYC, call 311
New York City Prevention Information & Parent Helpline at 1-800-342-7472




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Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal Very Murky

In case you thought my conspiracy theory was more
than a little bit of a stretch, I'm sure you're
not the only one, but you still can't deny that
there are way too many questions and facts that
make no sense what so ever. The NY Times has
had quite a few stories on this, from the Ray
Gricar mystery vanishing to another I leave for
you here that speaks to three others who could
have stopped this back in 1998. It is more than
a coincidence if you ask me, but I guess sometimes
we believe what we want to believe, like those
that are certain Joe Paterno is the villain here
without waiting to here more.

Let's make sure of one thing here, and this is the
most important: Please don't forget the victims,
the abused, the children. Let's not get too caught
up in finger pointing, and forget that they are the
ones that have and will continue to suffer the most.


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Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo Replay 11-11-11

The focus of the show is something that will
probably be a focus of many shows for a long
time to come, and may only be surpassed, if
at all by all the talk the OJ drama created
at it's height. Check it out and voice your
view on this.




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Paterno, Sandusky & Gricar = Much Cloak & Dagger

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

As I have stated earlier, and continue to state here
this is not going to be about the defense of Joe
Paterno. This isn't going to be about feeling sorry
for an old guy who spent his entire life winning
football games and helping build Penn St. University
from the ground up, nope. This is about making sure
that we are not to quick to judge in this case.
I also don't want too get into a long winded never
ending article about why blaming Joe Paterno is a
bit premature here, yet does is not amaze you that
Jerry Sandusky has received less venom than Joe
Paterno has in the last few days? That this
despicable excuse for a human being is getting less
brunt than some of the other members of this scandal.

I will make these few points, and be happy to take
any comments or questions you may have about this.

1998 Paterno, and McQuery not involved, but DA,
Parent of an abused child, and Police are. Sandusky
is not prosecuted even though Police bring evidence
to then DA Ray Gricar of Sandusky admitting to childs
Parent, and apologizing for it while Police are hiding
in another room. Doesn't this seem off to you?

Campus Chief of Police knew of another incident or
incidents, and has since been arrested for not reporting
it to the Police. Why? Who was he protecting?

McQuery told Paterno of what he saw, and as a matter of
fact their Grand Jury testimony verifies the same
accounts by the two of them, therefore confirming that
Paterno relayed exactly what he was told. Paterno told
AD Tim Curly. Isn't that what he was supposed to do?

Curly told no one? Why? Who was he protecting?

McQuery's father stated recently that he's been living
with this for the past ten years. Really? Then why not
take action yourself and perhaps drop an anonymous letter
or phone call to the media or authorities?

McQuery didn't stop what he saw. OK, I get it, stunned,
blown away, scared, but he told Paterno. Isn't that what
he was supposed to do?

Blame Paterno? Does anyone really know what transpired
in closed door meetings with Paterno, Curly, etc.?
Perhaps Joe was lied to, and told the Police were
investigating. How do you know? Not making excuses,
Joe says he wants to talk, then maybe you should let
him talk.

Am I the only one that finds it a little more than
fishy that the original DA who didn't prosecute wound
up vanishing without a trace? No Cell Phone, No Car,
No Money, trashed work laptop without a hard drive,
and finally a recovered hard drive somewhere else
without one shred of retrievable data on it.

Another oddity is: Why now with the news? Why not
sooner? News comes after Paterno breaks record for
most wins in College football history? Who's pulling
the strings?

Here comes my version of the cloak and dagger, and
yes, I won't blame you one bit if you think I've
lost my mind, but this has NOTHING to do with Paterno.

I would not be in the least bit surprised if someone
of major pull is behind the scenes here. Research on
child molesters shows that abusers are likely to have
been abused once themselves. If this is true of Jerry
Sandusky, it is the only sympathy he will get from me,
because he was once a victim too, but I don't know
this for a fact. It's just that it seems too many
people have gone out of their way to let this guy
slide over and over, and I can't help but wonder if
they were influenced into doing so. Fear, money
intimidation, etc. If Sanusky's abuser is someone of
great power and influence in the state of Pennsylvania
who does not himself wish to be exposed, it may just
stand to reason that he believes that he will be, if
Sandusky is ever pushed to a point where he may expose
his abuser if he isn't protected. Conspiracy theory?
Sure, maybe. It's just that I don't understand how
this just kept so many people from talking, and one
from disappearing, I don't get it.

Penn St looked out for dollars and cents last night,
not for the victims, that could have, and should have
been done along time ago. These are the very same
dollars and sense that Paterno helped turn into a
ONE BILLION DOLLAR endowment for the University,
and though that should never make him immune to these
sorts of crimes, it should afford him the time to
explain himself. We often criticize people when they
hide behind lawyers, and yet when Paterno wanted to
speak at his normal Tuesday press conference and tell
people what they wanted to hear, but he was silenced
by the University. Paterno will get his story out,
and I assure you will want to hear it. It may not
be what you imagine or like, but at least he won't
silenced.

Make no mistake here, Paterno could have done more,
but just how much more may be subject to debate.
Paterno, Spanier, McQueary, Curly, etc. Guilty of
falling short yes, but definitely to varying degrees,
and since we don't know the FULL story, I think I'll
wait.

If nothing else, can we keep one thing in perspective
here? Jerry Sandusky did all of this, NOT Joe Paterno!

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Valley Not So Happy For Penn State's Joe Pa

Like many others across the country I've been
fighting myself to figure out how I really
feel about Joe Paterno's role in what took
place at Penn State during and after Jerry
Sandusky's time at the school. Believe it
or not, for those of us who aren't on a witch
hunt, this isn't an easy decision.

The DA stated the Paterno is not a target of
the investigation, and that he did exactly
what he was supposed to do legally, report it
right away. Paterno did nothing to cover this
up. He didn't sugarcoat it, or make excuses,
and Sandusky was reportedly no longer part of
the staff when the one specific reported act
at hand took place. Yet I can't help but ask
myself, what would I do if it were my kid who
was the victim here? I mean, Paterno had
nothing to do with it. He didn't turn a blind
eye to it or enable it, but why didn't Paterno
follow up on this? Should he have? Did he,
and we don't know about it? Was he discouraged?
How could he be? He's Joe Paterno, Joe Pa,
He is Penn State! Make no mistake about it,
this is no easy question to answer, because as
mad as you wanna be, and are at Peterno, he
wasn't the predator here. So whether you defend
him or damn him, I'm not sure either is wrong.

What's craziest about this is, that in a world
of college athletics, yes we have to bring that
up too, Penn State football is probably one of
a handful of programs that is "clean", if that
many LSU, Stanford, Oklahoma St, Alabama, Boise
State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arkansas, Clemson, and
Virginia Tech, those are your BCS Top 10, and I
assure you that you will be hard pressed to find
a school among them that has as clean a reputation
as Penn State does over the same period of time,
similar maybe, as good, hard to believe. Keep in
mind that just when you think that you got it all
figured out, you don't. As a sports fan I was dead
to rights sure that both Manny and A-Rod were clean,
they weren't. Remember how Nick Saban left LSU,
and then again the Miami Dolphins? This isn't a
finger pointing contest, just trying to put it in
some kind of perspective. I too am disappointed in
Paterno, a little mad maybe, but those calling for
his head should be more concerned with what Jerry
Sandusky did, and how to get justice for the victims,
than how can we get this head coach fired because he
was a half a step behind the curve. Yes it was a
huge curve, but it was a mistake, surely a big, big
error in judgement.

Joe Paterno was not in that boys pants. Joe Paterno
did not prey on little children. Joe Paterno did
not give this animal an extra five minutes to get out
of Dodge, and though he pisses me off for not being
more full on aggressive about this, I just can't hang
him for it, but maybe I can say that because it wasn't
my kid. I just don't know. You have a right to feel
more angry about this than I do, just don't let your
anger be and frustration be misguided. Jerry Sandusky
is the degenerate here, not Joe Paterno.





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