Why he's the #1 target?
Why wouldn't he be?
#1 He's the face of the university if not the state.
#2 Being the powerful figure that he was, all he had to do was make ONE phone call to the cops, and this issue would have been resolved years ago (and many victims saved).
#3 While fulfilling his legal obligation, he appears (as much as we know now), to have done absolutely nothing else. He failed his moral obligation. Why not go to the cops? Why not go to your assist. coach and tell him to stay the hell away from the university (and little boys)? Why didn't he ever ask this guy what the hell he was doing with a kid in the shower? Why didn't he ever get on the university officials for not resolving this issue?
Did Joe forget how powerful he was? Or did he just hope to save his own cowardly ***, the university's cowardly ***, and just hoped to sweep this whole thing under the rug?
#4 Joe has acted completely illogical and downright arrogant and dilusional throughout this whole process. You can't call what happend to those victims as, "gee tough life. But all well! You guys study hard and I'll talk to you tomorrow! Who are we? Penn St!"
How could Penn St. really carry on with that circus in his front yard?
Joe has acted completely insensitive, offensive, and is one senile old man. Does he not realize that people are going to prison over this? Does he not realize that people are having their careers ruined because of this? On top of everything, does he not realize that for over a decade, his program and university has been protecting a monster who has preyed on little boys?
#5 Joe hasn't tried to prevent this circus from occurring. It's almost as if he likes this attention. He put himself in a corner by declaring that he would coach till the end of the year. This forced the university's hand, they needed to show some leadership and put an end to this freakshow. They couldn't go on playing football games, holding classes, and proceed with this investigation with Joe Pa still there. How his gutless assistant still has a job is beyond me. This whole school needed to be trashed. Start over. New Pres, new AD, new coach, new everything. I hope the NCAA permits players to transfer without punishment. Start over.
The only way to start over? Quickly cut off the head of the snake. They couldn't bring him onto campus to fire him, the media circus and kids would have just been sick. They couldn't "sneak" into his house with hundreds if not thousands of people noticing. They did the only thing they could do, fire him over the phone. Game over. You're done. Now we have a school and football program and reputation to restore.
Finally, Joe has only himself to blame. had he made the phone call... Whenever he knew of this issue (and even if he never really knew, this fell under his watch. Sorry Joe, but it happened while you were twiddling your thumbs... Or worse, writing a book about leadership), he HAD to call the cops. He didn't.
What did Joe Pa have to lose by calling the cops? He was the one man that could have busted this thing wide open real fast. If anything, his legacy would have increased as he "stood up" to a good friend and former coach, and saved so many kids from a horrible crime. He didn't. Coward.
He needed to confront his coach and find out WTF was going on. He didn't.
He needed to use his own power to move the gutless administration to action. He didn't.
Joe Pa had the obligation to bring gutter trash to justice and to prevent other children from being raped. He didn't.
Joe, because of your incompetence and/or cowardice, you will pay for it now. A failed football season, a crappy phone call telling you that you've been dismissed, and a tarnished legacy.
You Penn St. folks who are defending Joe, need to take a step back, breathe, and realize the weight of this situation. It isn't about football anymore. And your boy, Joey Pa, could have saved who knows how many young boys. Would you be defending Joe if one of your kids were a victim of Joe's neglect?