In Defense Of Penn State’s Mike McQueary

Dan, nice try, but unless it comes out the he immediately ran over and took the kid away from Sandusky he did nothing to protect that 10 year old. We are talking about a 28 year old man, running to daddy for advice on what to do when you see a child being raped by an adult and that does not fall into the category of “could he have done more.”  You refer to him as a 28 year old as if you were speaking about some kid in his early teens, he was not.   His failure was complete and no amount of spinning it will change that.

That is easy for you to say Clovis4 – I am sure that you have always acted perfectly in every decision you’ve ever made, and carry no regrets for something you’ve done.  I congratulate you on living such a prestine life, and hope that you someday write a book as to how you’ve been able to be perfect, despite being a member of the imperfect human race.

I am sure that when you pass a homeless person asking for money, you give him or her your bank account number, and routing number.

I am sure that when you see a traffic accident, you stop until the paramedics arrive.

I am sure when you see someone fall in front of you, you are the first to run over, and help that person up.

3 cheers to Clovis 4!!!!!  Sure to garner every Nobel prize available to someone of his character!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ludicrous to assume that you know what you would do in this situation – or anybody for that matter.  Your body reacts instinctively when something tramatic occurs, and you have little control over it.  This guy is not blameless, of course, but it is hard to be too hard on him.

Except you, Clovis4 - I know for sure you would have wrestled this naked old man with a hard on to the ground, pinned his hands begin his naked back next to his sweaty ass, called 911 on your cell phone, because I am sure you had one in 2002, and waited until the police arrived.  After all, you’ve lived a perfect life up until now. 

McQueary socialized with Sandusky after witnessing this pedophile sodomoizing a child! That’s all that matters. This is not about fu*king McQueary! This is about fu*king 10 year old boys.

Dan, you forgot to mention that the very next year McQueary received a promotion to a fulltime coaching position… interesting timing?  This guy is part of the coverup, as are all the people on the Penn State coaching staff at the time.  The new coach Bradley… he took over for Sandusky when he “retired” in ’99.  Yeah, I’m sure there were no rumors going around about why the 55yr old heir apparent to Paterno suddenly retired less than a year after he was first investigated for showering with young boys?????  I know your job to to be edgy and get page views, but there’s no defense for anyone at Penn St. that even had a limited knowledge of these allegations and did not call the police immediately.  If McQueary saw a murder taking place in the shower would he run it up the chain of command? 

What is remarkable is that McQueary, Paterno, the AD , the VP and the President of PSU in an attempt to save PSU reputation did the very thing that has marred it- they didn’t report the behavior to the police.

What a ridiculous reply – of COURSE a normal person would do any or all of the things you babbled about. Only someone worried about HIS OWN future would have turned away. He is sickening, and so are you.

Even if you give McQueary the benefit of the doubt, that he was so horrified by what he saw that he couldn’t immediately act and stop Sandusky in the moment he saw the rape taking place, it doesn’t excuse his behavior afterwards.  He did his due diligence and reported what he saw to Paterno but that was the bare minimum of what he could do.  Over seven years he never followed up on what happened; how many kids were molested after that.  He does bear responsibility for those boys.

Just what I was implying.  Everyone likes to judge a guy as evil for not acting “appropriately” in a situation nobody hardly ever finds themselves in.  It is easy to judge people that way, and it makes us feel better about our own insecurities.

Take Mjarcana, for example.  He calls me “sickening,” even though he’s never met me, and has no idea who I am.  By calling me “sickening,” he is trying to convince himself that he is not sickening.  And by judging this guys actions or inactions as wrong, and that he would have done something more, he is trying to convince himself that he is a stand up individual.

His bigest misjudgment was in not following up – there is not a person in the world who knows what they would or would not do, or how they would act, when they see a mentor of their raping a child in a shower. 

Come off it. 

We don’t know the details, but if Sandusky was allowed as a guest to training, playoffs with children, we can safely assume that McQueary was in “touch”  and had no problem in socializing and working with a known pedophile.

Hey gk123,what would you have wanted McQueary to do if it was YOUR 10 year old son being assaulted?

I bet  Sandusky likes “touch” football.

Dan,

Until Mediaite came along, I had almost forgotten about you and your unbending  support in 2000 for the Oaf, Gore, who couldn’t carry his home state.  You do realize that he lost?  He never won in Florida.  The Constitution does not pick a president based on  majority vote. 

Now you are supporting another political player who, like Gore, chose his job prospects over doing the right thing.

I enjoy Mediaite, though it is looking more and more like the left leaning, Politico, arm of MSNBC.  Unlike the the far left Seattle PI, whose snippy editorial staff regularly deletes conservative comments before completely blocking them, Mediaite appears to be open to all sides though it focuses on slamming the right and pandering to Obama.

 2012 is coming and it looks like it’s going to get ugly.  Mediaite could turn into another arm of MSNBC.   I hope not.  The First Amendment is an important thing, even for liberals.

Sorry, your attitude about “non-judgement” is what is sickening, not you personally as I don’t know you. But any normal person would have shouted, called someone on their cell (yes, they were around)  run for campus security, or  they might have actually gotten physically involved.  After all, if you can’t help the most vulnerable, what good are you? What kind of moral compass do you have? Some actions are instinctive – and interrupting this grotesque rape should have happened – after all, Mr McQuearry knew this guy, and would know he was probably  unarmed…and of course in a vulnerable state.  Mr Q is not “evil” as you put it, but his inaction was sickening.

abrams cares little about the first amendment, we al least he doesn’t practice it. he allows his writers to ban people just for not agreeing with their opinion. (tommy christopher)

Dan,

Is this what you envisioned when you started Mediaite?  It is a left-leaning apology machine for the Obama administration or anything left. 

ANYONE  who knew about this and didn’t put a stop to it immediately should be prosecuted. PERIOD!!

I agree with the analysis, but with the frequent references to McQueary’s insufficient response throughout the article demonstrated with “sure,” “of course,” and the like, then it’s crystal clear that he should absorb some responsibility and be painted with a villainous brush.  He was a fully grown adult and he was looking out for his own career as much as he was for that 10 year old.  

Additionally,  a large portion of the responsibility should be shared by the Pennsyvania legislature for not making it mandatory for professionals in education to report child abuse to authorities.  That’s the standard set by 40! states throughout the country and an inadequacy that I hope has been remedied by now.  God bless those kids and I hope that McQueary can move on with his life and be happy again soon, but there is no denying he failed the moral test and passed on pummeling the pervert that was raping that poor little boy.   

Dan, you defend this man with no spine or moral compass… really?  If you walk in on a man raping a child, you stop him.  You immediately call the Police (and perhaps an ambulance for the rapist you are about to pummel).  What a moral human being with any sense of decency should  NOT do is 1) call your daddy first; 2) Wait a full day then just tell your boss; 3) Go back to work and pretend nothing happened while the same old boy club that turned a blind eye to child rape promotes you up the ranks.   And to those who say, “you weren’t there, so you don’t know how you’d react,” I say, BS.  You are wrong and if you don’t know how you’d have acted, then you are no better than the group of enablers that put football ahead of decency (and I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you too would have called 911 as most Americans would have done under the circumstances).   All of these enablers who simply averted their eyes while little kids were abused, including McQueary,  are shameful and despicable.  They are not deserving of your giving them a public “defense.”  Save your defense for the kids.

agreed. no where in the grand jury report does it say that he ran over and made sure the assault stopped. if that was something that happened why wouldn’t it have been a natural part of his testimony and included in the report? that’s right, it would have been…. or at the very least why isn’t his lawyer making sure all of the media outlets know that he stopped the abuse before leaving to contact his father.  I don’t beleive for a second that he did anything because he was fearful of losing his job.  most other 28 year old grown men would have knocked that bastard on his ass, made sure the kid got out of there and called the cops.  this case is disgusting on so many levels.

Dan, you must be another one of those bleeding-heart liberals. It’s like saying a serial murderer like Ted Bundy is really just a “smaller catch” beside Hitler.

No, McQueary is an awful person. If he did bring the rape to a stop, contrary to what’s being said, then that’s a point for him. But to stand by idly and not scream at the top of his lungs “THERE’S A CHILD RAPIST ON OUR STAFF!” if the guy isn’t instantly arrested… knowing full well that other children may be attacked BECAUSE of his silence… is totally reprehensible.

McQueary may not be Hitler… but he still deserves to go to hell.

Let’s say for the sake of argument I wouldn’t do the things you mentioned, you win.  What I do know is that if I saw an adult man raping a 10 year old I would stop it immediately, and I wouldn’t even mind getting a little wet and touch a naked man (you have a problem with naked men?) and  god forbid touch his ass (another  odd reference, but it is yours thinking).  Just because you
are not clear on what you would do in that situation is your problem, not mine. I’m pleased to see how brave you are in this post, insulting strangers while hiding behind a computer.  You may want to save some of that fearlessness in the event that some child’s life is ever in your hands, it may steady your resolve to do what is right and not what is easy.

Well as long as we are diagnosing insecurities here, I’m not a psychiatrist but I play one on a blog, your references to getting too close to a naked man and touching his ass, would seem to indicate there are some conflicts going on that you may want to think on. 
I’m not judging, just making an observation.

Dan, I understand what you’re saying, and also that it is easy for all us to judge McQueary harshly. But this all comes down to a moment and in that moment: He didn’t save the child. It’s a horrible moment that any of us could face and we all pray we react correctly and I think part of our anger is in the fear that in that position we too would fail to do the right thing. And he did fail Dan, he didn’t save the child.

Dan you have lost your mind.  I guess when you write a column you need relevant timely material and to stir up controversy.  That’s the only excuse I can think of for letting McQueary off the hook and calling everyone else to account.  By “making sure it stopped” I presume that, as with most encounters in the Grand Jury transcript, he noted that Sandusky stopped at some point after he saw that he had been spotted.  Like Conrad Murray – dontcha know when to call 911?

You got me on the routing number, but a buck or two sure.

Other than that, I’m trying to figure out if you’re a bitter little old lady or a pasty, fragile emo hipster prick that can’t see past the circularly rimmed spectacles at the end of is bony little honker.

I also bet $5 you fart every time you cry, and that you cry a lot.

I’m in total agreement Dan and so glad you wrote this article. Who are we to judge what someone should have done in such a horrific situation? We are not in McQueary’s shoes and I applaud him for all the steps he took. Can you imagine the horror and confusion he must have felt? Of course he would consult someone like his father or someone he was close to. This was extremely serious and unbelievable. Like a horrible nightmare. No ONE would know exactly what they would do as far as ensuring every correct step was taken. I’m awaiting your discussion with Nancy Grace. Because of course she would have taken all the right steps in the right way with the right people.
Alison

Umm, Alison this is a 28 year old MAN we’re talking about, not a little teenaged girl. He ran to his Daddy and left a 10 year old alone with a pedophile rapist, regardless of whether or not he said “stop or I’ll tell my Daddy and Joe Paterno on you” he failed as a man. Let’s just hope you’re so forgiving if you ever find yourself the victim f a sexual assault and a man witnesses it and yells stop and then runs away to ask his daddy for advice…

By the way, I don’t think this is a political discussion.  This has nothing to do with who
  It has nothing to do with budget, the military stationed in Afganistan and Iraq or job growth.  This is about a man who didn’t due what he was morally responsible to do; report a man, who yes, was his superior.  When McQuesery went though the the proper channels and nothing happened he was morally obligated to go to the authorities.  He failed to do that and does deserve to be punished.  I think his administraative leave should be made permanent.  And again this is not a political discussion so if we could stick to the subject. 

Oh, please.  I am sick and tired of all these sociological, psychological, and legal excuses for Paterno, McQueary, and all the rest.  Can we please be honest about this whole thing?  The reason no one called the police is because doing so would damage Penn State’s chances at winning the next football game.  Sandusky was a coach, after all.  If he was arrested, the team’s chances of winning would be diminished. That’s the reason the police weren’t called.  It was to protect the Penn State football program, and that is why there is such ire directed at all these fully grown men who are now whining like babies because they have been called on it.

BULLSH!T gk. He was complicit in that childs rape.

A pathetic, disgusting attempt to mitigate McQueary’s horrific inaction.
He should be banned for life from the NCAA.
Paterno should be charged.
PSU football should forfeit their season and their program should be overhauled with NCAA oversight.

We’re not talking about stealing office supplies here people.  WAKE UP!  We’re talking about a long running, pedophile grooming operation that may have involved a large number of participants, and certainly involved ALL the important decision makers, from the trustees to Joepa, in a long standing cover-up.

There is NO defense.

Why not call 911 immediately. Get the police involved instantly. Physically do everything you can to stop it. And I’m sorry, but if I know a guy a work with is a molester I will not forget it. Heck I would call Lester in public all the time and when asked say “Lester the Child Molester”. I would bring it up constantly. I would see the kids family and not take it to Paterno, but to the courts. Why report it to the University or Football team? Go to the police!

Granted, he did not rape the boys, but he didn’t use common judgement either.

Wow, defending the indefensible. McQueary was 28 years old for Heaven’s sake. It was a coverup, pure and simple, to save Penn State football’s reputation. He was a grad student assistant and lo and behold then a full-time coach. It doesn’t take much dot connecting to assume he furthered his career by shutting up. If he was the least bit put off by Paterno’s and the Administration’s reactions, he could have left and gone elsewhere and called the police. There is no excusing this. He didn’t cowboy up. He needs to find a pair as he’s likely ruined his coaching life forever. I don’t know anyone that would hire him. Had he called the police instead of going with the coverup, he’d be in much better shape.

I can’t imagine anyone who has a child of their own would think it ok what McQueary did…or rather what he DID NOT do.  This is not some gray area hobson’s choice dilemma from a freshman philosophy 101 course.  A real kid got raped and McQueary left that little boy unattended in that locker room with the rapist and then he turned around walked out w/out calling 911 or telling the kids parents (but this 28 year old man called his own daddy, instead). Other kids were abused because he stayed silent (perhaps even that same little boy was raped again…). He was an enabler and he enjoyed a big promotion after staying silent.  Case closed. 

gk123 – obviously you don’t have kids or if you do, you shouldn’t.

your examples aren’t even in the same ballpark.  traffic accident = child rape?

homeless person begging = child rape?  you are a moron.

Don’t understand why everybody keeps referring to McQueary as “Grad Student” and not a “former D1 quarterback”. Physically, he could have delivered  a massive beatdown to Sandusky. Also, this guy’s whole life has been about making quick decisions  - and this was an easy one. There is absolutely no excuse for leaving a child in the shower with a rapist.
Bottom line:  McQueary thought about himself, his career,  and the school’s reputation first. He never thought about the kid’s safety – at all.  He eventually did the right thing and told, but it took two days. Sandusky could have murdered the boy and disposed of the evidence in that time  - could you put it past him?
Mike is a coward. I can’t say for sure what I would do in the same situation, but I’d like to think that I would have killed Sandusky with my bare hands. 
BUT – If I didn’t,  and I just turned around and ran away and called my daddy, and then continued to work for the organization that swept this under the rug, knowing that this monster was preying on kids and nobody was stopping him. Then yes – I would be a coward. And I wouldn’t deserve anybody’s defense.

Dan,

Any person who finds themselves witness to such atrocious acts should be pittied, I’ll agree with you on that. Where you lose me is that with McQueary’s “crystal clear” belief that it was rape, he should have immediately scooped up that child and taken him to an emergency room for treatment as well as notifying law enforcement. His failure to do that IS contemptable and heinous.

28 years old is old enough to stand up for the right thing, even if it means you may suffer. He chose to place his career and university before the health and well being of a child. That’s older than the average age of the young men who stormed the beach at Normandy facing death. All McQueary stood to lose was a job. What is that in trade for saving a child from the hands of a monster.

He is a coward. He is reprehensible.

A 6′ 4″, 220 lb. former QB witnesses a child being ass-raped by a 60 year-old man, appraises the situation, turns around and leaves the scene. Afterwards, he notifies his father of the crime he had witnessed, who, in turn, tells him to notify an excessively-worshipped football coach instead of the police.

Attempting to defend this course of conduct is as contemptible as engaging in it in the first place.

Dan – in light of the comments above and the fact media reports there is no evidence McQeuary ever contacted police as his vague email excuse to his friends suggested….why not use this space to respond to our views and — perhaps — revise and extend your misguided defense of this pedophile enabler?

Jacob, keep your biased, uninformed political regurgitative bashing of Proressives (and any other group) out of this discussion if you want your opinion taken seriously. My combat vet Marine sons and our family are proud Liberals and we do not (nor do any Progressives/Conservatives/Independents/ad nauseums we personally know) condone child rape, McQueary’s non-aggressive “intervention” or coverups of such horrid behavior.  You may get a thrill at your lame insult, but it just makes you look like a bigot. Stick to supporting your point. We’ll all be able to learn more from each other. Or at least be more easily entertained.

Why on earth should the Penn State football players be punished for any
of this – especially by forfeiture of the season? They’ve done
nothing wrong; indeed, they have earned their success this season by
getting it done on the field. For heaven’s sake – some people need to
calm down and think things through. It’s simply illogical and
overreactive to punish these student athletes, especially for
non-football-related transgressions done by staff, admins, LEOs and
other students.

And no, I do not condone this travesty of morality nor am I a Penn State fan.

Honestly after seeing how everyone has treated McQueery, he might as well of said nothing! He’s being crucified and that is why witnesses of crimes  look the other way. It’s pretty sad but the message says to me that unless you are willing to kill the accused……. just walk away. Who needs it.