There's the court system, and then there's the court of public opinion.
The court system could take a long time - even years - to determine whether former Penn State defensive coordinator and Second Mile founder Jerry Sandusky is guilty, as charged, with sexually abusing eight young men between 1994 and 2009.
The court of public opinion moves much more quickly, especially with today's social media climate and 24/7 news cycle.
And the court of public opinion already has rendered its verdict on Sandusky as guilty and feels every single administrator who was made aware of the 2002 sexual-assault allegation of a young boy - university President Graham Spanier, vice president Gary Schultz, football coach Joe Paterno and Athletic Director Tim Curley - needs to go.
The media - Penn State was the lead story on all the national news networks Monday - have converged on State College wanting answers.
Curley and Schultz both were arraigned Monday in Harrisburg on perjury charges for allegedly lying to a grand jury. The university announced late Sunday night that Schultz has resigned and Curley has been granted a leave of absence.
A quick recap of the case:
Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant coach and currently the Nittany Lions' receivers coach, witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy he estimated to be 10 years old in the Nittany Lion football locker room about 9:30 p.m. Friday, March 1, 2002.
Shocked, McQueary called his father, John, and the two went to Paterno's home the next morning.
The grand jury presentment gets vague here, noting at one point that McQueary reported to Paterno "what he had seen" but later noting that Paterno relayed to Curley that he was told by McQueary that Sandusky was "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature" with the boy.
A week and a half later - much too long - McQueary met with Curley and Schultz - without Paterno - and, according to the grand jury, described a graphic sexual assault.
That's why Paterno issued a statement Sunday - through his son, Scott (a lawyer), and not through the university. It said, "[McQueary] at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report."
That might help explain Curley's testimony to the grand jury.
Faced between admitting under oath what McQueary says he told him (of a brutal sexual assault) or what Paterno had told him (that Sandusky had been "horsing around"), Curley either misunderstood McQueary or tried to soften the allegation.
And in doing so, who did he protect? Paterno.
Remember, Penn State is not your typical college football program.
It is a kingdom and there is one king, regardless of whether he supposedly reports to anyone else.
We found that out when these same administrators - Spanier, Curley and Schultz - wanted him to retire in 2004.
The grand jury report says Curley informed The Second Mile of the allegation and while Curley testified that he took Sandusky's keys to the football facilities in 2002 and told him he could not bring young children there anymore, no one called Child Protection Services or the police as is required by law.
Curiously, according to the grand jury, Penn State and The Second Mile were both represented at the time by the same attorney, Wendell Courtney.
It's understandable that McQueary was traumatized and, yes, in retrospect, he should have called 911.
He was a graduate assistant at the time, just trying to put some sneakers in a locker. At 28 years old then, maybe he didn't know what to do other than to call his boss.
But surely, Penn State's highest-ranking officials should have reacted more decisively, especially given that they pride themselves in representing an athletic program that promotes "success with honor."
And especially considering the Centre County District Attorney, Ray Gricar, had looked into a 1998 police report in which Sandusky was alleged to have showered with and washed the backs of young boys. The grand jury delves into that case and said Sandusky apologized to the victim's mother. Charges were never brought.
There was another allegation in the grand jury report of Sandusky performing oral sex on a young boy in 2000. It was witnessed by a custodial staff member, but it's unclear if that information was reported before 2002.
Just based on the 1998 report, the 2002 case should have set off a loud alarm at both Penn State and The Second Mile.
Instead, Sandusky continued to have campus privileges at PSU until this past Sunday and was involved with kids at The Second Mile until his retirement from the organization last fall - which came only after he disclosed to The Second Mile board that he was the subject of an investigation into a 2009 allegation involving a student at Central Mountain High School.
Were it not for the officials at Central Mountain, Sandusky might still be conducting tours at the Lasch Building, then wrestling and showering with kids.
Based on his testimony this past April - that he
didn't know the name of the person who witnessed the 2002 incident and that he was unaware of the 1998 investigation even though the Harrisburg Patriot-News had detailed it in breaking the story just a month earlier - it's amazing Spanier has even been deemed a credible witness.
He has to be on extremely thin ice.
After Gricar looked into the 1998 allegation, it's become pretty clear Paterno got rid of Sandusky, whose retirement was announced in July of 1999 with the understanding that the '99 season would be his last.
Scott Paterno confirmed Sunday that in May of 1999, his dad told Sandusky he would not be the next head coach at PSU and gave him a choice - football or The Second Mile.
Paterno knew Sandusky would choose The Second Mile.
By the way, after being forecast to challenge for the national title, the 1999 defense - despite having the top two picks in the 2000 NFL Draft in Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington - tanked.
These sickening allegations, if proven true, are much, much worse than the competitive advantages sought at places like Ohio State, Miami, SMU and Auburn that have been riddled with NCAA infractions over the years.
While Sandusky, Curley and Schultz face legal issues, this was a moral test, one in which Penn State's leadership - led by Paterno because he's the king and all he had to do was tell all involved to turn in Sandusky - deserves an F.
It's likely to have a long-term effect on the university in terms of image, philanthropy and admissions while staining anyone who could have put a stop to it nine years ago.
Rudel can be reached at 946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.
