Barack Obama: Penn State Scandal Has Wider Lessons, Calls Sex Abuse Case 'Heartbreaking'

KAPOLEI, Hawaii -- President Barack Obama says the sexual abuse scandal at Penn State has an important message for institutions far beyond college sports: that protecting children is more important than shielding institutions.

Obama has called the case, which ended the career of longtime head coach Joe Paterno, "heartbreaking." He and other school officials were faulted for not doing enough after allegations that a one-time assistant coach abused young boys.

At a news conference Sunday after the APEC summit in Hawaii, Obama said college athletic programs are fun and can be important. But he said the excitement they generate shouldn't get in the way of protecting vulnerable youngsters. And he says the lesson is that when people see something wrong, they have to "step up."

Comments

[my dc]

05:39 AM on 11/17/2011

We anticipate we're going to have at least several of those kids come forward and say, `This never happened. This is me. This is the allegation. It never occurred,'" Amendola said.

Andreozzi said he has his "finger on the pulse" of the case and knows of no accusers changing their stories or refusing to testify.

"To the contrary, others are actually coming forward, and I will have more information for you later this week," Andreozzi said.
Sandusky, 67, appeared on the show by phone and said he had showered with boys but never molested them.
http://wdcpost.blogspot.com/2011/11/penn-lawyerclient-ready-to-testify.html

[Julie Ann Worley]

04:49 PM on 11/15/2011

U.S. Congress must Immediately Enact H.R. 3027 "The Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act", DUE TO DIE AGAIN IN U.S. HOUSE COMM. ON EDUCATION 12/8/2011, to stop Politicizing our nation's schoolchildren's human/constitutional/civil rights in taxpayer funded schools and ensure EQUAL access to safe and healthy learning environments for ALL U.S. Schoolchildren! In predominantly southern "BIBLE BELT" schools, MANDATORY REPORTERS of suspected child abuse, school teachers, coaches and administrators HIT STUDENTS K-12 with thick wooden PADDLES, SEXUAL ASSAULT when done to a non-consenting adult, to deliberately inflict PAIN AS PUNISHMENT for minor infractions, known as "Corporal Punishment", already ILLEGAL in schools in 31 U.S. States. Several "School Paddling States" have "Teacher IMMUNITY LAWS" to protect school employees from criminal/civil action when students are INJURED, leaving families no legal redress! Federal statistics indicate that beatings by school administrators are overwhelmingly administered in the Southern Bible Belt. The beatings are "founded upon the RELIGIOUS CONVICTION IT IS A SIN TO SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD."

Please add your voice to support Federal Lesiglation to Abolish Corporal Punishment of ALL Students in America's Schools at donthitstudents dot com

[jantomnidrah]

03:34 PM on 11/14/2011

When did obama get concerned about scandals? Haven't heard him mention SOLYANDRA lately.

[Sabrae]

04:00 PM on 11/14/2011

It wasn't a scandal, but a failed business. From what I've read, there seems to be a glut of solar panels from a number of companies out there with no real market for them.

[EEKuersten]

03:15 PM on 11/14/2011

People tend to think that when crimes happen on campus you report it to your higher up, and not the cops. Forget about higher ups, and campus security, and res life counselors and blah blah. The guy who witnessed the act in the shower should have punched out the coach, and taken the poor kid straight to the cops. Any less should be accessory to the fact, as in the case on which THE ACCUSED, that old Jodie Foster movie, was based.

[montsalas]

02:42 PM on 11/14/2011

I wonder how many people who have seen something wrong and stepped up lived to regret it or not;) The whistleblower and his father in this case had already figured this out when they decided not to go to the police.

[LogicalMathMan]

12:12 PM on 11/14/2011

'Heartbreaking' is putting it mildly. Several other words come to mind and none of them come close to 'heartbreaking'. This was devious, reprehensible, ignominious, exploitative, concerted, vile, demonic, inflammatory and institutionalized silence. If PSU wants to do damage control, they should appoint an independent investigator who has no allegiance to the program.

[callforcourage]

08:54 PM on 11/14/2011

Agree with your comments but as a physician who is responsible for reporting I can tell you that much of the public judges those who don't report only to wonder why such a disaster happens. This is why it happens--repetitive silence. No one wants to make the call. I have had to do it for years and I can tell you that the messenger gets shot frequently. But I sleep at night. In reality not all are math oriented rather life is a reality tv show and no one connects the dots or checks the math.

[ocrmom59]

11:55 AM on 11/14/2011

Michele Bachmann said to let the state handle, but did she forget it was the state that was handling it and for how long. It just goes to show that if you are in power and can do a lot to raise those huge dollars you can get away with almost anything until you get caught.

I just wonder if it was someoneelse guilty conscious that made them look into the whole thing at all. It is not hard to believe that this could go on this long and no one said anything out loud but I can almost bet there were a lot being said behind closed doors. Some who afraid to speak out maybe in hiding for a different reason on what other shoe might drop. I can't blame the parents for not wanting their families opening to the public and then have their whole life turned upside down by doing nothing wrong but getting abuse by people they trust. I am pretty sure that there are a lot more victims but they will not come forward for that very reason.

[interlude]

01:15 PM on 11/14/2011

Waiting for the booster iceberg to be revealed. It's been kept amazingly quiet.

[AskariAli]

10:57 AM on 11/14/2011

Too bad Obama didn't take this stance against the Vatican. Instead, he provided the Vatican with immunity from prosecution for child sex abuse and the cover ups that followed. You can read more here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2010/05/is_the_vatican_asovereign_state.html

[cougar4247]

11:55 AM on 11/14/2011

Too bad he doesn't take the same stance against Planned Parenthood who cover up cases of rape and incest.

[Blackhawk6]

01:33 PM on 11/14/2011

Really? Did you just make this about Obama?

[IndependentAndProud]

10:45 PM on 11/14/2011

Another load of BS from a Dark Ages poster.

[kpamesa]

10:57 AM on 11/14/2011

People, people, people....the SADDEST part of this Penn State travesty is that Sandusky was actually in police custody in 1998, but RAY GRICAR didn't think they "had enough evidence" to convict, so HE chose not to try the case. Isn't it interesting that in 2005, Mr. Gricar disappeared? And that disappearance came AFTER the 2002 information that Joe Paterno gave to the university heads? Makes me wonder why Gricar "disappeared" and if by the time he "dissappeared" he actually WAS getting ready to take ALL the evidence to trial? Worth a bit of investigation?

[powerlift2201]

11:38 AM on 11/14/2011

It's equally interesting that Gricar did not smoke nor did he allow smoking in his car. His car was found with a minute amount of ashes and when the police opened it they could smell the scent of cigarrettes. Another interesting fact is that his laptop was found missing the hard drive. Gricar has been classifed as legally dead and I don't think the investigation is moving much any more.

[den1953]

10:54 AM on 11/14/2011

The bigger picture is how Sandusky managed to build a whole charity around his sickness, and no one noticed like the Catholic church a hidden sickness in the most perverse way and Sandusky used his foundation as security against his crimes......

[montsalas]

02:47 PM on 11/14/2011

From the stand point of a child, Sandusky and a priest are no different. A child thinks this guy is like god who is ever going to believe me. Yes I see many parallels.

[den1953]

12:08 PM on 11/15/2011

I can't imagine how those children felt other then scared and alone!

[Char59]

11:19 AM on 11/14/2011

Also, what has been done to this country before President Obama took office is HEARTBREAKING!

[montsalas]

02:48 PM on 11/14/2011

and CRIMINAL

[NastyN8]

11:27 AM on 11/14/2011

Being you is probably the most heartbreaking thing I have ever seen a person go through.

[mebemommee06]

12:02 PM on 11/14/2011

you saying you actually know that person or are you true to your name!

[bpalmer342]

10:32 AM on 11/14/2011

"Heartbreaking" these guy's didn't get caught sooner. "Step up", "Man up" "Feel the burn" "No pain no gain" sports talk takes on a new, perverse, meaning.

[markin2500]

10:03 AM on 11/14/2011

Child Protection is one of the most important functions of adults, if not THE most important .Today the protection of children is either accomplished overzealously or widely ignored. It is time to step up with a balanced approach utilizing better training for parents, teachers, coaches, and social workers, and more balanced media.

[Try the truth]

10:18 AM on 11/14/2011

Even something like this you try and take a political swipe, says more about you!

[petpetdonna]

10:54 AM on 11/14/2011

Oh and the President speaking on the topic isn't political?

[oldflamepi]

09:43 AM on 11/14/2011

I like "what ifs" because they sometimes help to clarify peoples positions when thoughtful consideration gives way to emotional rants that fire up the lynch mob mentality. I've even heard pundits and politicians say that the Penn State football program should be shut down because of this scandal. What a great idea! Punish the student body, faculty and alumni for what a few people did or didn't do. But here's the what if: What if someone at the atheletic department at Penn State had contacted a reporter that an assistant coach was molesting young boys and that reporter just shrugged it off as a rumor and didn't look into it? Wouldn't the media be as responsible as some of the people they now accuse of not doing enough?

[silverstreet]

11:18 AM on 11/14/2011

The football program at Penn State is corrupt and should be shut down. Stop making excuses for awful behavior -- and that includes behavior of the students

[oldflamepi]

11:51 AM on 11/14/2011

The football players are corrupt? The waterboy should've known and said something? Where's your evidence dude?

[N Rathke]

11:27 AM on 11/14/2011

But that didn't happen. Your "what if" is meaningless. Quit trying to blame others and stick to reality.

[oldflamepi]

11:57 AM on 11/14/2011

I'm not defending Joe Paterno. Paterno had information directly from an eyewitness to the abuse and based upon the facts we have now, didn't do anything other than report it to the atheletic director. But I find it hard to believe that if the atheletic director and the president of the university knew, then the board of directors had to have known. Based on the logic I've been reading the whole board of directors should be fired including the Governor of PA. And blah blah blah.