Penn State Scandal: Matt Paknis, Former Graduate Assistant, Says Joe Paterno Knows Everything

In the wake of the shocking child sex abuse scandal surrounding Penn State, in which former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexually assaulting eight young boys, many questions have still gone unanswered. One of the most polarizing questions swirling around State College, Pa. has been how much knowledge longtime head coach Joe Paterno had of Sandusky's alleged crimes.

Matt Paknis, a former graduate assistant offensive line coach who worked under Paterno during the late 1980's, provided his best answer to that question when he spoke to Mike Francesca on WFAN in New York. Asked whether it would be possible for there to be any allegations, investigations or report surrounding Sandusky without Paterno knowing about it, the 49-year-old Paknis stated that would be impossible.

"Impossible, impossible. Joe knows everything, Joe knows everything -- everything that goes on at that campus, everything that goes on clearly in the football program," Paknis said. "It's like the [Bernie] Madoff thing. Not only did he cover it up, but there's no way that this wasn't apparent."

Later, Francesa asked Paknis if he believed that it was possible that Paterno tried to cover it up.

"Absolutely," he said. "I mean, fights, behavior problems anything like that never reached the local paper. It was a controlled environment. There's no question. You've been out there, right?"

Click HERE to listen to the full segment.

Former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer took it further last week and insisting that not only did Paterno know, but the entire staff knew as well.

On his blog, Building Teams & Leaders, Paknis recently authored a post "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely," offering his recollections of and reflections on his team at Penn State. It is clear that he came away from the experience with an unsavory opinion of Paterno and the atmosphere he had created around him.

"Overall, I saw Joe as a master spin doctor whose image shed a far greater shadow than his actual character," wrote Paknis.

The Paknis-Francessa interview was transcribed by Sports Radio Interviews.

Comments

[GJR227]

06:21 AM on 11/19/2011

At least one person is willing to state the obvious. The question is how many other PSU officials knew about this up to an including the Board.

[blackswan22]

07:37 PM on 11/18/2011

Hate to say it, but it looks like the coverup started with Paterno. Hopefully when this thing goes before the courts, we'll learn different. But the again, it just may quietly go away after a large settlement is offered for the silence of the victims.

[Hipster Dufus]

04:17 PM on 11/18/2011

If Paterno knew and all the staff knew everything in detail as stated, then one or more of the investigations should be able to discover that.
There are so many involved in such a condition that it would come out.
People will not be as concerned about Paterno's reaction, as the possibility of civil or criminal action against them if they speak up. State College is presently packed with hungry lawyers (both defense and trial, but mostly trial I assume).

It all may be as bad for Paterno as some say. It will take some more time for due process to make that certain. Paterno has his defense lawyer on retainer.

It would be useful for this article to indicate why Paknis left.

[Cousin Earl]

01:54 PM on 11/18/2011

The Bernie Madoff analogy occurred to me too. Or the "too big to fail" banks.

[James Leeeee]

01:45 PM on 11/18/2011

Well one thing that I have been saying all along -- despicable as his behavior was, when you look at the assistant coach Mike McQueary's reaction to witnessing the molestation in the shower, his reaction only MAKES SENSE, if this was not something NEW to him, that he KNEW about it already, he had probably heard about it around the water cooler, people whispered and talked and knew that it was going on with Sandusky. If McQueary had NO IDEA Sandusky was doing this stuff, and he walked in the shower and saw it happening, he would have reacted like ANY normal person, and intervened, hollered, etc. But it sounds like he KNEW about it already, so that's why he wanted to duck out as quickly as possible, call his dad, and wait a day to talk to Paterno! Yes it was despicable behavior, I'm NOT defending him AT ALL, but what McQueary did that day, his behavior only MAKES SENSE if he already knew, and you take that into account.

I think it's pretty likely Paterno knew, when you look at his actions through those kind of lenses. Plus Sandusky was listing little kids as his guests on the team trips on the team plane. You think Paterno didn't see THAT? Every step he did was about damage control, for himself and the program, not about preventing the incidents from happening.

[1SG Ret]

01:35 PM on 11/18/2011

The NCAA should give the Penn State Football program the "death penalty"

[Six Gator]

11:57 AM on 11/18/2011

someone tell Barry Switzer to un-involve himself here....his name mentioned in stories generally works against whatever is right!

Barry Switzer...someone woke him up again?...

[Deparis]

11:47 AM on 11/18/2011

Of course he knew, I mean come one! I believe that even the University Police dropped the ball somewhere or simply covered up. I have doubts that these allegations were not reported to campus police even though they are now claiming the contrary and putting forth the lack of record of such reporting as proof. Sickening.

[recorsini]

11:19 AM on 11/18/2011

Just saw J. Edgar. This is about power, money and closeted homosexuality and yes, pedophilia. Money and power without accountability. This is just not about football at Penn State. This is all about the depravity of greed. Power without wisdom.

[Nephthys]

04:34 AM on 11/18/2011

Well, I'll be honest...I NEVER heard of Paterno before this stuff started (What I know about football can fit into a thimble). So I think I have a VERY objective point of view here. (I neither like nor dislike the man, and I have no per-conception of him as I see some of his fans do.)

Did Paterno know? Well, yes. I think he even now admits that.
Should he have done more? HELL YES! By not doing more, he seems like a selfish, self-centered human being that puts football over humanity.

That said, I have to take issue with people who say he should go to jail.

Look, the bottom line is....he did *TECHNICALLY* follow the chain of command. No laws were broken on Paterno's end. That said, he MORALLY committed evil, but this is America, and above ALL else, we have a constitution to uphold. You can't give someone criminal charges based on morality. I'm happy he got fired, and he deserves to have that ugly statue of his ripped down. But, sorry folks....as angry as some of you are, thats kinda as far as it's gunna go for Paterno. (Hey, unless he ends up committing perjury! We can only hope!)

[Deparis]

11:56 AM on 11/18/2011

Or he ends up having skeletons in his own closets... like maybe not little boys, but college girls, even if of consenting age.

I believe somebody has to be very rotten to the core to keep quiet for so long in the face of horrendous crimes as those alleged against Sandusky, especially somebody of Joe Paterno's rank and level of responsibility in that community. I am not accusing him of anything, just proposing that he might just have dark evils of his own to remain so oblivious for so long in the face of horrendous crimes by his assistant.

[Hipster Dufus]

04:20 PM on 11/18/2011

Maybe you are a freak.
How would anybody know - not that it's worth mentioning.

[Hankerin]

12:00 PM on 11/18/2011

Is there a number of days rule that after an accusation is filed with higher ups (note the plural) when it becomes a moral issue? Does anybody know at this time what actions were being taken by anyone over the next few years? How did the Grand Jury get seated to investigate? Who told them and what was the initiation for action?

Have you heard Joe's side of the story?

[Hipster Dufus]

04:22 PM on 11/18/2011

45 years of outstanding service.
15 minutes of consideration before being fired.
Due process is past due.

[Hankerin]

05:48 PM on 11/18/2011

Is there a "Joe Paterno Support Group?" If not let's start one. I've not seen one little bit of info from Paterno's side of this story. That is there has been no National blast of defense to illogical moralizers accusations. And they're just that; speculation and baseless assumptions.

[marvel man]

12:18 AM on 11/18/2011

PSU = Pedophiles Stay United

WELCOME TO PENN STATE WHERE YOUNG MEN BECOME L.I.O.N.S = Lathered In Our New Showers

[Joe Gould]

03:16 PM on 11/18/2011

Will you add good ol' Ped State and the Second 'Phile Foundation to your book of epithets?

[Hipster Dufus]

04:24 PM on 11/18/2011

Is this wishful thinking on your part?
Are you a pedophile?
Fess up, everybody can tell.

[darter22]

10:32 PM on 11/17/2011

This program needs to be shut down for 2 years and thoroughly cleaned.

[Hankerin]

12:03 PM on 11/18/2011

How about the State child agency, the County D.A.'s office, the local police department? The Board of Trustees too? And maybe 50 or so common citizens?

[Hipster Dufus]

04:26 PM on 11/18/2011

The attorney general, now governor of Pennsylvania, worked on the criminal investigation for almost three years.
You would think they could have decided to monitor Sandusky early in that time so he didn't molest any more children during the three years it took.

[DoctorBri1776]

08:19 PM on 11/17/2011

Matt Paknis' account and analysis shows clearly where our country is heading to with inordinate power concentrated in the hands of the very few. Let's not forget, in this sordid story, the janitor who didn't come forward at first after witnessing Sandusky raping a child because he was afraid of losing his Penn State job or the other janitor he told the story to who also was fearful of losing his job. Penn State appears to be more like Libya, Egypt and Syria than the mythic USA we believe we live in

[Patriot86]

02:53 PM on 11/18/2011

This is true...the wealthy can satisfy their depraved appetites on those less fortunate.

[Easy420forMe]

07:55 PM on 11/17/2011

This is an American tragedy..

[thestargazer]

06:17 PM on 11/17/2011

What a disgrace...All of them!