Brief commentary on the Sassano interview

I've always been amazed at the lack of intellectual honesty when it comes to Joe's interview with agent Anthony Sassano of the AG's office.

Right from the beginning, Joe acknowledges the report from McQueary and makes it clear that he knew Sandusky was doing something sexual.

"Mike McQueary came and said he was in the shower and that Jerry Sandusky was in the shower with another person, a younger, how young I don’t know and Mike never mentioned it, that there was some inappropriate sexual activity going on. We didn’t get in to what the inappropriate action was, but it was inappropriate. And that’s how I knew about it."

Joe's supporters like to say that Mike never told Joe what was happening.  That clearly isn't the case.

Joe continues... "Well he, well he, to be frank with you it was a long time ago, but I think as I recall he said something about touching."

"Touching.. whatever you want to call them, privates, whatever it is."

Next, Joe destroys any possibility of the horseplay theory coming from him.
.

SASSANO: Okay, the key element is, do you remember if you told Mr. Curley whether in person or over the phone, that McQueary witnessed a sexual incident between Sandusky and a boy?

J. PATERNO: To my knowledge yes I think Tim was aware of the fact that Mike had been a.. had seen this inappropriate action.

SASSANO: Sexual action?

J. PATERNO: Well yea, I guess you’d call it sexual.

And then...

SASSANO: Okay, so now it’s quite clear to Mike so, oh I’m sorry, to Mr. Curley. So if Mr. Curley would have told us some…

J. PATERNO:  I can only tell that he was.. it was transmitted to him that there was inappropriate action. To what degree I didn’t, I never asked Mike. All I know was that it was basic.. it was something we would probably take, uh, probably call sexual. What Tim got out of it I have no way of knowing. But Tim was aware of the fact that we felt we had a problem.

So Mike knew, Joe knew, Tim knew and Gary knew given the fact that he spent 3 hours with Wendell Courtney on a Sunday "re: Suspected Child Abuse".

Sound like horseplay to you?  Me neither.

SASSANO: And do you know what happened after that with regards to Mr. McQueary and/or Mr. Curley?

J. PATERNO: Nope.

SASSANO: Did Mr. Curley get back to you at some point in time after that to advise you what actions were taken…

J. PATERNO: No, no, I didn’t, I had other things to do, we had… As I said, Jerry was not working for me.

SASSANO: Right.

Hey...Joe was busy ya' know...  Had to fly to Pittsburgh to pick up an award.  Induction into the Pittsburgh Hall of Fame sponsored by Dapper Dan Charities for kids sports.  How nauseatingly ironic and pathetic.

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020901aaa.html

Next, Scott gets knee deep in the action, yet Scott doesn't seem to remember much about this interview at all...I guess his memory is worse than Joe's supposedly was.

SASSANO: Subsequent to Mr. McQueary coming to you and you advising Mr. Curley of this inappropriate sexual action, whatever that maybe..

J. PATERNO: Mr. Curley did not come to me, I went to Mr. Curley, I got in touch..

S. PATERNO: You misheard what he said, he said Mr. McQueary came to you.

J. PATERNO: Who?

S. PATERNO: He said Mr. McQueary came to you.

SASSANO: Mike.

S. PATERNO: You misheard him

J. PATERNO: He did not come to me.

S. PATERNO: Mike McQueary.

J. PATERNO: Ohhh, McQueary, I thought you said Curley.

S. PATERNO: Not Curley. He’s not used to hearing Mike called Mr. McQueary.

Yeah...who could remember an exchange like that?  Right Scott?

I wonder if Joe would be so kind to tell us what Mike said?  Hey we're in luck!  He is!

J. PATERNO: No no no. Mike McQueary. Mike McQueary saw it on a Friday, came over here and sat at the very table we’re doing this interview, alright, and was very upset. I said what’s your problem and he said I saw something yesterday, I was in the shower, I was in the locker room, Jerry Sandusky was taking a shower with a person. And he said they were doing things that, ya know, and I never got in to know hey what did he do, did he do this, did he do that, but obviously there was a sexual kind of activity. I said hey Tim we got to let the other people know because I have no responsi… I have no authority over Jerry.

Thanks for confirming that you knew it was sexual, Joe.

SASSANO: Did any police department ever get ahold of you about this?

J. PATTERNO: Nope.

SASSANO: Did anybody from the University, well, anybody from the University Police Department contact you?

J. PATTERNO: Well, not till ten years later.

Imagine that.  But you sure knew what they wanted to talk about.  Right Joe?

Next Joe praises Mike and his trustworthiness.

SASSANO: Coach, how long have you known Mike McQueary?

J. PATERNO: Since he was a high school kid.

SASSANO: And you’ve known him for a long number of years now, correct?

J. PATERNO: I would, he played for me, played for Penn State is what I should say, he.. when he graduated from high school he came here, what year he got out of high school I can’t say..

SASSANO: Okay, but you’ve known him for quite a number of years.

J. PATERNO: Oh, yea,

ASSANO: He’s been on your staff for a long period of time.

J. PATERNO: Twelve, fifteen years probably.

SASSANO: Do you know him to be a trustworthy individual?

J. PATERNO: Absolutely.

SASSANO: If he came and told you something

J. PATERNO: Absolutely..

SASSANO: Would you automatically believe it?

J. PATERNO: Absolutely. He was very upset when I…

SASSANO: Knowing him as you know him, and dealing with stress and pressure like he does in his system, do you know him to be one that over-reacts or does he appropriately handle that and report the same thing?

J. PATERNO: Well, he’s a competitor, a fiery guy in that sense. But I can’t, in his relationship with people I don’t remember him over-reacting. Once in a while with one of his players he’ll foul up and he’ll, and I’ll have to say, you know, are you sure he’s the guy, and you know that kind of thing. But in something like that I don’t think I’ve ever seen him overreact.

SASSANO: In your appraisal of him then if he was upset about something it would be for an appropriate reason, correct?

J. PATERNO: It was legitimate. It was legitimate.

SASSANO: It was what?

J. PATERNO: He would have been legitimately upset.

Final analysis:

Mike did tell him.  Joe knew.  Joe did nothing because he had other things to do...like collect an award from a children's charity.

Judas