After the bombshell release of former FBI director Louis Freeh’s report addressing Penn State University’s alleged child sex abuse cover-up scandal, aftershocks reverberated through the school’s campus and beyond.
[View the story “Post-Freeh Report release reactions to Joe Paterno’s legacy ” on Storify]
Post-Freeh Report release reactions to Joe Paterno’s legacy
Following the release of an investigation from former FBI director Louis Freeh, those who are still fans – and those who are, um, not – take to Twitter to express their outrage over the “slander” of the revered icon or, alternately, their outrage over Paterno’s actions themselves.
Storified by Alex Wigglesworth · Thu, Jul 12 2012 11:47:45
I hope the Freeh report is sent to the inbox of every kid at Penn State who protested when Paterno was fired.Aaron Nagler
Penn State should keep the Joe Paterno statue. Just move it so he is looking the other way.Michael Rosenberg
Instead of taking down Joe Paterno’s statue, Penn State should just cover it up.Korked Bats
“@sphillipshoops: Joe Paterno’s family still receiving money from his pension is absolutely infuriating. #PennState”Lori Stvns ZimmerMoM
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”…unfortunately this describes Joe Paterno perfectly.Ali Peek Wilbur
I really wish Joe Paterno could have stuck around to really face the music on this one.Mike Weaver
Ive had gf’s break up w me over a DUI. How’s Sandusky’s wife stick around? #PaternoJeff Burgstrom
I Don’t believe in hell, but Paterno deserves something far worse than eternal damnation.Hunter Hamilton
Two ironies: Nike had a child care center named after Paterno, and it took them a while to change it. #justdoit http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/07/12/nike-to-remove-joe-p…
We talked Paterno today, but I TOTALLY forgot about the statue part. You ABSOLUTELY remove that statue.Big EZ
I don’t think I can respect Joe Paterno anymore.. It’s a sad day in sports.Noah Logan
They’re going to move it into the locker roomRT @roywoodjr: So what’s the final verdict? Are they taking down the Joe Paterno statue or not?Yae Is Chillin
@SportsCenter The issue isn’t with #Paterno and his legacy.. The issue is about the kids who suffered bc of the negligence of a UniversityBen Fairchild
Shocker …. Paterno knew exactly what was going on and helped cover it up …JBrooksKlingenbeck
I feel that Paterno is in heaven, so what all the fus is about, he didnt do it, God will judge from now on!Mikey Chief Rocka
Man, it’s sad to see Paterno go out like that. Ruined his legacy in my opinion. You’ve gotta protect the kids.Dre
Paterno is dead. Sandusky is in jail for 400 years. Just let JoePa R.I.P. like really.?FLASH?GORDON?
Anyone that believes Paterno is still innocent after this report came out should be punched in the face..pure ignorance to believe otherwiseEdward Oliveira
Okay joe paterno you my sir are one sick bastardSteve-O
How do you defend Joe Paterno after this? He was a great coach but he did a really bad thing. Also you probably don’t personally know himCassandra Leonti
@ianshelley51 I just want it to be over. I mean Paterno is dead like just let him be.Patrick Clement™
@SportsCenter if #CollegeFootball wasn’t the business it has become, maybe #Paterno would have said something? #jussayin #sadK Wose
@jimrome @KyleBrandt how convenient that Joe Paterno is dead. Let’s not call him JoePa anymore, nicknames are for good people.Bro-tina
Paterno is gonna rot…Joe Siracusano
It is unbelievable that this report is slandering Joe Paterno’s name after all that he has done for the school. All because of a pedophile.AD Huff
@LenaForCongress Villified right along with Paterno? He was in a position to PHYSICALLY STOP the abuse of a child, and instead, he ran away.Dani
Jerry Sandusky and joe paterno make me siiiiiiiick #die #notkidding #filthShanerrr
Well, now we have facts, and I think only an idiot could say that Joe Paterno didn’t fuck up as royally and willfully as a human could.Geoff LaTulippe
The fact someone hates Paterno <<<<< #HowsThatPossibleSam Sankari
The fact that people want to drag Joe Paterno’s name through the dirt is despicable.Victoria Vogel
Joe Paterno is dead. Leave him alone! Removing his statue will not help at all.M. Malik
The NCAA should take all of Paterno’s wins since 1998 and send them to Hell so he can still enjoy them.Baby$loth
None of my friends are allowed to stick up for Paterno anymore. He was willing to do the most immoral of things to project his “legacy.”James Gold
Take the statue down. #paterno is a coward.lane clevenger
“We wish Joe Paterno had been more aggressive.” I bet that’s what the kids were not saying about Sandusky. No, that is not a joke.Dustin Morris
Sad to see that Penn State is removing the statue of Joe Paterno from campus. Still shocked all of this has happened. Such a legacy tainted.Cole Kaluger
I don’t own any Joe Paterno memorabilia, since I wasn’t really a fan, but if I did, I would happily burn it today.Dan Domme
Damn they might give Penn State the death penalty. Wasn’t firing Joe Paterno enough?Dan Cornelius
No more St. Joe. Paterno’s legacy is now forever tarnishedEric Victori
Dear Penn State Alums: 99.999% of the world’s population does not care about a “Joe Paterno Legacy.”Commander Breetai
Sandusky should be charged with voluntary man slaughter cause he killed #paterno and his careerandrew proper
They still killin Joe paterno legacy and the man is deadChad Tillman
Joe Paterno didn’t screw them boys, Sandusky did! Ya’ll act like he did. The man is dead! Sandusky’s in jail, so does it really matter now??JR
For a second, I thought about feeling bad for Joe Paterno, but then I remembered how terrible of a person he was.Matt Beck
joe paterno’s job was to protect his players……instead he protected a pedophile #mrtouchyfeely @AHumorousLife @davidhasselhoffAlex Butler
Lost a lot of respect for Paterno. Allowing children to be victimized trumps virtually everything else, even educational good. #disgustingJeff Cunningham
Joe Paterno may not of committed the crimes against the children, but he drove the creepy van and gave Sandusky candy and puppies.Joshua Tisonyai
Hey, hey, hey people, people. Joe Paterno was horrific and Jerry Sandusky is an evil shit.Augmented Vision
In a show of solidarity with #Nike, I’m going to strip Paterno’s name from my giant box of child pornography.FASHION!!!
How nauseating to hear people make excuses for that criminal co-conspirator child abuser, Paterno. People are sorry for him??? @cnn crazy!!vmc
“@nsanayka: I don’t care what you say, he says, she says, Joe Paterno was, & because of that #WeAre. #PSUProud” #theyarepennstateJeffrey Vitkun
If Penn State does not dissociate itself from Joe Paterno, then it should be kicked out of the Big Ten Conference. #paterno #pennstateSabir Ibrahim
I respected Joe Paterno tremendously as a coach, leader, & face of football until today. Pure selfishness. Read the report if you disagree.Daniel John
They need to leave Joe Paterno alone that man dead so he cant speak for himselfDonte’ Wilson
Sadness for the Paterno family and those who believed his lies out of love and those out of hero-worship driven stupidity.CCT
Paterno will be remembered, not as a legendary head coach, but as someone who’d rather protect an institution than innocent children. #ShameShaun Rajan
Joe Paterno was a great coach and person. It’s not right that they centered the scandal on Penn State.DarshawnJohnson
Every time I see an adult wearing a Penn St. shirt in the company of a child the Paterno legacy will come to mind… thats not a good thing!DTK
they thought state college went insane with students before. try to take down the paterno statue and see what happens. madisson rowles
To the Joe Paterno family regarding your continued efforts to protect the legacy of JoPathetic. STFU! #Joe Paterno #Penn StateSean J Maguire
Paterno family: “You could argue Joe should have gone further.” No, it’s not an argument. Not at all. He ignored it, many times.Grant Lokken
They shouldn’t take down Paterno’s statue, just leave it alone and don’t do nothing about it. That’s what he would want #PennState #fagsBrian Gray
Courtesy of a friend of mine re: Paterno “It’s like finding out your grandfather was a nazi. Like one of those hardcore ones.”Brian
Do I think Paterno was a purely evil man? No. He’s just not the man we all wanted him to be & he made an unforgivable mistake.Greg Fox
“Children were raped at the college I went to but the awesomeness of Joe Paterno outweighs that”- Penn State StudentsBare Grills
Joe Paterno legacy is dead, just like him. Sickening how this whole staff didn’t handle the situation correctly.Chris Pettit
Paterno was a great friend, but an old and desperate leader. A man in his position has to make those tough choices and he made the wrong oneSports 24/7
I hope Joe Paterno is being touched by an angel.Chris Musto
Joe Paterno has no legacy. Death Penalty to Penn State is only solution for the extreme lack of institutional accountability. #pennstateNick Montgomery
It took a 6 month investigation from a former FBI director to find out that Paterno covered up the scandal to avoid bad publicity?Bob
Penn State: Remove paterno statue, apologize and ELIMINATE football for good. Sorry. but only right move!Daniel Smekhov
It was pretty much this “So what, little boys raped by my assistant coach? I’m Joe Paterno and we’re Penn State. So much more important”.Sean J Maguire
I’m tired of everyone pissing on Joe Paterno’s graveWes Boss Crisp
Joe Paterno did lifetimes worth of good. But even great people can make mistakes. He did and he was wrong. For that, I can’t forgive him.Zach Beehler
Should the #Paterno statue be taken down? Also, I’m hearing rumblings of suspending the football program for 2 yrs. I feel for the students.Reagan Gomez
#freeh let the dominos begin to fall and lock ’em up! Take the JoePa statue down, and make Mrs. Paterno pay back the $14 million pensionScott Wilson
Channel conspiracy?
Penn State University students gathered around televisions at the campus’ HUB-Robeson Center Facility awaiting CNN coverage of Louis Freeh’s report were stunned when, just before its 9 a.m. release, the channel suddenly switched to public access, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The switch reportedly left many students wondering if there was a conspiracy to bar them from viewing the coverage.
According to student Doug Dooling, who took to Penn State blog Onward State to set the record straight, Dooling asked an employee to change to a station covering Freeh’s 10 a.m. press conference. The clerk reportedly switched it an hour early because he had to leave for a meeting.
“There was no plot afoot,” Dooling wrote. “Whomever was in charge of the television at the time knew that s/he would be in a meeting, and left the TV on a channel that was guaranteed to have the press conference. CNN never assured its viewers it would air Freeh’s presentation or the question-and-answer portion.”
NIKE re-naming
In the wake of the report’s release, NIKE announced that it will rename the Joe Paterno Child Development Center near its company headquarters in Oregon.
“I have been deeply saddened by the news coming out of this investigation at Penn State,” NIKE President and CEO Mark Parker wrote on the company’s website. “It is a terrible tragedy that children were unprotected from such abhorrent crimes. With the findings released today, I have decided to change the name of our child care center at our World Headquarters. My thoughts are with the victims and the Penn State community.”
