It seems like much of the major media outlets are missing one question: Why does Mike McQueary still have a job with Penn State University?
Since the story of the alleged sex scandal and Penn State broke last week, members of the media have been calling for Joe Paterno’s job. They’ve been calling for Graham Spanier’s job.
But I’ve heard very few voices calling for McQueary’s job.
McQueary, the graduate assistant eyewitness to the alleged sexual assaults on the Penn State campus, is just as morally at fault for his inaction in this entire scandal as anyone, in my opinion. Yet, during the Penn State Board of Trustees press conference on Nov. 9 – the one in which the dismissal of Paterno and Spanier was announced – Trustee John Surma said that there “has been no change in (McQueary’s) status at this time.”
What?
How can the Penn State Board of Trustees, in good conscience, fire Paterno and not McQueary? McQueary was the eyewitness to an alleged sexual assault. Yet, instead of intervening and stopping the alleged act, or even calling the police, McQueary returned to his desk and called his father. His father encouraged him to come over, and McQueary did, leaving a 10-year-old boy alone with his alleged attacker, Jerry Sandusky.
It wasn’t until the next morning that McQueary made the incident known to Paterno.
I just can’t fathom what would allow someone to let an incident like that continue. Why in the world did he not intervene? It’s not like McQueary was a small guy. He played for quarterback for Penn State during the 1990s, and many have described McQueary as a leader, both on and off the field.
So what possessed him to leave a 10-year-old alone in the shower with Sandusky while Sandusky allegedly assaulted him?
As a first-hand witness to the event, why has McQueary’s status as the wide receiver coach not changed? Why has he been considered in the eyes of the trustees, at this point, to be any less at-fault than Paterno or Spanier?
During the trustee press conference, Surma repeatedly said that Paterno’s dismissal is in the best interest of Penn State University. Is it also not in the best interest to put distance between the university and McQueary?
It’s time for McQueary to go, too – for his own safety and for the future of the Penn State.
Additional Sources:
Grand Jury Report – Sandusky Grand Jury Presentment
Yahoo! Sports
Penn State Board of Trustees Press Conference, ESPN News
Sandra Johnson has been a devoted fan of Big 10 football for more than 20 years.