Penn State football coach Joe Paterno fired in wake of sex crime allegations

Sean Gregory, writing for Time Magazine, characterizes Joe Paterno's lack of follow-through as "shockingly negligent."

After Paterno learned of the alleged rape of a 10-year-old boy perpetrated by his long-time assistant Jerry Sandusky, he apparently did not do enough to get law enforcement authorities involved - and this sex crimes case has now surfaced to end Paterno's career as "the winningest coach in major college football history."

As can be expected in a case involving alleged sexual assault, the reactions have been swift and conclusive - at least when it comes to Gregory's piece in TIME - which argues that the Penn State board of director's decision to fire Paterno was an "easy call."

But at this point, there seem to be relatively few facts about Sandusky himself, the alleged perpetrator, and the nature of the crime, other than that the incident is said to have occurred in the locker room showers. Interestingly enough, Gregory points out that no one - Paterno included - is "screaming about [Sandusky's] innocence," a statement that further serves to highlight the nature of sex crimes allegations: too often people are presumed guilty until proven innocent.

As for Paterno, he said, "A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed."

Source: TIME Magazine, "The Firing of Joe Paterno: Why the Penn State Unrest Was Senseless," by Sean Gregory, 11/10/11