Agreed.
The closest is Favre sending dick pics to some skanky internet reporter, but even that pales in comparison to the mental, emotional, and physical distress inflicted upon so many children.
It's obvious that Paterno thought the prestige of Penn State and the important of his own legacy was more important than making sure those kids were protected.
If you ask me my opinion, I'll tell you that Paterno went to the administration honestly wanting them to take care of the situation and bring charges against Sandusky in a quiet way that protected the football program. He trusted that whatever they did was enough.
Unfortunately for so many, that wasn't enough. Paterno is THE authority of Penn State football and should have been the leading man in exposing Sandusky and bringing justice to so many kids while ensuring the protection of any other kids that would possibly encounter the sick freak.
I won't try too hard to defend him, but he was defending Penn State. Nobody wants this kind of thing to come out. Even if he'd run to the media and screamed "PARIAH!" at Jerry there would still be stink on him and on the program.
I'm sure Paterno was probably afraid that the stupid bastard would ruin everything he'd spent his whole life building.
I'm still not convinced Paterno knew or understood the totality or the gravity of the situation. Jerry had a problem. Jerry's punishment was that he'd never get what he wanted. Never be coach at Penn State and had to leave the program at the height of his career. Leave and shut the fuck up or he would be exposed.
I hate to tell all of you crusaders this, but the same scenario plays out at some school somewhere in the US every single day. Every day. Every single day.
Nobody wants the disgrace, nobody wants the stigma, nobody wants the attention. So the offender apologizes for the momentary lapse,expresses remorse for the accidental indiscretion, resigns or retires and it all goes away quietly.
My guess is that when it went away in 1999 for Paterno that was the end of it in his mind.