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Inquirer editorial: Penn State celebration of Joe Paterno shows the university still doesn't get it

Despite everything that has happened in the five years since Penn State University was rocked by the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the university's leadership still does not get it.

Despite everything that has happened in the five years since Penn State University was rocked by the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the university's leadership still does not get it.

Penn State used last weekend's football game against Temple to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first game as head coach. Celebrating a coach accused of turning a blind eye to accusations that one of his top assistants sexually abused boys on campus is wrong on many levels.

The underlying message is that football remains king at Penn State. More to the point, making money off of football apparently trumps teaching students about character, honesty, responsibility, and standing up for what is right.

No doubt Penn State would like to erase the sordid Sandusky scandal from its history. But choosing now to celebrate is no way for the university to try to move forward. The fact that the university downplayed its announcement of plans to honor Paterno shows officials knew the ceremony was a bad idea.

There is no denying that Paterno was a great football coach who had a lasting impact on many of his players. Indeed, he gave back to the university and helped put Penn State on the map. But evidence indicates Paterno also failed to stand up for boys who were sexually abused by Sandusky.

What Paterno knew and when he knew it is still being debated in courts and in the court of public opinion. According to recently unsealed court documents, a man testified in 2014 that Paterno ignored his complaints of being assaulted by Sandusky in 1976, when the man was a 14-year-old boy.

The same court documents include allegations by other victims who said Penn State football coaches and officials were made aware of Sandusky's deviant behavior around boys in the 1980s and 1990s.

The first time law enforcement was officially notified of Sandusky's abuse occurred in 1998, when a mother reported to Penn State police that her 11-year-old son had showered with the coach.

Paterno testified in 2011 that he first became aware of Sandusky's abuse in 2001, when former assistant coach Mike McQueary told him he had witnessed Sandusky assaulting a boy in a shower. Paterno said he reported McQueary's allegation to Penn State's athletic director.

But another decade passed before Sandusky was arrested. He was convicted in June 2012 of sexually abusing 10 boys and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. Paterno died six months earlier.

Eventually, Penn State paid nearly $93 million in settlements to more than 30 of Sandusky's accusers. Most of the sanctions subsequently ordered by the NCAA have been rolled back. More than 200 former football players have petitioned the university to return a bronze statue of Paterno that was removed from outside the stadium in 2012.

It all seems part of an effort to whitewash the scandal and get back to the business of football and myth making.

How much Paterno knew about Sandusky's abuse of boys isn't clear. But shortly before he died, the coach himself admitted: "In hindsight, I wish I had done more." That's a feeble response not worth celebrating.