Friday, December 7

Lou Anna Simon: Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

Some may say that former MSU President Lou Ann Simon is getting what she deserves for her strident position she took against Penn State officials over the Sandusky scandal, but two wrongs don't make a right.

By
Ray Blehar
December 7, 2018, 9:06 AM EST, Updated 8:03 PM EST

The lessons of the Jerry Sandusky scandal remain lost and the fallacies of the Freeh Report have come back to haunt former Michigan State University (MSU) President Lou Anna Simon.

Simon, who jumped on the Freeh Report bandwagon in 2012, gave no quarter to Penn State University (PSU) officials who were fooled by a Pillar of the Community serial sex offender.   Six years ago, the former MSU President accused PSU  of "purposeful and premeditated" acts that were "pervasive." 

"People make mistakes, and some of those are purposeful and premeditated, and if you just take the Penn State experience, pretty pervasive. Other times, people just make mistakes, and we have to have a violations structure and framework that tries to sort through that in the labels of what the NCAA does. Right now, it doesn't because 'major' and 'minor' don't make a lot of sense. 

"The purpose is to try to incentivize people doing the right thing, and the right thing is saying something when you see something and doing something after you said something. It's really that simple."


The evidence shows in the Larry Nassar case that it wasn't that simple at MSU either.

Nassar was reported to MSU officials on numerous occasions.  Few said anything or even made a report to their bosses.  Only one complaint by an athlete was investigated and that resulted in no charges or punitive actions against Nassar.   He continued to molest young women on the campus for two more years.

Simon's own stern words about PSU have come back to haunt her as she faces charges for lying to police when she allegedly learned about Nassar's misconduct in 2014.    While there is no legal or factual basis that she could have done anything more to help investigators, she is guilty in the eyes of the public.  Nassar happened on her watch.

But it should never have come to this for Simon.

Friday, November 9

What is Barron hiding? It's called fraud

The A7's comprehensive review of the Freeh Report will expose the fraud perpetrated by the inner circle of the PSU BOT, former FBI Director Louis Freeh, and the NCAA

By
Ray Blehar
November 9, 2018, 7:10 AM EST

For two prior football home game weekends, former Penn State University (PSU) Board of Trustee (BOT) member Anthony Lubrano ran full page advertisements in the Centre Daily Times (CDT) asking PSU President Eric Barron to make public the findings of an exhaustive review of the Freeh Report that was conducted by seven of the alumni elected trustees (a.k.a., the A7).    

Just to make sure Barron didn’t somehow overlook his first request in the CDT, Lubrano also used a banner plane to get his message out, asking point blank: “Pres. Barron What Are You Hiding? Release the Report.”





What is Barron hiding?

In January 2015, President Barron provided a glimpse into his review of the Freeh Report and it confirmed that the report was not credible.

“I'm not a fan of the report....Freeh steered everything as if he was a prosecutor trying to convince a court to take the case.  Barron added that the report "very clearly paints a picture about every student, every faculty member, every staff member and every alum. And it's absurd. It's unwarranted. So from my viewpoint the Freeh report is not useful to make decisions."

The last line of that passage is likely why we haven’t heard more of Barron’s review of the report.  Barron’s statement that it wasn’t useful to make decisions flies in the face of the Trustees and administrators at the top of the University who threw away hundreds of millions of dollars based on Freeh’s faulty conclusions.

Thursday, October 11

Media Ignorance and Sensationalism on Display in Alleged Sex Abuse Coverage

Note: This column was written shortly after the news broke of the sexual abuse allegations of Ohio State wrestlers, but was never posted to the blog.  Given the latest sexual abuse allegations and the same inept media coverage, notpsu.blogspot.com is releasing a slightly edited version of its original column.

The media's sensational columns regarding alleged sexual abuse expose its collective ignorance and smack of sensationalism and hypocrisy. 

By
Ray Blehar
October 11, 2018, 11:21 AM EST


Sensationalized media reports on the investigation into sex abuse allegations at Ohio State mirrored prior reports by NBCNews and the New York Times revealing the ignorance and hypocrisy of the media who covered the Larry Nassar case.

While ESPN, NBC, the NYT and others were on a full out witch hunt to find those at Michigan State University (MSU)  and USA Gymnastics (USAG) who "knew" about Nassar's crimes and "enabled" his behavior, there was not a similar level of gusto in finding out the same at NBC News regarding the alleged serial sexual harassment by Matt Lauer.

Lauer, unlike Sandusky and Nassar, was a seemingly well known harasser at NBC and the breaking news of his misdeeds did not come as a surprise to some of his co-workers.  That stands in stark contrast to Nassar and Sandusky, whose criminal allegations shocked everyone who knew them.

While Nassar's and Sandusky's crimes led to the ouster of high ranking officials at both Universities, Lauer's acts did not result in similar firings at NBC or its news division -- nor was the media out to publicly lynch any of the officials there.

Interesting that when the shoe is on the other foot, the "crimes" are isolated to the criminal...and that applies to others in the entertainment industry as well.

Monday, September 10

Ray Blehar segment on This Week in Pennsylvania, September 9, 2018


Many thanks to anchor/reporter Dennis Owens for keeping attention focused on The Second Mile (TSM).

I will briefly appear in a follow up segment about TSM's former Executive Director, Dr. Jack Raykovitz.

Wednesday, August 8

McQueary & More Evidence of Corbett's Vendetta

Mike McQueary's November 2010 police interview was not in an attempt to find more victims to prosecute Jerry Sandusky.  It was about getting evidence to implicate Graham Spanier.

By
Ray Blehar
Aug. 8, 2018, 10:26 PM EDT, Updated Aug. 9, 2018, 9:50 AM EDT

Mike McQueary's various versions of the 2001 incident have been examined and re-examined many times over, however, there is one aspect of his story that hasn't received much attention. That overlooked piece of the story critically important to understanding that the Jerry Sandusky investigation was primarily utilized by former Attorney General (AG) /Governor Tom Corbett to carry out a vendetta against former Penn State University (PSU) President Graham Spanier.

To be clear, the investigation and prosecution of Sandusky became "real" only when it became a  prerequisite for taking down Spanier.

Tuesday, July 10

Analysis: Is Ohio State another "UVa" (on steroids)?

The evidence in the Ohio State sex abuse investigation points to the media running with a story that was too good to fact check -- just like Rolling Stone ran with its story of a gang rape on the University of Virginia campus

By
Ray Blehar
July 10, 2018, 8:53 PM, EDT

Here we go again.

Sex abuse allegations at Ohio State University (OSU) have resulted in a (delayed) media onslaught against Ohio State coaches, and specifically, Congressmen Jim Jordan, who "had to know" about and "turned a blind eye" to abuses allegedly perpetrated by former team doctor Richard H. Strauss.

When it comes to reporting about sexual abuse on college campuses, the media seemingly can't separate fact from fiction.  It generally takes whatever the source gives them at face value and runs with it, ruining the reputations of many innocent people in the process.

While the media has already painted the OSU story as another Penn State and/or another Michigan State situation, there are two very critical and important differences that make the Columbus school unlike its conference brothers.

1. Those who were allegedly sexually abused on the campus were adults.
2.  Not a single one of them made a formal contemporaneous report to anyone.

The latter two facts make this case more akin to the allegations of "Jackie," the alleged victim in the UVa gang rape hoax that was reported by Rolling Stone.

And for OSU, the media's "Jackie" is Mike DiSabato.

Friday, June 29

Court used "tortured reasoning" to uphold Spanier conviction

The Pennsylvania Superior Court bias was revealed when it accepted the OAG's tortured and illogical reasoning to uphold Spanier's EWOC conviction

By
Ray Blehar

June 29, 2018, 8:58 AM EDT

In a 2-1 decision, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled to uphold the trial jury's verdict that former Penn State University President, Graham B. Spanier, was guilty of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (EWOC).   

The panel differed on the interpretation of the statute of limitations for the EWOC charge, with Senior Judge Lillian Ransom charging Judges Victor Stabile and Carolyn Nichols with using "tortured reasoning" to conclude Spanier's failure to report up until Jerry Sandusky's arrest was a continuing act.

Spanier plans to appeal the decision.

Tuesday, June 12

No Coincidence, Part 3: The "Luck" of The Second Mile

It wasn't a matter of luck directors and officers of The Second Mile charity managed to escape the Sandusky scandal unscathed.  The evidence shows that protecting the charity was a matter of self-interest for prosecutors, the police, and politicians.

By
Ray Blehar
June 12, 2018, 8:30 PM EDT

In Part 2 of this series, notpsu.blogspot.com provided incontrovertible evidence that former Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett's investigators were avoiding The Second Mile (TSM) charity like it was the plague.  That evidence, predominately from the Moulton Report, clearly revealed that investigators didn't approach the charity, referred to by prosecutors as Sandusky's "victim factory," until January 2011.

Corbett played fast and loose with
the facts from the Moulton Report
Regardless, Corbett continued to insist that Sandusky's charity had no influence on the delay in arresting Sandusky.

In late 2017, the former one-term Governor told the Washington Post:

“The Second Mile had no influence on that investigation whatsoever, and there’s no evidence that they did.  But [Penn State alumni] won't accept that, will they?"

Facts are stubborn things and Corbett and the media have played fast and loose with the facts all along, especially those from the Moulton and Freeh Reports.

The truth was that the Moulton Report specifically concluded that there was no "direct evidence that electoral politics influenced any significant or important decision made in the Sandusky investigation."   However, that finding does not address other possible influences regarding TSM nor does it say that politics in general didn't play a role in decisions about the Sandusky investigation.

It also doesn't address rather convincing circumstantial evidence tbat Corbett delayed action on the Sandusky investigation until after he was elected.  Does anyone really believe that the anonymous email tip about Mike McQueary -- sent the day after Corbett was elected -- was just a coincidence?

As the following evidence reveals, self-interest and political interests were a key factor in delaying the Sandusky investigation and avoiding implicating TSM.


What Child Endangerment Really Looks Like

In order to get to the bottom of the Sandusky scandal, you have to get past the nuclear blast that was set off by prosecutors in the form of the November 2011 grand jury presentment's sensationally false version of the 2001 incident.

Tuesday, May 8

Shapiro's Unequal Justice

AG Josh Shapiro's comments and tweets after the convictions of two Johnstown priests confirm there is unequal justice in Pennsylvania

By
Ray Blehar
May 8, 2018, 9:05 AM EDT

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's hypocrisy was exposed in the aftermath of child endangerment convictions of two Johnstown priests who supervised the late Brother Robert Baker. Baker committed suicide in 2013 amid allegations he sexually abused scores of children.

Shapiro commented:

“These defendants knew the abuser was a serious threat to children — but they allowed him to engage with children and have access to them as part of his job within their order.  They chose time and time again to prioritize their institution’s reputation over the safety of victims.”
He also added that Pennsylvania law allows for the prosecution of “people in Pennsylvania, not just those who directly abuse children but those who enable it and cover it up.”
Shapiro's words ring hollow as his office has never brought endangerment charges against any of the individuals at The Second Mile who decided in 2009 that Jerry Sandusky would be allowed to continue as the public face and head fundraiser of the charity.
At the time of the decision, the charity's board was informed that Sandusky was under investigation for child sexual abuse and had lost his clearance to work with children.  


Without Fear and Without Favor?


Shapiro contends that his office will enforce the law without fear and without favor, however, the fact of the matter is that ample evidence exists on the public record that Sandusky was continuing to access and abuse children after the charity's 2009 decision.

That evidence is also damning for the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (formerly the Department of Public Welfare) and then AG Tom Corbett's AG office -- who did nothing to protect children from Sandusky from January 2009 until November 2011.

However, it goes deeper than that.

Shapiro and other Pennsylvania government officials have been putting the Commonwealth's children in harm's way for years and a real investigation of The Second Mile would have exposed how the "system" approved funding for high risk programs that involved unsupervised one-on-one contact between adults and children.

That officials at The Second Mile were never charged wasn't a matter of luck - it was a matter of self-preservation.



Next:  The "Luck" of The Second Mile Board


Sunday, April 29

Coppersmith Trading on JVP's Image for New Book

PSU Trustee Mimi Coppersmith remained silent when asked if anyone objected to the removal of Joe Paterno as head football coach.  Now she's using an unauthorized photo of the legendary coach to promote her new book.

By
Ray Blehar
April 29, 2018, at 9:19 AM, EDT

When the new PennStater magazine arrived yesterday, I suspected I'd do my usual quick once through before tossing it in the trash -- until I got to page 98.

At the top of the page is an advertisement for emeritus Trustee Mimi Coppersmith's new book (title has been redacted) that happens to include a picture of her and Joe Paterno in the section titled "Life With Mimi."  

The Paterno family did not authorize the use of the photograph.




The book's promotion by Carolyn Haas alleges that Mimi is "a giver" and "someone of immense heart."

Sure she is (sarcasm).  

People with "immense hearts" always take it upon themselves to trade on the likeness of someone who they wronged so badly -- and then try make it look like they were the best of friends.

Mimi pretended to be friends with Joe and Sue Paterno, but like many others in the PSU community, she was taking advantage of their kindness.  

When push came to shove, Mimi didn't take a stand for her "friends."

She was part of so-called unanimous decision to remove the legendary coach.   In fact, she took a seat front and center for the photo op on the night of his firing.  

Mimi took a seat front and center for Paterno's removal.

She can write 1,000 books if she wants.   

She will be remembered for what she did on 11/9/11, just like the rest of those who wronged Paterno and Penn State University.

That is her legacy.

Tuesday, April 24

Thomas-Yisrael PSU Letterman Clay Shooting Classic

PSU football greats Thomas and Yisreal hosting clay shooting classic on May 18th.

Registration & Sponsorship  Information




Come join us on the farm for some fun competition with food, friends, firearms and Penn State Football Letterman at our Annual Thomas-Yisrael Letterman Sporting Clay Shoot. This is a great event for a great cause. Benefiting American Cancer Society, Central PA Food Bank and Penn State Letterman’s Club.


Tuesday, April 10

Ganim's & Levinson's Lack of Ethics Exposed in Final Scenes

The fact that the final scene of HBO's Paterno shows Ganim fielding a call from the 1976 accuser exposes her work and Levinson's film as unethical. 

By
Ray Blehar

April 10, 2018, 11:04 AM EDT

In the final fictional scene of HBO's Paterno, crime and courts reporter Sara Ganim (Riley Keough) is shown fielding a phone call from the 1976 accuser in her Patriot News office.  The point of the scene is to convince viewers that Joe Paterno knew about Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children for decades and did nothing about it.

While Director Barry Levinson described the movie as a fictional treatment, he also stated that it was based on things that actually happened.  While it is true a complaint was made claiming an incident occurred in 1976, Ganim, Levinson, and HBO's attorneys knew or should have known that the allegation was unsubstantiated based on a statement released by Penn State and other publicly available information.

Monday, April 9

More Than 300 Penn State Football Lettermen React to HBO 'Paterno' Movie


Contacts: Brian Masella 1975 Letterman (919) 372-8014
Christian Marrone 1997 Letterman (571) 421-7061

STATEMENT FROM PENN STATE LETTERMAN
As Penn State Lettermen, there was never a question that one day we would see a movie made about Joe Paterno, one that showcased his impact on the game of football, on Penn State University and, on the thousands of men he coached and mentored over his 61-year career. Sadly -- and wrongly -- HBO’s ‘Paterno’ is not that movie. It has been described by producer Barry Levinson as a work of fiction, which is likely the only truth in the entire project. Incredibly, in making the movie, Levinson and his team never consulted a single person who was close to, worked with, or was coached by Joe Paterno. Not even family members or us, who undoubtedly knew him best of all. As a result, this uninformed depiction of Joe fails in every manner about the man we knew and loved. Deviously using ‘fiction’ as his shield, Levinson takes shameless liberties about the Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today. As a coach, educator and philanthropist, Joe Paterno was a positive force in our lives, molding us not only to win games, but to win in life. His character, integrity, and moral compass will live on in us long after the ill-gotten ratings of this reckless attempt at entertainment fades away.

Ronald Adams '65, Frank Ahrenhold '72, Tyler Ahrenhold '11, Ray Alberigi '57, Russell Albert '70,
Dave Alexander '61, Jesse Alfreno '10, Kurt Allerman '77, Dick Anderson, Player / Coach, '63,
John Andress '77, Kenny Andrews '73, Mike Archie '96, Mark Arcidiacono '13, Michael Arnold '83,
Drew Astorino '11, Ferris Atty '71, Bruce Bannon '73, Michael Barninger '95, Jack Baronas '75,
Bob Bassett '79, Bob Belus '60, Lou Benfatti '93, Jeff Bergstrom '82, Tom Bill '90, Dan Biondi '83,
Jason Bisson '00, David Bland '74, Jeff H. Bleamer '75, Mike Blosser '02, Mark Bonson '88,
Scott Bouslough '84, , John Bove, Coach,- '79+, Kirk Bowman '84, Dr. Tom Bradley '75, Tim Bronish '86, John Bronson '04, Booker Brooks, Coach,‘72+, Richard M Brown '73, Brian Brozeski '01, Dave Brzenchek '90, Chuck Burkhart ’70, Jeff Butya '81, Rick Campbell '82, Bob Campbell 70, Gino Capone '03, Rich Caravella '76, Don Carlino Staff '85, Joseph Carlozo '74, Glenn Carson '13, Ki-Jana Carter '95, Rashard Casey '01, Robert Ceh '93, Alex Chiara '64, Peter Cimino '60, Craig Cirbus , Coach '84-'95, Bruce Clark '80, Dave Clark '87, Anthony Cleary '06, Brennan Coakley '09, Ron Coder '76, F. Len Consalvo '72, Brett Conway '97, Chuck Correal '78, Tom Couch '85, Troy Cromwell '87, Bill Crummy '70's,Wayne Cunningham '71, Peter Curkendall '80's, Andrew Dailey '10,  Rick D'Amico '82, Scott Davis '04, Steven Davis '73, Gary W. Debes '74, Steven Delich '03, Alan Delmonaco '69, Fred R. Demler '76, Ken Deutsch '74, Chris Devlin '75, Joe Diange '78, Tom F. Donchez '74, Troy Drayton '93, Michael Dunlay '83, Thomas Durant '87, Gary Eberle '67, John Ebersole '70, Emery Etter '12, Ron Etter '75, Eric Etze '88, Morris Fansler '73, Gerry Farkas '62, Craig Fiedler '89, Scott Fitzkee '79, Matt Fornadel '97, Derek Fox '00, Tim Freeman '80's, Mike Fuhrman '83, Paul Gabel '73, Ed Gabriel '67, Fran Ganter '71, Tony Gebicki '65, Doneal Gersh '72, Reggie Givens '94, Gene Gladys '80, Scott Gob '89, Greg Golanoski '85, Tony Gordon '78, James Graham '60, Gary Gray ’72, Ryan Grube '94, Mike Guman '80, Nick Haden '84, Eric Hamilton '86, Lance Hamilton '86, Shelly Hammonds '93, Brian Hand '80, Darien Hardy '08, Franco Harris '72, Bob Harrison ’62, Warren Hartenstine '67, Greg Hay '87, Stu Helgeson '88, Jim Heller '73, Mike Heller '92, Ron Heller '84, Scott Hettinger '80, Ron Hileman '70's, Joseph Hines '84, Bob Holuba '71, Tim Horst '69, Ron Hostetler '77, Joshua Hull '10, Leonard Humphries '92, Neil Hutton '77,
John Ibex '67, Jason Ingram '97, Justin Ingram '02, Joe Iorio '03, Michael Irwin '67, Joe Johns '86,
Bryant Johnson '03, Pete Johnson '70, Greg Jones '80, Jim Kanuch '06, Mark Kareha '11,
Keith Karpinski '89, Ken Kelley '82, Rodney Kinlaw '07, Tim Kissell '77, Robert Kline '61,
Douglas Klopacz '10, Gary Klossner '72, Ed Kmit '66, Bob Knechtel '72, Matt Knizner '82, Bruce Kordic ‘72, Chuck Koval '55, Matt Kranchick '03, Chad Kroell '99, John Kulka '69, Christian Kuntz '13, Justin Kurpeikis '00, Rich Kuzy '88, Michael Lagrossi '90, Ron LaPointe '79, Philip F. LaPorta '75, John R. Lewchenko '73, Chad Linnon '98, Linc LincolnLippincott '69, Jim Litterelle '67, Mike Lucian '08, Larry J. Ludwig '74, Mike Lukac '03, Kenneth Lupold Jr '93, Kevin Lyden '78, Daniel Maddigan '60, Thomas Mairs '65, Mike Malinoski '93, Massimo Manca '87, Russ Manney '00, Mark J. Markovich '74, Nick Marmo '04, Christian Marrone '97, Kenneth Martz '80, Carmen Masciantonio '80's, Brian Masella '75, J. D. Mason '12, Rich Mauti '77, Michael McBath '68, Brian McCann '82, Jay McCormick '80, OJ McDuffie '92, Tom McGrath '68, Shawn McNamara '83, Dave McNaughton '66, Mike Meade '82, Dr. Allen Meyer, Staff '69, Rob Mikulski '86, Jeremy Miller '01, Joshua Mitchell '01, Scott Mitchell '74, Ed Monaghan '89, Anthony Morelli '08, Dan Morgan '86, Robert Mrosko '88, Thomas Mulraney '60, Grego. Murphy '75, Joe Navin '79, John Nessel '75, Richard Nichols '75, Gregg Norton '92, Thomas Odell '76, Brian O'Neal '93, Michael A. Orsini M.D. '74, Chet Parlavecchio '82, Michael Pawlikowski '05, Woody Petchel, Jr. '76, Gary Petercuskie '78, Andrew Pitz '09, Aoatoa Polamalu '89, Ryan Primanti '01, Ed Pryts '82, John R. Quinn '76, Carlos Quirch '79,
Dave Radakovich '70, Scott Radecic '84, Tom Rafferty '76, Frederic Ragucci '79, Terry Rakowski '82,
Joel Ramich '71, Eric Ravotti '94, Curt Reese '05, J.R. Refice '13, John M. Reihner '75, Bill Rettig '63, Kip Richeal, Staff '83, James E. Rosecrans '75, Patrick Rosenella '05, Buddy Rowell '55, Dwayne Rush '87, Michael Russo '88, George Salvaterra, Staff '87-'12, Dr. Theodore Sam '60, George SanFilippo '71, Matt Schmitt '02, Rich Schonewolf '90, Steve Schreckengaust '66, Bryan Scott '02, James Scott '55, James Scourtis '91, Bob Scrabis '59, Ted Sebastianelli '69, Robert Seitz, Staff '83, Gary Shaffer '69, Tim Shaw '06, Tom Sherman '68, Tom L. Shoemaker '73, Brandon Short '99, Eric Shrive '13, Earl Shumaker '56, Tom Shuman '75, Brian Silverling '86, David Simon '53, John Skorupan '73, Steve Smear '70, Dave Smith '94, Neal Smith '70, Rob Smith '86, Sam Sobczak '61, Charles Sowers '55, Pete Speros '83, William Spoor '92, Brian Stairs, Staff ' 95, Andrew Stewart '99, Jonathan Stewart '10, Geoffrey Stryker '01, Thomas Stuart '61, John P. Susko '73, Tim Sweeney '89, Dr. Raymond Tesner '75, Brian Tupa '95, Michael Urquhart '81, Tyler Valoczki '02, Kip Vernaglia '80, Marshall Wagner '71, Dan Wallace '75, Tim Ward '06, Darryl Washington '88, Eric Wayne '91, John Williams '73, Justin Williams '95, Leo Wisniewski ’82, Steve Wisniewski '89, John Wojtowicz '81, Steve Wolfe '65, Nicholas Yocum '07, Glenn Zumbach '80.

Recently Added:

Kevin Thompson '99, Lydell Mitchell '72, Bob Damon '92, Mickey Shuler '78, Mickey Shuler Jr. '10, Michael Farkas '80, Rod Bratton '75, Kevin Thompson '99, Anthony Matesic '93, Jim Bradley, Todd Blackledge '83, Skip Stellfox '52 '57, Frank (Frog) Williams '73, Ed Monogan '89, Bob Harrison '62, Tim Janocko '81

Sunday, April 8

HBO's Paterno Is Part Fiction, Part Fantasy with Truth Occasionally Sprinkled In

HBO's docufiction about Joe Paterno was filled with errors and practically unwatchable for those who are cognizant of the facts of the case.  The movie mostly perpetuates the myth that Sara Ganim is an investigative reporter whose reporting was essential in bringing a child molester to justice.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

By
Ray Blehar

April 8, 2018, 1:55 PM EDT, Updated at 3:54 PM EDT

HBO's Paterno comes across as a ridiculous work of fiction from the outset as it shows Sara Ganim cheering on the Penn State University (PSU) Nittany Lions as a sideline reporter and then several obviously fictional scenes from inside the stadium and locker room.  Even Patriot News VP of Content, Cate Barron, weighed in on Twitter, stating Patriot News - Penn Live reporters wouldn't wear a Penn State hat on the job.



As the scene played out, it became obvious that Ganim had no familiarity with Beaver Stadium and wasn't at the Saturday, October 30th PSU-Illinois game because the most dramatic, unforgettable scene that played out on that day is conspicuously absent.

Friday, April 6

HBO's Paterno is Docufiction

According to multiple sources who have viewed HBO's Paterno, the movie goes overboard by introducing pure fiction to reinforce the false narrative of a Penn State cover-up.

By

Ray Blehar

April 6, 2018; 10:02 PM EDT, Updated April 7, 8:07 AM

Those who have viewed HBO's Paterno movie, including a review by CNN, corroborate that it uses purely fictional situations to strengthen the (now discredited) narrative of a cover-up of Sandusky's crimes by Penn State University (PSU) officials.  The movie is docufiction...from start to finish.

After headliner Al Pacino, the second credit of the movie goes to Riley Keough, who portrays Sara Ganim as an investigative reporter (which Ganim isn't and never was).   Ganim also receives full screen credit as consultant on the film.


Riley Keough plays former local reporter, Sara Ganim

As consultant, she does exactly as she did as a local crime and courts reporter for the Harrisburg Patriot News.  She told director Barry Levinson the same story that she and her editors concocted from information provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Attorney General (OAG).  

Tuesday, January 30

Needed Solutions for the Nassar Problem

As the NCAA and Congress get ready to meddle in the Nassar case and waste everyone's time and money by figuring out who to punish for not reporting, here are the reforms that should be made to protect children from the Larry Nassar's of the world.

By
Ray Blehar
January 30, 2018, 8:13 PM EST

The NCAA and Congress are jumping into the Michigan State University (MSU) and USA Gymnastics failures with both feet to find out why there were reporting failures in those organizations.

If the NCAA does what it did in the Sandusky case -- the blame will be placed on the "culture" at MSU that favored athletics over common decency.  The results of the NCAA investigation will be unhelpful to protect against future sexual abuse of children at MSU or elsewhere.

The Congress has already passed a bill mandating that governing bodies of amateur sports must call police in the event of reports of child abuse.  It won't prevent another Nassar situation from occurring.

The familiar vows of University trustees that this "can never happen again" will also do nothing to stop the next Nassar because their views, like those of Congress and the NCAA,  are informed by sensational news reports -- and not the full facts of the case.

Speaking of facts, the NCAA, Congress, MSU, the media, and and the public need to accept this one:

Focusing corrective action on reporting alone will not make children any safer and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the facts to prove it. 

Thursday, January 25

Heed Judge Aquilina's Call for a "Massive Investigation"

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina rightfully sentenced Larry Nassar to 175 years, however her call for a "massive investigation" is much more important.

By
Ray Blehar
January 25, 2018. 9:32 AM EST

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's sentencing of Larry Nassar will put him in prison for life and will ensure he never touches a child again.  That was pretty much expected given the amount of suffering Nassar caused. However, the Judge went well beyond expectations by calling for "a massive investigation" over the "inaction" and "silence" about Nassar's crimes.  


Aquilina's call for a "massive investigation" of "inaction" is on the mark


If her call for such an investigation is heeded it will be more beneficial than any of the partial (i.e., sports) investigations that have been initiated and/or are being proposed.  

As notpsu.blogspot.com reported on January 18th of this year, the Nassar case was veering in the wrong direction and becoming a sports story.  Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, in a column seemingly unaware of the scope of Nassar's crimes, is calling for a Congressional investigation into USA Gymnastics.  That won't help stop another Nassar.

The decision by the NCAA to send a letter of inquiry to Michigan State University (MSU) regarding compliance with the NCAA Constitution -- similar to its actions in the Penn State University (PSU) Sandusky matter - will be similarly unhelpful.

Only the "massive investigation" (all-encompassing) that includes every organization that had an opportunity to stop Nassar, but didn't, will have the potential of educating the public about "nice guy" offenders and possibly prevent future abuse across our nation.

Tuesday, January 23

Nassar: No Blame, No Outrage

Columnists have weighed in on why there isn't as much outrage over the Nassar scandal as there was  over the Sandusky scandal.  Their columns get it partially right -- but go to fantasy land when opining that it's because of the gender of the victims.

By
Ray Blehar
January 23, 2018, 10:52 AM EST

A number of columnists are weighing in on the reasons why there is not as much outrage over Larry Nassar's crimes as there was over Jerry Sandusky's.

They get it partially right in recognizing there is far less national interest in gymnastics than there is for football and that Nassar was not a legendary coach, like Joe Paterno.  But that was so easy that Jemele Hill and everyone else could figure it out.

Buzzfeed's Jessica Luther surprised me when she correctly recognized that the outrage and repercussions at Penn State (and Baylor) were not because people actually care about victims. 

But then Luther and Hill both drove into fantasy land when they opined that there is less outrage because the victims were women or involved women's sports in the Nassar case.

Luther wrote:

"Sports media barely covers women’s sports and that coverage can be laced through with sexist ideas about how female athletes should look or behave (especially during the Olympics). "

Hill wrote:

"Until we accept the fact that predators go to school, church and work with us, coach our kids and date our daughters, the voices of abused girls and women will never regularly inspire courageous action on their behalf." 

They couldn't be more wrong.

Friday, January 19

MSU Almost Gets It Right - But Misses by A Million Miles

Calling for an independent review of the actions of MSU employees (by Michigan AG Schuette) is good, but that review will overlook the failures of many others who had a duty to protect children.  As a result, the lessons on how to detect the next Larry Nassar will be lost again and more children will be unnecessarily harmed.

By
Ray Blehar
January 19, 2018, 8:41 PM EST

The Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees (BOT) has almost gotten it right by requesting Michigan Attorney General (AG) Bill Schuette to review the actions of MSU personnel with regard to the Larry Nassar case.

Almost.

Unfortunately, the MSU BOT is following a similar track as the Penn State University (PSU) BOT did with the Sandusky scandal and is foolishly asking for a review of its actions only.

The problem with this review is that it won't show how Nassar was able to similarly fool those outside the University, especially Michigan's Children's Protective Services (CPS), the Meridian Township Police, and the Ingham County Prosecutors office -- all public services entrusted with protecting society from criminals like Larry Nassar.

Kyle Stephens, the first victim to testify, spoke about being abused by Nassar in his basement starting when she was five years old.

At the beginning, she stated (my emphasis added):

“I’ve told counselors your name in hopes they would report you. I’ve told your name to Child Protective Services twice. I gave a testament to get your medical license revoked. You were first arrested on my charges. And now as the only nonmedical victim to come forward, I testify to let the world know you are a repulsive liar.”






Thursday, January 18

Distant Replay: Nassar Case Veering In Wrong Direction

Unfortunately, the lessons that should have been learned from the Sandusky scandal were lost in favor of the false narrative that PSU officials knew a pedophile was in their midst and covered it up to preserve the reputation of the University and its football program.  It appears we are in for a replay in the Larry Nassar case.

By
Ray Blehar
January 18, 2018, 12:10 PM EST

They "knew."

Everyone "knew."

As preposterous as it may seem, the media (ESPN, The Detroit News, et al) once again is propagating a false narrative that Michigan State University (MSU) officials, those at USA Gymnastics, and other organizations that Larry Nassar used to perpetrate child sexual victimization all "knew" what Nassar was doing.

Yes, many female athletes, some of them children, complained to MSU athletic officials, USA Gymnastics officials, and, yes, their stories are compelling and heart-breaking.

However, we are hearing those stories with the benefit of hindsight.  Nassar confessed and was convicted of being a serial child molester.

Did all of those people, who are the subjects of the media onslaught, actually "know" Nassar was a child molester at the time of the allegations?   Were they all turning a blind eye to Nassar's abuse?

Of course not.

ESPN called them "enablers."  And that's wrong.

Wednesday, January 10

No Coincidence, Part 2: The Non-Investigation of Sandusky & The Second Mile

The Washington Post story on the Sandusky scandal discounted the influence of The Second Mile on the Sandusky investigation, however Corbett's avoidance of the charity remains "inexplicable" and "doesn't pass the smell test."

By
Ray Blehar

January 10, 2018. 8:50 PM, EST

In Part 1, notpsu.blogspot.com laid out the circumstantial evidence supporting the scenario that Corbett used the Sandusky investigation for the purpose of eliminating his nemesis, former PSU President Graham Spanier.

Part 2 will show that Tom Corbett's statement that The "Second Mile had no influence on that investigation" is without merit and that the Washington Post shouldn't have dismissed the charity's influence without a full appraisal of the evidence.

From the Post:

"....McQueary unwittingly became part of a conspiracy engineered by former Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett (R). As Pennsylvania attorney general, Corbett oversaw the early stages of the Sandusky investigation, and as governor, Corbett was a member of the Penn State board that forced out Spanier, the school’s president. Blehar points out Corbett accepted campaign donations from Second Mile board members and had feuded with Spanier over state funding.
While outlandish, such theories gained currency in Pennsylvania. In 2013, newly elected Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D), who suggested on the campaign trail that Corbett slow-walked the Sandusky investigation and donations from Second Mile officials played a role, appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the state’s Sandusky investigation.
“The Second Mile had no influence on that investigation whatsoeverand there’s no evidence that they did,” Corbett said. “But [Penn State alumni] won’t accept that, will they?”

Penn State alumni have good reason not to accept that TSM didn't influence the investigation because they're among the few people who are familiar with the contents of the Moulton Report -- and aren't relying on media sound bites.

The Moulton Report clearly showed that the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and the Office of Attorney General (OAG) avoided the charity like the plague in the first two years of the investigation.

Former AG Kathleen Kane called it an "inexcusable" delay. Moulton called it an "inexplicable" delay.

Both are correct.

Thursday, January 4

No Coincidence, Part 1 - Corbett's Feud With Spanier

The Washington Post's recent story dismissed the theory that Tom Corbett's feud with Graham Spanier and that The Second Mile charity influenced the Sandusky investigation....but the evidence shows otherwise.

By
Ray Blehar

January 4, 2018, 8:03 PM, EST, Updated January 5, 2018, 4:08PM

The Washington Post's story on the Sandusky scandal covered a lot of ground and exposed many of the highly questionable decisions of the Penn State University Board of Trustees (PSU BOT) in the aftermath of the criminal trial and the Freeh Report.

One area it did not place much focus on was the unnecessarily protracted 3-year investigation that eventually brought Jerry Sandusky to justice -- and the evidence indicating that Governor Tom Corbett's feud with Spanier revived an investigation that was first sand-bagged by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and then was sent to die a slow, secret death in Pennsylvania's grand jury system.

The Post, much like the rest of the media, seemingly relied on a single data point to label that scenario as "outlandish."   To be clear, reporter Will Hobson summarized the Moulton Report as follows:

"The inquiry concluded politics played no role in the Sandusky investigation..." 

However, that statement isn't accurate.  Special Deputy AG Geoffrey Moulton actually said the investigation:

 "revealed no direct evidence that electoral politics influenced any important decision made in the Sandusky investigation."

The Moulton Report is replete with circumstantial evidence that shows the investigation was going nowhere until Corbett's feud with Spanier and that the "release of the hounds" occurred right after his election.