For 30 years Jerry Sandusky worked as an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions, a position that made him an authority figure for thousands of athletes and earned him respect.
During his time there, people heard Sandusky’s name quite a bit with the team’s impressive seasons, including two National Championship titles.
In 1977, people also heard about the Second Mile program that Sandusky started, which began as a group foster home for troubled children and later turned into a charity dedicated to helping children with displaced families, but it’s what people weren’t hearing that was the problem.
Sandusky was arrested Wednesday and is charged with more than 50 counts of child molestation. According to a grand jury report, Sandusky sexually assaulted young men and boys during his time as an assistant coach at Penn State.
The parents of the children and the public may not have been hearing about these alleged incidents, but some insiders did know and ultimately did nothing.
It took more than 10 years of allegations before Sandusky faced real punishment.
What does this mean for future college students or parents of students across the nation, let alone at Penn State? It has to instill a little fear and uncertainty in students and parents about safety on college campuses and officials who are supposed to be trustworthy.
Coaches are given a lot of power in relation to athletes and have regular contact with them.
The coaches of a team like Penn State that has such a strong football tradition are on an even higher pedestal. But that pedestal should never be outside the reach of the rules — and most importantly the law.
Parents, athletes and students put their trust in coaches often without considering that coaches could be dangerous. This case is sure to change that perspective.
People want to believe they can trust the people who run schools to take the actions needed to best protect student safety. Anytime there is a case where students’ safety is compromised and it appears the school didn’t do enough to prevent it, parents naturally worry more about sending their children to college.
Nothing will change what allegedly happened to any of these victims and their families. But the situation Penn State is currently in can open the eyes of parents, students, faculty and the community.
People need to realize that situations like this can happen anywhere. It’s time to take steps toward better protecting our children. It would be nice to think that Sandusky is the only coach that has ever done something like this, but aside from cases like Syracuse — which are now surfacing — chances are this happens more than many might think.
This doesn’t mean coaches can never be trusted. It just means be aware and ask your children questions about the people they associate with, or even look up to.