Last week if one were to ask me what is the biggest recent controversy regarding employment law, unions, or torts. I would empathically utter the NBA lockout, however the Penn State controversy has stolen the crown. When the news first broke the story I immediately thought about the victims, their families, and their mindsets now that the secret is out. Next I thought about the sick individual that committed such a horrendous crime, and the mindset of his family. Thirdly, I thought about the most winningest coach in college football Joe Paterno.
The victims in the Penn State scandal are the most important pieces in this puzzle, their livelihood, state of mind, and privacy have all been disturbed by this instance. Happy Valley was not a happy place at all Saturday morning; in fact it was a rather somber moment for both Nebraska and Penn State. According to Joe Juliano, Mike Jensen, and Kristen A. Graham “ More than 100 former Penn State players gathered to support the team, which kneeled with the Nebraska squad at midfield before kickoff. Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown led the teams in prayer”.
One has to wonder if the victims will have sexuality problems, as they grow older. At that age a child’s mindset can easily be tainted placing them into a sea of confusion, especially when it concerns their sexuality. Grammy Award winning Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin openly admitted that he was molested as a child, and struggled with his sexuality. McClurkin also stated “ God gave him the wherewithal to get out of that and find out who I really am”. Lets be clear; there is no ill will towards the gay community for everyone has the right to choose, and the right to choose is the concerning factor in this case. One can only pray for those kids, and hope they want be scared to live their lives.
Jerry Sandusky, Jerry Sandusky, Jerry Sandusky. Jerry Sandusky can easily go from the heir to the Penn State throne, and the founder of the Second Mile foundation to spending the rest of his life behind bars. Sandusky is currently facing 40 counts of sexual abuse, which carries a maximum sentence of life. Sandusky used his trusted foundation, and volunteer missions at local schools to attract young boys. Some victims claimed that Sandusky showered them with gifts, invited them for sleepovers, and took advantage of his times with the youngsters. Sandusky has brought shame to Happy Valley, and placed Penn State in a pool of scorn.
“Penn State Athletic Director Timothy Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz have been charged for failing to report the abuse to authorities and misleading investigators. Prosecutors determined that a legal duty to report the alleged abuse applied to them, but not to McQueary and Paterno”(CNN Wire Staff).
Despites the anger, anguish, and unwanted attention Penn State is receiving, they may be facing some employment law issues. Its been argued that Joe Paterno, Graham B. Spanier, and Mike McQuery were wrongfully terminated, because neither were charged for their actions. In fact, they lost their jobs because they told their bosses about the problem, and not the authorities. These guys were fired for having a lapse in moral responsibility, even though they followed the chain of command. Wow! Everyone with a job has been told by their employer to report any issues they know of to management so they would not be held liable. However, passing the buck in this situation came back to hunt them. I understand where why some may say they should have reported the issues to the authorities, but according to the employment law they did nothing wrong. On the other hand I will say that Paterno’s loyalty to his friend did not help his stance nor did it show good judgment. Lastly, the head officials at Penn State that were fired for overlooking this matter were trying to protect the bottom line of the school. Reporting the matter could have possibly cost Penn State millions of dollars in fundraisers, and booster donations, and endorsements. “Managers and executives face situations daily where cutting a corner or a little “white lie” could mean a big difference in the bottom line. You can’t succumb to that temptation and let the money dictate your actions”.
Reference:
Juliano, Joe; Jensen, Mike; Graham, Kristen A. (2011) Many Focuses on victims as Penn State loses game. Retreieved November 13, 2011 from: http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-12/news/30391414_1_joe-paterno-penn-state-abuse-scandal
CNN Wire Staff (2011) Pennsylvania Gov.: Change law after Penn State Scandal. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from: CNN Justice http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/13/justice/pennsylvania-coach-abuse/
PBS (2011). Donnie McClurkin Extended Interview. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from; PBS Religion & Ethics News Weekly. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-6-2005/donnie-mcclurkin-extended-interview/1876/
Oswald, Dan (2011). 3 Leadership lessons from Penn State Debacle. Retrieved November 13, 2011 from; The Oswald Letter Insights on Business and Leadership. http://blogs.hrhero.com/oswaldletters/2011/11/11/3-leadership-lessons-from-penn-state-debacle/
Simon, Darran (2011) Penn State scandal alerting college to U.S. reporting law. Retrieved November 13, 2011. from: Inquirer Staff Writer (2011) http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/133758858.html
No comments:
Post a Comment