Daily Madden: Victims Must Come First For Penn State
(KCBS) - The sports world - and in fact much of the country and general public - continues to reel from Thursday's release of a 267-page report on the Penn State sexual molestation scandal.
The report by former FBI director and federal Judge Louis Freeh said former head coach Joe Paterno and other top school officials buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade ago to avoid bad publicity.
Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of 45 criminal counts.
Freeh was hired by the university's trustees to investigate and called the behavior by Paterno, ex-President Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and former senior vice president Gary Schultz "callous and shocking." Freeh also determined that Paterno was an integral part of the school's decision to conceal Sandusky's behavior and his firing was justified.
The report also said the trustees failed to exercise oversight and didn't inquire deeply into the matter when they finally learned of it.
"That whole idea of protecting a person for terrible and criminal acts in order to protect an image, I think is something that is out there that is going to have to change," John Madden told the KCBS morning crew. "What are going to do about it? And what do you think about it?"
"I think the first thing you have to think about are the victims," he continued. "That's number one. You have to take care of the damage in any way that you can that was done by this. And then at the same time make sure that it never happens again, not only never happens again at Penn State but never happens again anywhere, to any kid, ever."
Coach John Madden
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