The Penn State Horror, Cont'd.

Matt Paknis was a graduate assistant coach at Penn State under former coach Joe Paterno from 1987 to 1988. He was also the victim of sexual abuse, but from a neighbor, long before he was at Penn State. Here he sums up his feelings in Mike Wise's Kaplan Daily column:

“The crux of the whole case isn’t protocol or right channels or who took the fall. There was no consideration from Joe Paterno, from anyone at Penn State, over how we can help this kid. That was the last thing in their minds.”

Looking at it another way, Paterno has had 46 years of adulation as Penn State's head coach; at age 84, his life is behind him. The boys that were abused have the rest of their lives to live in the pain caused by their rapist. If they live to 84, they'll never be able to look back on any "glory years" because no one cared about them when it mattered.