Paterno (2018) Movie Script

Man:
Children were molested here!
And it's directly connected
to the football program.
Man 2:
Joe Paterno did know
that Sandusky
- was abusing boys
in the shower.
- No, he did not!
Man 3:
I firmly believe,
in his mind,
he did what
he thought was right.
Man 4:
I think Joe Paterno's
getting thrown
under the bus here
a little bit.
Man 5: He is not
the Attorney General,
he's the football coach.
Man 7:
He was the Godfather!
He was aware of what happened,
and allowed it to happen.
Woman:
Joe! Where are you going?
I'm going to the john.
It's back here.
It's right across the hall
from where we just were.
Come on!
Oh, yeah.
I got turned around.
Yeah, it's just
right over here
across the hall.
( machine buzzing )
( clank )
( muffled cheering )
Penn State!
Penn State!
- ( crowd cheering )
- ( air horns blows )
( marching band playing )
Announcer: Eight inches
of winter's wrath expected,
as Joe Paterno
seeks win number 409
to surpass all
Division I football coaches.
- Man: Take one.
- Man 2: Give me the stats
on Bolden and McGloin.
Go to mascot.
( cheering, chanting )
Commentator: Joe Paterno
up in the booth again today.
That is certainly not
his preference.
Announcer: Joe is coaching
from the press box today
due to a hip injury sustained
in practice
a couple weeks back.
( camera shutter clicks )
- Paterno: Guido.
- Mm-hmm?
- What's that?
Bobby, no shots of Joe
in the booth.
Man:
Look, look. Kay?
- Busted.
- N-Number 31, please.
- Give me the camera.
- Nope, nope. I'm deleting.
Security:
No pictures of JoePa.
Announcer:
As college football seems
to change more rapidly
than ever,
he remains the constant.
JoePa. Penn state.
At age 84, he is not
just still in the game,
in many ways, he is the game.
And with one more win,
another milestone.
And there's the kick!
Penn state offense
will take over
on its own 35-yard line.
Ready in blue?
McGloin out of the shotgun,
heaving long...
Commentator:
We asked Joe Paterno,
"How do you get that message
down to the sideline?"
He writes it down,
"If I call 41 power,
I better see 41 power."
All right. Split left,
drag 46 strong.
Watch if they sub.
Check their angle
if they do.
Catch 'em by surprise.
Announcer:
And the snow continues to fall.
Redd takes it on second down...
and they get another Penn State
first down at the 25.
Reporter: Here at Penn State,
we've still got 0-0,
but the crowd could not
be more electric.
Everybody here is wondering
if JoePa can deliver
an historic 409th win
for the Nittany Lions.
Announcer:
And the tailback---
Bolden fumbles!
Illinois has got it.
- Shit.
- A straight fumble
by the sophomore...
Let's go, defense!
Get that motherfucker
out of this game right now!
Who the fuck was that?
They want Bolden
out of the game.
- You want him out?
- No.
Keep him in.
Give me a shot of Bolden
on the sidelines.
Announcer:
End of the first half,
exactly where we started:
Zero-zero.
Stupid mother--
- You goin' down?
- No.
By the time I get
down with this gimp,
halftime will be over.
Coach is stayin' up here.
Jay's comin' down.
( band playing )
Woman: Jay Is on the move--
without his dad.
Man:
Jay in the locker room?
That's insane.
- They hate him.
- The team?
Yeah,
he's a total doorknob.
Why do you think
Joe won't retire?
Oh, what? Like if they
wait long enough,
he'll turn
into head coach material?
You motherfuckers!
Hey, hey, listen to me!
You think you can get
on the headset and talk
to me like that?!
What are you guys,
a bunch of fucking--
( yelling )
Back off!
You were out there!
Show some respect!
- Come on.
- Give me a break!
Honey, you remember
Jerry Sandusky and Dottie.
Good to see you.
How ya doin'?
They need you back
on that line, Jerry.
- We miss you.
- They're doin' okay.
You still think
he's a pedophile?
You know, nobody read
your article.
Fuck you.
It's been six months.
That popcorn kernel didn't pop.
Time to move on.
That's just my opinion.
Well, nobody's asking
for your opinion.
We got a heads-up
from the attorney general's
office.
They're charging Jerry
in the next few weeks.
What, the business
with the shower?
They have more
than one incident.
What, with the same kid?
Multiple incidents
with the same kid,
and multiple kids.
( sighs )
Oh, Jesus.
All in our locker room?
I don't know.
Look, evidently...
you two might be named
in the indictment.
What the fuck
you talkin' about?
Cynthia says
they've got no case.
She's gonna
get it thrown out.
We just need
to ride it out.
That's easy
for you to say,
Graham.
I am in this
a hundred percent
with you.
Oh, we're-- we're indicted
alongside an accused pedophile
and you're say-- Ohh.
Wow, I just hit
the motherlode.
You're not
taking a fall, Gary.
I will make sure
that doesn't happen.
Hey, guys.
Can I get a quick hit?
Of course.
Ready one, take one.
Reporter: I'm here
with Penn State University
president Graham Spanier,
vice president
of the university Gary Schultz,
and Athletic Director
Tim Curley.
You are looking
at a possible 409 wins
for Penn State's own JoePa.
How does that feel?
Mara, we couldn't
be more excited.
Ready one, take one!
TV: If you want to get a sense
of how respected,
how revered, Joe Paterno is
here at Penn State,
look at this:
a monument they built to him
calling him a coach,
an educator,
and a humanitarian.
- We are!
- Penn State!
- We are!
- Penn State!
- We are!
- Penn State!
( shouting )
( crowd cheering)
Quarterback:
And...hut!
Announcer:
Scheelhaase to throw
to the end zone,
touchdown!
- 3:32 to go in the third.
- Aw, shit.
It's Illinois
who strikes first.
- Paterno on two. Standby, two.
- Tighter on Paterno.
Slow push him, slow push him.
Ready, two? Take two.
Announcer:
Third and goal.
McGloin fumbles the football,
picks it up again,
sacked at the 15.
That is the sixth fumble
of the day by Penn State.
Fourth and goal,
the kicking unit comes out.
Fera's 30-yarder
is...good!
Penn State's on the board.
It's seven-three.
...on four.
Scheelhaase is gonna run again
on third and twelve.
This time Penn State's ready
to force fourth down
for Illinois.
Man:
Take one.
Announcer:
3:05 to go.
80 yards for
the Penn State offense.
Nittany Lions need a touchdown.
What's the story
with Moye?
Fractured
metatarsal.
Doctor says he can go
if it's an emergency.
Well, this looks
like an emergency.
You got Moye?
Moye! Moye! Get Moye!
Moye, let's go!
Come on, come on,
let's go.
The team needs you.
Joe needs you. Go! Go!
Announcer:
And McGloin,
the junior quarterback
from Scranton.
McGloin throws,
it's completed!
And who makes the grab
but Derek Moye,
coming back from a broken bone
in his left foot.
Jay: Now we're in business.
They're gonna crowd the line,
think we're gonna run--
let's go to Brown.
Man: Take one.
Ready, two...
Announcer:
Right back to Justin Brown!
First down, Penn State driving.
All right,
we got a game here, folks.
Everybody stay focused.
Let's do our jobs.
- Fourth down and sixth.
- Let's go!
Penn State needs to convert.
McGloin heaves it
to the end zone for Moye--
It is...
incomplete! But there are
multiple flags on the play.
Penn State's gonna
get another shot.
- ( chatter )
- Man: Nice.
- Time out, time out.
- Time out. Time out.
- Time out. Time out.
- ( blows whistle )
Man: All right, Coach.
What do you want to do?
Heavy right,
25 counter.
That's good.
Heavy right,
25 counter.
- Come on, baby.
- Heavy right, 25 counter.
All right. Heavy right,
25 counter. Let's go.
Announcer: A minute-20 to go
in the fourth quarter,
down by four,
Penn State needs
to get into the end zone
for the first time today.
McGloin handing off, Silas...
He's in the end zone!
Touchdown, Penn State!
With a minute-eight to go,
the Nittany Lions
are into the end zone,
- an 80-yard touchdown drive.
- Yes! Yes!
Penn State hoping
to close it out
and give Joe Paterno
win number 409,
making him the winningest coach
in the history
of Division I football.
Five seconds.
42-yarder to tie it.
( crowd roars )
Announcer:
No good! Penn State wins!
10-7.
Win 409 for Joe Paterno
as head coach at Penn State....
( broadcast fades out )
( machine buzzing )
- ( office chatter )
- ( phone ringing )
- ( phone rings )
- Sara Ganim.
Holy fucking shit.
Ganim: Criminal charges,
Gerald Sandusky.
40 counts.
Involuntary, deviant
sexual intercourse,
person less
than 16 years of age.
Indecent assault,
person less
than 16 years of age.
- Aggravated indecent assault--
- Person less than 13 years.
Jesus Chri--
What the fuck.
W-W-Where'd it go?
- Reload. Reload--
- I'm reloading.
- Is it the computer?
- I don't know.
Give me a second.
Every other site's working.
They pulled it.
( sighs )
( phone line out ringing )
Boy (over phone): Mike.
Man:
Hey, man, are you home?
- No, I'm on my way.
- Are you driving?
She told me
I could take the car.
- I didn't--
- No, it's fine. Listen,
I need you
to pull over for a second.
Can you do that?
( exhales )
Man ( over phone ): Okay, look.
The charges against Jerry
went up online.
They disappeared
like a minute later,
which means
somebody probably
posted them by mistake,
but a lot of people saw it,
so...
It's happening now.
They're gonna arrest him.
Probably tomorrow morning,
Sunday at the latest,
and they're gonna have to post
the grand jury presentment
when they're ready
to bring him in,
so the whole story's
gonna be there.
It's public.
And I won't say your name.
May use your initials, but...
it's happening.
- ( boy sniffles, sighs )
- Aaron?
( humorless chuckle )
Aaron?
( sniffles, exhales )
Hey, buddy. Hey.
( operatic singing )
Woman: Hey, Joe.
Paterno: Yeah.
You wanna have dinner
with Don and Shirley
on Sunday night?
No.
Come on, they want
to celebrate the win.
Well, let 'em go celebrate
by themselves.
- ( scoffs ) So, no?
- Well, I...
All right, let's see
how it plays out on Sunday.
Well, I've got
a board meeting
in Philly.
Maybe after a day by himself,
he'll want to be, you know--
You asked me a question.
Don't ignore the answer.
Oh, hang on one second, Sheryl.
I got Scotty on the other line.
Hey, Scotty.
I'm on the phone.
- Scotty: Ma, I need
to talk to Dad.
- Okay.
Uh, Joe, call Scotty
when I'm off.
I'll call him when I finish
the practice script.
Scotty,
he's gonna call you back
when he's finished
with the practice scripts,
okay?
No, no, no, no!
Ma, I gotta ta--
- ( disconnects )
- Yeah, Sheryl.
Special Olympics...
Oh, no, it's a 5K.
( grunts )
You gotta be kiddin' me.
( starts car,
revs engine )
Gamin:
We saw the charges,
but was that one victim
or two victims?
Okay, just tell me this:
when's the guy
gonna get arrested?
Isn't he considered
a flight risk?
John says there may be
somebody else named
in the indictment.
Jessie-- Jessie, is someone
other than Jerry Sandusky
named in the indictment?
Jessie?
Hey, it's Charlie Thompson
at The Patriot-News, for Bill.
No, I can wait.
Newhouse: Somebody needs
to call Graham Spanier!
I'll do it.
What'd he say about
your first article?
Nothing.
Him and everybody else.
Six months went by.
It was like I wrote
about a yard sale.
Ask Spanier
if he thinks he's
gonna get fired.
They're not gonna fire
the president of Penn State.
Jerry hasn't worked there
in a decade.
Thompson:
Bill, when are we gonna see
this grand jury presentment?
You're either
charging the guy
or you're not.
Newhouse: Sara...
it's up.
( typing )
Woman: Aaron...
I don't want you to read it.
Aaron.
Everything's on there.
It's not gonna
change anything--
You said I didn't
have to tell you.
With the grand jury
and the cops...
It's on the computer, Aaron.
Your mother can't be
the only person in the country
not to read it.
Newhouse: Looks like Victim One
was 11 when it started.
Sandusky performed oral sex
on him more than 20 times.
Sandusky also had Victim One
perform oral sex on him
one time.
Jesus-- uh,
touched Victim One's penis
with his hands.
Victim One did not want
to engage in sexual conduct
with Sandusky,
knew it was wrong.
And Victim Two?
( sighs ) Uh... ten years old.
Anal intercourse.
- ( cell phone ringing )
- Shit.
- Hello? Dawn?
- Woman ( over phone): Hi.
Ganim:
I'm gonna be in your area
in a couple hours.
Should I stop by?
( crying )
I don't know.
Okay, well,
how about I head that way,
and then if it doesn't
feel right, you can just--
you can send me back.
( sniffling )
Dawn?
Dawn?
Victim One's mom.
Call me from the car.
We'll finish the piece
while you drive.
Ganim:
The indictment alleges
that former Penn State coach
Jerry Sandusky
used The Second Mile,
the charity he founded in 1977,
- to get access to
and molest boys...
- Okay.
many of whom were vulnerable
due to their social situations.
Newhouse:
That's great.
Ganim:
Many of the alleged incidents
happened in the Lasch building,
the football building
on Penn State campus.
Man:
With football season
well underway now,
for many fans,
it doesn't get any bigger
than Penn State.
But the case against one of
that team's long-time coaches
is unfolding, and quickly.
Charged with abusing
several boys at a program
he'd started,
former coach Jerry Sandusky,
once heir apparent
to the legendary Joe Paterno,
is charged with sexually
abusing eight boys.
And now two high-ranking
university officials,
the athletic director
and a vice president,
face charges in court, accused
of looking the other way
after several mothers
came forward.
One mother told reporter
Sara Ganim
she feels betrayed
by Penn State,
as details emerge
of what she sees as a cover-up,
saying one of her sons
complained about Sandusky,
but no one listened.
"Penn State forever,
molder of men"--
well, where
is that integrity now?
Woman:
If these allegations are true,
then this goes to the very top
of the athletic department
at Penn State,
and one would have
to think that there
would have to be
some kind of housecleaning.
( indistinct conversation )
( game playing on TV )
Announcer:
They do go conservative--
is he gonna make it pay off?
I can't-- I can't believe it,
ya know? And then on top of it,
they-- they indicted
Tim and Gary too.
- For what?
- For what.
For perjury, for lying
to the grand jury.
For failing
to protect children.
They testified in front
of the grand jury
just like you did, Dad.
Scott:
You read it, right?
You read the grand jury
presentment?
No. They indict me?
No.
So?
Wait, are you--
( scoffs ) Okay.
I am going to print
this thing out
so you will read it.
I got Nebraska
a week from today.
They're seven-and-one,
just so you know.
( doorbell rings )
Spanier.
Ohh. Put me
in the ground.
Scott: Hey.
Hey, Scott.
Got something I want
to run by your dad.
Yeah, come on in.
He's watching Nebraska.
How do they look?
Paterno:
Good is how they look.
Northwestern's up by four,
but they're not
gonna hold it.
( sighs )
All right.
"The allegations
about a former coach
are troubling,
and it is appropriate
that they be investigated
thoroughly.
With regard
to the other indictments,
I wish to say that
Tim Curley and Gary Schultz
have my unconditional support.
I have complete confidence
in how they have handled
the allegations
about a former
university employee.
I am confident the record
will show that these charges
are groundless,
and that they conducted
themselves professionally
and appropriately."
Why do you say that...
about Gary and Tim?
'Cause it's true.
Grand jury doesn't think so.
You think
that's right?
Well, what do I know?
But I wouldn't go stand
in front of the bull
waving a flag.
This school should look
like we give a hoot,
you know?
We want everything
run down
until we know
what actually happened.
That's a huge slap in the face
to Gary and Tim.
They were...
protecting the school.
Do what you want.
You're asking me,
I'm sayin'.
I think it's
a stupid thing to say.
Well, I'll look at it again.
OK. You need anything,
give me a call.
( door opens, closes )
Hey.
- Paterno: Yeah?
- Spanier: Hey, Jay.
We're just bending
your dad's ear.
Latet anguis in herba.
What does that mean?
It's Virgil.
It means you're
gonna be fine.
Northwestern's up by four.
- That's not gonna last.
- Yeah.
Thanks for stopping by,
Graham.
Spanier:
See you soon.
Oh boy.
What was that?
Box of rocks.
He wants to be
everybody's friend.
He's gonna
get himself fired. Watch.
Couldn't happen
to a nicer guy.
There's peppers
and provolone on the stove.
Heat it up.
- Yeah, I talked to Guido.
- Yeah.
He thinks
this is gonna be more
than just a sports story.
Scott: You think?
Did you read it?
The presentment? No.
I just got here.
Yeah.
What's the hurry?
The guy only fucked
eight children.
- Whoa, what is with the talk?
- Hey, hey.
Just somebody
other than me has
to read this thing.
( Scott, Jay shouting )
Can you take this
someplace else, guys?!
I'm trying to work here.
Anybody care?
You got your own homes now,
ya know.
Man: Well, what goes on in
major college sports programs
are they become
little fiefdoms,
and the college coach
becomes all-powerful,
and Joe Paterno is like a god
on that campus.
Man #2:
He's the leader. I understand
there's a university president,
there's a athletic director,
but we know who's running
Penn State.
It's JoePa.
Phone: Mailbox. One.
You have
one new message.
Sara, it's Dawn.
Can we... I'm--I'm sorry.
Let's do this tomorrow.
We're pretty wrung out
over here. Aaron's, um...
Why don't you come by
in the morning. Okay? Thanks.
( "Scarlet Begonias"
by Grateful Dead playing )
- Where's Juliet?
- Food?
Hey! Did you
just get here?
Yeah.
Liam, Mindy. Sara.
She graduated.
- She's gonna
crash here a few nights.
- What up?
She's the one that got
Sandusky arrested.
You did?
No. No, no.
I-- I didn't.
He's fucking disgusting.
It's sick.
Wait, she's, um,
she's the cub reporter, right?
Does anybody
call you Cubby?
Uh, no.
Man: For 67-year-old
Jerry Sandusky, a jubilant
career at Penn State
has dwindled to a perp walk
and prosecution.
A Penn State graduate
team assistant
allegedly witnessed
a 2002 rape by Sandusky,
involving a ten-year-old boy
in a shower
at Penn State's football
facility.
The assistant told
Coach Paterno about it,
and Paterno is said to have
told Athletic director
Tim Curley,
and university official
Gary Schultz.
( knocking on door )
Hi, I'm Sara Ganim,
and I work
with the Harrisburg
Patriot-News.
I was wondering
if I'd be able to ask--
No. I'm not talking
to anybody. Thank you.
You're Gary Schultz' assistant.
- Right?
- Get off the property!
- OK. I just wanted to--
- Get off the property!
- Okay, I'm getting off.
- Not fast enough!
OK! Fuck.
- Ganim: Hello?
- Newhouse: Hey. So, uh,
after two days
of complete and utter silence,
the national news finally
noticed we published a story.
You got time to talk to CNN?
Yeah, I just
need a minute.
I've got somebody
who's really... excited.
Man: How dare you
to disturb my wife like that!
Woman:
The Pennsylvania
attorney general
says that coach Paterno
is facing no criminal charges
because he followed the law
by quickly telling what he knew
to his superiors.
What she didn't say was if
he had a moral obligation
to do more.
Scott: Steve Garban's
pretending he's not home.
Mary: No one from the board
of trustees will answer
our call.
Guido:
Mother of Christ.
Put out a damn statement
so we can be through
with this already.
We should have
done it six months ago
when it first
came out in the paper.
People need
to hear from you.
This is not
a smart move, Guido.
- I'm not a judge, but...
- OK.
It's-- there's a legal process
happening here.
OK. All right.
A legal process
happening here.
- So...
- 'K. Legal process.
( sighs deeply )
Oh, my God...
Oh--
( gagging )
Ma?
Mary:
Mommy?
What's wrong?
( retching )
- Mary: Mommy?
- It's shocking,
if it's true...
- You OK?
- We're deeply saddened...
When I heard what I heard,
I reported it right way...
- To?
- Uh...
Tim and Gary.
He did what he was
supposed to do.
- Right. In 2001.
- What?
2001? Yeah. ( stammers )
I told the Grand Jury.
Right, and you should say
what McQueary told you, right?
Guido:
"An assistant coach
informed me that--"
An assistant coach
informed me what?
McQueary couldn't put his--
a sentence together.
He couldn't catch his breath.
He was all over the place.
So, he told you
that they were having sex?
No, he didn't--
He didn't know
what he saw. Come on.
They were touching maybe.
Who knows?
All I know is
what he saw upset him.
That's-- That's-- That's--
He -- He was--
He was, uh, rattled.
Ya know? Something happened.
But, so why does
the presentment
say anal rape?
- It says that?
- Guido: Didn't you read it?
- It says anal sex.
- Oh, well, you're the lawyer.
Mary: There's no such thing
as consensual anal
with a ten-year old....
( no audible dialogue )
He was distraught!
He was, he was--
He didn't make sense!
It was clear whatever
he was talking about
was inappropriate.
I-- I got that.
So, I called Tim,
and I called, uh, Gary.
And, uh, and, uh--
and if it's true,
I get everybody's upset.
We're upset.
But meanwhile, you gotta--
you gotta let,
uh, legal process unfold--
Scott:
Dad, did you know
anything else
about, uh, Jerry?
What do you mean?
Why are you saying that?
- I just told you.
- I don't know, but--
- What about Jerry?
- When you read it,
you can see
the guy had a clear problem.
Ya know? Maybe--
I didn't read the thing.
You told me about the thing...
Scott,
and then you told me again.
- I know. I'm just saying--
- So I know.
So, you're badgering me.
You're badgering me,
I don't like it.
I got a game to prepare for.
That's what's important
to me now, Scott.
Whatever these things are--
People think
that you knew
about all of it.
- But I don't care
what people think!
- 2001. 1998.
"Well, JoePa runs the school.
How could he not know?"
Well, I didn't know.
I don't know what they're
talking about.
I didn't know--
What-- What am I,
omniscient here?
Well, yeah, that's what
they think you are,
- and they're writing stories.
- Scott: What about rumors?
"There's something funny
about this Jerry guy."
Nothing like that?
What happened to you?
You're telling me
about a rumor?
A rumor?
What's that?
Is that why I sent you
to law school?
Gossip like that,
what it does to people?
You have any idea--
What about your Uncle George?
Huh? How come he wasn't married.
Everybody said,
"Something's wrong with him.
Whatever this is,
I don't understand it.
It's garbage!
Jerry Sandusky.
What is he?
I thought he was--
he was unfocused
and such a pain in the butt,
but yes, uh, kids were--
he had kids around all the time.
These were hopeless,
helpless, lost causes.
He started the biggest charity
in the history of this state.
Every heavy hitter,
every high roller
donating every week,
checks coming in by the dozens.
I never saw anything like it.
He's honored by the president
of the United States.
I got a statement.
Sue and I...
have devoted our whole lives
to helping young people.
The fact that someone
we thought we knew
might have harmed young people
like this,
if it's true...
well, we were fooled...
along with a whole bunch
of professionals
who are trained
in this kind of thing.
And we're sorry.
We are grieving...
for all of them.
( sighs )
We'll release that.
That's the end of it.
I have practice.
( sighs )
( crowd cheering )
Man:
Here to say a few words
about our guest of honor
Jerry Sandusky
is his long-time colleague,
mentor and friend
of over 30 years,
head coach of Penn State
Nittany Lions, Joe Paterno.
( applause )
Paterno:
Jerry and Dottie,
they always had kids,
they adopted kids,
they-- they fostered children--
all the time,
everywhere I look,
there was kids, kids--
kids kept appearing.
I didn't know what
was goin' on.
I said, "What are they doing?"
I mean, I thought
they were their kids, right?
Little did I know,
it turns out,
Uh, Jerry started this,
uh, charity.
This wonderful thing, ya know?
All these kids, uh--
I had no idea. I had no idea...
( trailing off )
I had no idea.
All these kids, all these kids,
all these kids...
Hundreds, hundreds of children.
-Thousands.
- Thousands!
Thousands! Thousands!
- ( laughing )
- That's awesome.
( applause )
Coach:
OK, so we'll start with Matt.
He's working out a little bit.
Coach 2:
Watch his knee.
You've gotta
be kiddin' me.
These guys are
fucking animals.
Coach 2: All right,
come on, guys.
Closed practice.
Let's go outside, come on!
JoePa's gonna give
his regularly scheduled
press conference tomorrow.
Is this where
the locker room was
where the indicents took place?
Could we just
get a couple shots--
Good day to you, sir.
All right, come on.
Outside. Outside, please.
Tom, could we get a lockdown
on the last building, please?
Man: I have no idea
why Mike McQueary is still
on this staff.
He was a 28-year-old man,
and he saw an older man
commit a sexual act
against a ten-year-old,
and did nothing about it.
He walked away,
and went home,
and talked
to his dad about it.
And then decided to see
Joe Paterno the next day.
- ( blows whistle )
- All right, guys,
let's go! Ladder!
- Man: Sara?
- Shh!
( whispering )
Are you Sara Ganim?
I'm Hugh Lewison, with NBC.
Do you have a second?
( whispering )
Oh, uh, I don't.
I'm sorry.
I got, I got--
I got, uh, places to go.
Just two seconds.
I just need a couple
of phone numbers.
- Do you mind?
- Oh, yeah, no.
I have a piece
that's got to run
in, like, ten minutes,
so I got to get
to my interview.
Who are you
interviewing?
Um, I'm sorry.
Look, I just drove
four hours to find you.
You're the only goddamn person
who's followed this thing.
Can you tell me why I can't
find a police report from when
McQueary reported
Sandusky in the shower
with the kid in 2001?
I know, it's a real
head-scratcher.
Do you have it?
You don't have to
show it to me.
Just tell me if you've seen it.
Read the article I wrote.
There's no police report
from 2001.
Man: But the indictment says
there was an investigation.
( cell phone ringing )
No? Can you just nod
or shake your head?
I'm being followed
by this guy from NBC.
40 news organizations
want to interview you.
- He's still following me.
- Where are you going?
To interview the mom.
You better lose him.
Keep him away from the mom.
This is not
Starksy and Hutch, David.
Go away!
Thank you.
- Woman: Gary?
- Oh, hey.
- Are you OK?
- Yeah. Fine.
They're, uh, gonna
bring me in today,
but I don't think
they're gonna keep me.
To jail?
Oh, God, Gar.
- Everything's
gonna be fine, Kim.
- ( sighs )
Hey, uh, listen, Kim.
Could you do me a favor?
Anything.
Go into my office...
OK.
...to the desk.
Yeah?
Unlock the bottom drawer.
Mm-hmm?
You see the transition file?
Yep.
Yeah, could you bring that
to the house?
Of course. Anything else?
You want some food?
No, no, no, no, no. I'm good.
Okay, Gar. Call me
if there's anything at all.
Yeah, yeah. Will do. Bye.
( phone beeps )
( players shouting )
( whistle blows )
No, no, no!
Don't hit yourself.
Hit him!
Player: Set!
- They're gonna move us.
- Ganim: How come?
Dawn:
It's not safe.
Since it came out,
people know who he is.
Uh, you don't have to, uh--
Aaron sleeps
on the couch
every night.
Can't sleep in a bed
since Jerry's--
Dawn: I don't know what
you need to ask anymore
It's all on the thing online.
He didn't want me
to read it, but...
Ganim: Was there anything
that surprised you?
I-- I didn't want her to know
the parts with, like--
I was never in the room
when he told the whole thing.
Not even at the grand juries.
I wanted to.
I mean...
it was so hard for him.
He fainted, threw up--
Mom.
He says testifying was--
Can I say?
He says the grand jury
testimonies
were the worst things
he's ever had to do
in his life.
Other than...
I am sorry you have
to talk about this again--
It's bullshit, okay?
Jerry's already out.
The judge was a volunteer
at the Second Mile.
Sent him home.
Unsecured bail.
It's been three years.
From the first day,
it's the same thing--
- ( phone ringing )
- Shit. I'm sorry.
Let me just try
and silence this thing.
Um, what were you saying?
The, uh, first three--
It's been three years?
We reported it at the school
as soon as he said somethin'.
We went to the principal,
Karen Probst.
Write her name down.
Fucking bitch.
You know what she said?
She told me, when I said,
"Call the police,
that man touched my kid,"
she said, "I think you should
go home and sleep on it,
because I'm not sure this
is something you wanna do.
You're very emotional."
She put in
a cover-your-ass call
to Child Services once
we were already there.
If we hadn't raised hell,
she would have pretended
the whole thing never happened.
Oh, that Jerry--
he's got a heart of gold.
Everybody loves him.
He's not going to jail.
I'm just gonna be another kid
on the front page
in the newspaper
with a big "liar"
stamped across his head.
Ganim: Look, I don't know how
this case is gonna turn out,
but I can tell you
that right now
people look at you
as the first person that's had
the courage to come forward
and stand up to a really
intimidating public figure.
And because
of what you did,
now five other guys have had
the courage to come forward
and do the same thing.
There's no grand jury
investigation without you.
You started this whole thing.
And if you didn't
say anything,
Jerry would still be
hanging out
at Second Mile
with a bunch of kids,
trying to pick his favorite.
Bobby, go find Kate.
Go! She's at dance.
That's Aaron's brother.
He's ten.
Yeah, that's how old
I was when--
( whistle blows )
( chatter )
So, uh...
just keep it
to football tomorrow...
at the press conference.
Yeah, I know.
Did you read it?
No, I didn't
read it yet, Jay.
I didn't--
How am I gonna
read it?
( scoffs )
After Nebraska,
I haven't--
I haven't
had the time.
You know,
Scott gets worked up.
Your mother gets worked up.
That's not my job.
Understand?
Or your job.
We don't get worked up.
You get hysterical
every time your team
gets attacked,
that's a short career.
Man:
Ya have to wonder right now
where Joe Paterno's head is.
So much is swirling around him.
And, you know,
maybe there's a little bit
of a disconnect,
maybe he doesn't
fully understand
the gravity of what's going on,
you know, he's talking
about beating Nebraska
on Saturday.
Man:
Good hit, good hit.
Reporter:
Is coach Paterno
under investigation as well?
No, he's not regarded
as a target at this point.
But somebody needs to question
what I believe
is the moral requirements
for a human being that knows
that sexual things
that are happening to a child.
( continues on TV):
No whether you're
a football coach,
or the university president,
or the guy sweeping out
the building,
I feel that you have
a moral obligation
to call us.
Woman:
Commissioner, thank you
so much for being here.
I know you spent 30 years
with the FBI,
you say you have
never seen anything
like the alleged sexual abuse
allegations in this case,
and you say you want to know
why the police were not called.
I don't want to criticize
Joe Paterno or anybody else.
But any human being who has
this kind of information,
or who has knowledge of child
sexual abuse, should call us--
- ( TV off )
- Sue: Nobody wants to ask
why Mike McQueary
didn't call the police.
I mean, he was
the one who was there.
He's a grown man.
He comes into my kitchen.
Dad went
to who he thought
was the police.
Ga-- Gary ran
the campus police.
Right, Scotty?
Gary also knew
about that thing in 1998
and did nothing about it.
Wait, what thing in 1998?
Scott:
There was another kid, Ma.
In the shower,
in the Lasch building.
That kid told his mom,
his mom called the cops.
The cops got Jerry
over to the kid's house
while they were
in the other room listening.
W-While Jerry's there?
- Yes.
- Yeah.
And the mom says,
"You can't do this
ever again with anyone,"
and Jerry says,
"I can't promise that"
with the cops listening.
And they don't arrest him.
They just say,
"Don't shower
with little boys."
That was the end of it.
How was that the end of it?
Because all they had
was showering and hugging.
Not a crime.
A hug goodbye?
Mary:
No. Naked, wet hugging.
Sue:
And that's not a crime?
Because the DA,
for some ungodly reason,
decided that it wasn't.
Well, why isn't anyone talking
about the DA's moral obligation?
Did Gary tell you
about that one too?
Guido:
Why do you think the police
commissioner is trying to say
that Joe has got
a moral responsibility?
It's because they missed it.
You know what?
Everybody missed it.
Everybody!
How come no one's talking
about the frickin'
Second Mile, huh?
Those idiots.
They were told
what happened,
and nobody decided to say,
"Hey, maybe we should
keep this guy away
from the hundreds
of little boys
we got running around"?
What was Gary thinking?
Listen to this.
"Schultz, equivocating
on the definition of 'sexua''
in the context
of Sandusky wrestling with
and grabbing the genitals
of the boy--"
I mean, who equivocates
on grabbing a kid's genitals.
Okay, let's go.
Let me have that thing.
( chatter )
( doorbell rings )
- Oh, great. Thank you.
- Of course.
Is there anything else
I can do?
No. No, you better go.
You don't want 'em
getting interested in you.
Yeah, um, I grabbed
another file
in case you need it.
Oh, great. Thanks.
Okay.
An hour shower?
Same as what happened
three years ago in '98.
Why does the man
still have keys
to the building?
It's part
of his retirement deal.
Just tell the man
he can't come in here
with little boys.
Cops told him that
the first time it happened.
Didn't seem to make
much of an impression.
Sit down with the guy
and explain that,
under no circumstances, can he
come into university facilities
with a child.
No workouts.
No goddamn showering.
All right, so we--
we talk to the charity,
we talk to Jerry,
and we call Child Welfare.
And they will file it
with the police?
Yeah.
This is a fucking nightmare.
Man:
Will the court officer now read
the charges
against Gerald A. Sandusky?
Woman:
Sandusky performed oral sex
on Victim One
on a number of occasions,
had Victim One perform
oral sex on him,
gives Nike shoes,
ice hockey equipment...
...overnight at his residence,
basement, bedroom,
performed oral sex on him
more than 20 times.
Victim Four.
Attend the pre-game banquet,
sits with Sandusky
at the coach's table...
hotel room...
the Alamo Bowl...
...Inserts his erect penis
into Victim Four's mouth.
Attempted to penetrate
Victim Four's anus
both with a finger
and his penis.
(trailing off)
What is sodomy?
Scott:
Oh, come on.
Uh, Achilles,
and, uh, Patroclus?
Nessus
and, uh, uh, Uralus.
W-What does he know
about these perverted things?
Joe's having
a press conference today,
so if we could do this
as quick as possible,
I'd like to get over there.
Do you have a hairbrush
or a comb?
- In your bag?
- Uh, no. no.
- Lipstick?
- Uh, no. No.
Huge bag and you don't
have anything.
- What?
- Okay.
Um, what do we think
about this coat?
I think it's gonna strobe.
Yeah. Let's, uh,
let's take it off.
- Take the coat off?
- Mh-hmm.
I've got,
like, a yellow...
yellow shirt on I can wear.
Oh...
Uh, you know what?
Let's keep it on.
- The coat-- on?
- Mh-hmm. Mh-hmm. Button up.
Button up.
Yeah, it's gonna
help you.
Man: Legendary head coach
Joe Paterno getting ready
for what may be the toughest
press conference of his life
today.
Man 2:
These will be his first
on-camera statements
since this scandal broke,
and the stakes are incredibly
high for him.
Guido: Okay, that statement
we put out the other day,
it had no impact.
We do it today,
we do it head on,
on camera, and then it's over.
Joe:
All right, McQueary told me
he saw something
inappropriate,
so the next day I called Tim,
- Wait, wait--
- and he came over.
Scott:
You called him when?
I called him the next day.
It was Saturday. Oh,
it was Saturday, yeah.
I got the call, I waited
till the weekend was over
'cause I, you know,
I wasn't gonna ruin his weekend.
- He's got kids.
- Don't say that.
Scott asked a question.
Well, do you
want me to lie?
You can't say
that you heard
about child abuse,
and then you waited
a couple days so you didn't
ruin someone's weekend.
I mean, presumably the rape
ruined the child's weekend--
- Mary Kay.
- But put it this way:
You hear about someone
diddling my kids?
Don't wait the weekend!
She's right, she's right.
You can't say it, okay?
- So, what do I say?
- OK, this should be football.
Right? It's a weekly
football press conference!
I mean, what are we doing?
We're sittin' around--
They're standing out there.
There's people--
Everybody wants to know
what happened.
That's right. You do it,
and then it's done.
- Right.
- Okay. Sure.
- So, where were we?
Did you call the police?
- ( Sue sighs )
But it is a press conference,
Scott. It's not a deposition.
Scott: It's gonna be a lot
worse than a deposition, Dad,
this is the media.
They got nothing
to eat but you.
So the press is going
to ask you
why didn't you
pick up the phone
yourself?
Michael McQueary was a mess
when he talked to me.
Mary Kay:
What did the kid say happened?
I didn't talk to the kids.
I talked to McQueary.
Wait, so--
So who talked
to the kid?
Was it Gary?
I don't know
who talked to the kid.
I don't know.
Who knows?
Was he okay?
- Okay, who?
- The child.
Guido: I don't think
the press is gonna get
into this, hon.
No, I'm asking, Guido.
I mean, the kid knows
what happened.
What did he say?
( clears throat )
Well, I think nobody talked
to the kid.
They-- they didn't find the kid.
( coughs )
I don't-- I don't
understand what the--
How could they not
find the kid?
They could
just ask Jerry.
Well, they didn't look for him.
It was an oversight.
- Wow.
- Oversight.
So did you ask about the kid
and they just never followed up?
Guido:
Mary Kay.
- But, did you ask?
- What are we doin' here?
Did you ask?
Man: This is more
than a football legacy.
This is about people,
and if we can't protect
our kids,
we, as a society, are pathetic.
- Gar. It's Kim.
- Hey.
- You back home?
- Yeah.
Good. You okay?
Uh, yeah, super.
Listen, Kim, I really--
I made a copy...
of the file...
in the envelope.
- Okay.
- I'm sorry.
It's okay.
It's habit, you know?
I don't take anything
from the file without a copy.
Yeah, of course. Of course.
Um...I gave you
the original, Gar.
I shouldn't have done that.
Oh, it's fine, Kim.
Look, I'll bring 'em back
in the morning.
No, they won't let you
in the building.
( sighs )
I'm concerned
about hiding evidence
if the originals are gone.
There's, like,
fingerprints and things.
They look into all that.
What if they ask me about it?
I don't know, Kim.
Just tell 'em the truth.
Okay. Okay.
Thanks.
Curley ( over phone ):
Look, I met with Joe.
We talked about it, and...
to go behind Jerry's back
to his own organization
and the Department
of Child Welfare
before we've even looked
at the guy face-to-face
and asked him what happened
seems...
I don't know, inhumane.
What happened
to calling Child Welfare?
And, uh, fucking Second Mile?
Look, we just gotta
ask the guy what happened.
I mean, maybe-- I don't know,
maybe it's a misunderstanding.
Graham agrees. Joe agrees.
( Paterno moans)
Who's driving?
Jay: Uh, come in my car.
I'll drop you home
after practice.
Yeah, there's a couple
of reporters out there.
Keep em to the side
so we don't run anybody down.
- Yeah.
- What do you mean?
Why-- Why aren't they
at the press conference?
Probably wanna follow you there.
Hey, you can moon 'em
on the way.
Scott, that's not
appropriate right now.
Says who?
Guys, they don't want
to do it right now.
The press conference.
We got practice
in 40 minutes.
It's now or never.
Yeah, well,
they don't want
a press conference today.
It's cancelled.
Without my permission?
Guido: Yeah.
Man:
Due to the ongoing
legal circumstances
surrendered around the recent
allegations and charges,
we have determined
that today's press conference
cannot be held
and will not be rescheduled.
We will not have
any additional comments
on this matter.
Woman: Never?
It won't ever be rescheduled?
Man:
Don't you guys feel
you have an obligation
to talk about this?
"Crime & Punishment,"
new developments
in the child sex abuse scandal
that has rocked
Penn State's
legendary football program.
Today a regular
weekly news conference
with Penn State's head coach
Joe Paterno was canceled.
It would have been his first
since the scandal broke.
Reporters were waiting
when he left practice.
- ( reporters clamor )
- Guys, you got good questions,
but I can't--
I can't answer them.
Sorry. I just can't do it.
Cooper:
So far, two top
university officials,
Timothy Curley
and Gary Schultz,
have been charged
with failing to report
allegations of abuse
that occurred on university
property.
Sara Ganim, a reporter
at The Patriot-News.
Sara, you spoke to two
of the moms of the victims
allegedly
sexually molested by Sandusky.
What did they tell you?
I mean, both of them
are extremely--
feeling extremely let down
and betrayed by Penn State,
and those feelings
are coming from the charges
levied against him,
Curley, and Gary Schultz,
and then, the, uh, moral
allegations basically--
- ( plane flies over )
- Uh, I hope you can hear me,
there's loud airplanes
flying above us--
--uh, against Joe Paterno
and Graham Spanier.
Um, and, uh, one mom
in particular,
her son came forward in 1998,
was not believed,
and, uh, they feel awful
that other children
were victimized because
her son was not believed.
Woman:
The university cancelled
Paterno's news conference
just minutes before
it was scheduled to begin,
and the school freely admits
that the reason is because
of the child rape scandal
marring Paterno's program.
Calls for Paterno's resignation
are really starting to pile up.
Guido: I think it's time
to call somebody.
We need tactical advice.
- Like a crisis guy.
- Perfect. Who do you got?
- ( sighs ) I don't know.
- Let me Google it.
Jay:
You're Googling it?
- Yeah.
- Oh, that's great.
Jay:
We're a major university
in the middle of a very serious
public relations debacle,
and you're solving it on Google.
- Joe!
- Mary Kay: Is that
what I want,
though, a public
relations spin?
- Scott: PR's marketing.
- Sue: Joe!
We already got a marketing guy
sittin' right here.
- So what, then?
- Give me your phone.
- No, I can do it.
- Give me your phone!
Tell me what to put in.
What, like, a crisis manager?
- That sounds about right!
- No, no, no.
Crisis management.
A crisis management firm.
- Okay, I'm good now.
- What's the difference?
Why aren't all these
reporters over at Jerry's?
I'm calling Frank.
He knows somebody
who deals
with this kind of thing.
The car guy?
You're giving me crap
for Google,
and you want advice
from Frank
at the car dealership?
Doesn't the school
have a crisis manager?
Does it look
like the school has a--
Sorry, Ma.
- Okay. McGinn and Company.
- Okay.
Dan McGinn. "Helping clients
solve their most perplexing
and important
reputation challenges."
Huh? What is he, like,
on a top ten list?
Yeah, he's on a top ten list.
- Should I call him?
- Yeah, call him.
Sure, why not?
Scott:
Ask for Dan McGinn.
Mary Kay:
Oh, hi, hi. May I speak with--
Scott: Dan McGinn.
Ha. You're walkin' weird,
man, you get Sandusky'd
last night?
Yeah, he sucked me off
and then we played Xbox.
- Boy 1: It's a lie.
- Boy 2: What?
- Some fuckin' piece
of trailer trash set him up.
- Jerry?
Yeah. Kid probably tried
to blackmail him,
Jerry told him to fuck off,
and he's like,
"I'm gonna sue your ass
for $20 million
- for damage to my rectum."
- ( laughter )
Total fabrication.
It's somebody
from the track team.
Our track team?
Yeah.
Did you see about JoePa?
Of course I saw it, man.
I don't even want
to talk about that.
Hey. Yo, you the faggot?
- Hey. Hey.
- Get him, get him!
Go! Go!
No showers, huh?!
Showers?
Trash? Huh?
I'm gonna beat your ass, kid.
You fucking faggot!
( typing )
Man ( over phone ):
I'm happy to come down, Guido.
I've been watching
the coverage.
It sure looks like things
have begun to spin out.
Yeah. It's making this school
look like shit.
They have no idea
how to get in front of it.
I'm sorry, you lost me
for a second there.
Are you looking for advice
for Coach Paterno,
or for the university?
For both.
The thing is, if you hire me,
the issue is, sir,
I'm not sure you and Penn State
are two entities
with aligned interests
right now.
Well, I never
thought of it that way.
Scott:
The guy just represents you,
so you've gotta pay for it?
When it's over,
they'll reimburse me.
Yeah, the university's
reputation
is the board's
responsibility.
This is their crisis.
They need to hire
a crisis manager, not us.
- Yeah.
- ( singing in distance )
What the hell is that?
( singing continues )
( singing )
We're here for them.
You don't leave 'em hanging.
- No, no. Joe-- Joe!
- What?
100 reporters.
You can't march
out there.
I should go.
No, no, I'll do it.
I'll do it.
( singing )
Male student:
Joe Paterno
- ( clapping )
- All: Joe...
- This is their home.
- They expect us to camp.
- Step back, man!
- ( arguing )
- Joe Paterno
- ( clapping )
- Hey, everybody.
- ( chanting ) Joe Paterno!
Hey, everybody.
Hey, hey! Thank you.
Thank you very much.
We really appreciate
all your support.
We really do.
Before you go back
to cheering,
I'll ask you to take a moment,
you know, and say a prayer for--
Scott Paterno
- ( clapping )
- Scott Paterno
Okay, look, look, look.
Hey, however this works out--
- ( chant continues )
- Guys, however this
works out,
this is a terrible story
involving a lot of kids, okay?
And they--
They need our support too!
- ( chanting )
- A prayer for the kids, OK?
( chanting )
Scott Paterno!
Scott: I appreciate it.
I really appreciate it.
Guys, if you could just
listen to me for one second!
That's great, guys. Guys--
I got three kids, okay?
This is a huge--
- ( chanting )
- All right, guys.
- Thank you.
- ( chanting )
Scott Paterno ...
Male student:
- Scott, is Joe gonna...
speak up....
Wow. So effective.
( imitates chant cadence )
Fuck you, Jay.
Oh, Scott.
For heaven's sakes.
You can't just shut 'em off.
Joe could.
Joe's not goin' out
there.
Call him.
( sighs )
Hi. Dan McGinn, please?
It's Mary Kay Paterno.
( car alarm beeps )
Liam:
We saw the CNN interview, Sara.
What kind of bullshit was that?
You know, football programs
make millions of dollars--
Billions.
They make billions
of dollars every year
off football players.
But JoePa was the only one
who ever said,
you know, these are scholars,
they're here to learn
how to become men.
That's the guy
you want to shit on?
Like it's his fault
that Jerry's a queen.
I have to believe
you know the difference
between a gay man
and a pedophile.
Are you calling me a faggot?
Whether or not you're a faggot
has nothing to do
with the act of a child abuser.
If you're friend calls me
a fuckin' faggot one more time,
I'm gonna lose my shit.
Who are you even talking to?
JoePa made an ethos
in this whole place.
Like, it fucking mattered
that you got an education
because you're about more
than just yourself.
You're a school,
and you fight
for something together.
Juliet: She went to the school.
Liam: Yeah? She learn anything?
Whoo. On your way down,
think about getting up.
Don't be afraid to lose.
The team that makes
fewer mistakes wins.
Cut your hair, wear a tie--
- That's literally all JoePa.
- I think she knows that.
You know why you read Virgil
in the original?
To gain a nuanced understanding
of coded language.
So when one of your guys says
that something fishy went down,
in the locker room,
in the shower,
with a 10-year-old,
you get the fucking gist.
Liam: She makes money
by telling lies.
She doesn't have a good lie,
she doesn't get a good paycheck.
Well, it must not be
a good lie, 'cause it's
a tiny fuckin' paycheck.
( grunts )
What have I--
Liability problem.
What is that?
Ohh.
Newhouse:
Who could've stopped it,
and didn't?
Some it's just lying,
and some of it's people hearing
- and not believing it--
- ( knocking on door )
Is she gonna be
on the Davis call?
Yep.
We need to be on the phone
with Lanny Davis at four.
Bill Clinton's lawyer.
He's representing Penn State.
Holy shit.
He's gonna scream a lot,
and threaten to sue the paper
into the ground.
Can he do that?
- Who knew about 1998?
- ( clears throat )
The cops. Gary Schultz.
He says he told Spanier,
Spanier said he didn't.
What's the likelihood
Schultz knew
and didn't tell
Tim Curley and JoePa?
Nobody take a shit
around there
without asking JoePa
for tactical advice, so--
But he says no.
The kid he raped
at the Alamo Bowl?
That was '99,
but I don't think
he told anybody...
- before the investigation.
- 2000?
A janitor sees Jerry
pin a boy to a wall, blow him,
but only tells another janitor
who's scared shitless of Joe,
thinks he's gonna get fired,
so no report.
2001?
Well, 2001, everybody knew,
but they called it nothing.
Horsing around
in a locker room.
Who? Who uses those words?
Spanier said he heard
it was conduct
that made somebody
uncomfortable. McQueary.
Wait, that's
what McQueary told him?
No, he never talked to McQueary.
Who met with McQueary?
Paterno, Schultz, Curley.
How do they describe it?
They described it as
"inappropriate conduct,
horsing around,
not that serious."
And what about JoePa?
He said that McQueary saw
something of a sexual nature.
What does Joe consider sexual?
I don't know.
What did McQueary say?
McQueary said what he saw.
The kid against the wall,
Jerry behind him,
rhythmic sounds.
Anal rape.
Probably, but I don't know
if he said those words.
He was trying
to communicate anal rape,
not snapping towels.
Well, I know that--
I just don't know
if we're on solid ground
to say that.
I don't know if he said
that to Joe.
Are we having
a role reversal here?
You choose your words,
you choose your reality.
How many people used words
that allowed other people
to understand crimes
against children
as what knuckleheads
do in locker rooms?
We're in this, too.
You're first article's
the reason
a bunch of these victims
came forward.
There's no case
without that.
You think I don't wanna use
the strongest possible language?
But when Bill Clinton's
lawyer calls you--
I'll deal with that.
Scott: He is the soul
of the university.
Anybody in this town
will tell you that.
Sue: We built the library,
and he quintupled the endowment.
- Mary Kay: $2 billion.
- This was a cow college.
Sue: They wanted a school
with a good football team.
But Joe always said
that they should be
a world-class
academic institution.
It's not a farm team
for the NFL.
Scott: It's a, uh--
it's a philosophy.
Mary Kay:
Like the dorms.
Would not allow...
an athletic dormitory...
( audio trails off )
( cheering )
Show him the "Why I hate
Jerry Sandusky" memo.
I don't know...
what this is.
What do you think?
Scott: If there was
a reason to fire Jerry,
he would have found it.
Okay, stop talking
about me like I'm dead, please.
I'm here.
The press is here.
Kids are shouting on the lawn.
Everybody wants to know
what I have to say.
So, it's time to say it.
And what exactly
do you want them to know?
Uh, a tragedy happened.
I did exactly
what I was supposed to do
as soon as I knew.
End of story.
Did other people know?
I don't know.
Did I know about rumors?
Who remembers?
I don't know
what I had for breakfast.
( scoffs )
Sir, uh--
Point is, it's time to focus
on helping the university,
not talking about Joe Paterno.
It's-- What do--
It's got nothing
to do with me, truly.
What does it have to do with me?
McGinn: Coach, I have
so much respect
for you.
( Paterno grunts )
I followed your career
for a long time.
That's why I took the case.
This is the bad part
of my job.
You need to step down.
- You need to retire...
- Scott: Whoa.
and announce it
right away.
Scott: Okay, wait, wait--
Hold on--
I want to know, from you,
what not to say to the press.
That's why you're here.
I don't need career advice.
Scott: Dan,
we asked you to craft
a message
for the press.
That's it.
This isn't
about what he--
No. He can't go
out there.
He's used to being
the emperor holding forth
in front of a press corps
that just watched him win.
You're not disciplined enough
to go before the press.
- That's not true.
- Sue: Hey, he talks
in front of the press
every day, Mr. McGinn.
Ma'am, "What I had
for breakfast"
is what people say
when they're worried
that they do know,
and they're old enough
to think that they'll
get away with it.
I started saying it
to my wife when I turned 40.
You need to resign
before somebody does it
for you.
You've had
a great career.
Spanier: I'm gonna
recommend to the board
that 2005 be your last season.
McGinn:
How old are you, sir?
Sue: He's 84.
Paterno:
I may be 77,
- but I'm not old.
- Joe.
I've raised millions of dollars
for this university.
I graduate 85% of my players.
You wanna fire me...
try it.
McGinn:
Folks...
the question of whether...
Coach Paterno will retire
or be fired
is a big part of the public
narrative right now.
I want you all
to think about that.
( indistinct voices
in background )
You've had a great career.
Coach? A great career.
Man:
I'm very disappointed in JoePa.
To be honest with ya,
I've looked up to him
my whole life.
Why would he stick up
for a frickin' pedophile?
Why would this happen?
Help me with this.
Man:
Let's go, let's go, lets go!
Paterno:
Did I see a reverse throwback
to the quarterback?
Bone Right over 42.
Pitch reverse pass.
Well, don't practice it
unless you're gonna use it.
We'll use it.
Yeah.
So...
Uh, look, guys, uh...
Th-- This thing, uh...
is-- is-- is-- gotten, um...
you know, out of hand. So...
I-- I planned to, uh,
pack it in,
end of they year, anyway.
So...
Guido:
I am absolutely devastated
by the developments
in this case.
I grieve for the children
and their families,
and I pray
for their comfort
and relief.
I have come to work every day
for the last 61 years
with one clear goal in mind:
to serve the best interests
of this university
and the young men who have been
entrusted to my care.
I have the same goal today.
That's why I've decided
to announce my retirement,
effective at the end
of this season.
I love you all, guys,
I really do.
I want you to know
that we're gonna play
the rest of the season
together, awright?
That's the deal.
That's the new deal.
There's still a lot
of football to play.
A lot of interesting things
can happen to all of you.
I want that for you.
So, I want you to focus on that.
'Cause that's all
there really is, what we do.
The rest of this
is just something--
I mean, what happened
this last week...
is just--
It's not your fault.
You had nothin' to do with it.
But it--
It makes me feel bad...
that you, uh,
had to put up with it.
We'll always be
Penn State football players.
- All: Yes, sir.
- Yep.
Always, till the day we die...
Paterno:
I wish I could've
done more for those kids.
Can't say that.
It's an admission of guilt.
Well, is there any human person
looking at this
doesn't wish they could've
done something more?
You're gonna be misquoted.
I'm gonna be gone.
- ( phone ringing )
- Dawn?
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm so sorry.
Aaron tried to call me,
and I-- I was right--
I-- I know. There was, um,
a problem at school, and--
We're not talking
to any other reporters.
They all want to, but...
we said no to everyone but you.
You get that, right?
I-- I know. I know,
and I cannot tell you
how much I appreciate that.
Do you wanna talk to Mike,
Aaron's psychologist?
I mean, yeah.
That would be great.
Would Aaron be okay with that?
I'm driving down there tonight
and I could meet
with him tomorrow.
Dawn:
Yeah. Aaron says it's okay.
Woman:
Penn State football coach
Joe Paterno will retire,
but tonight
everyone is taking sides
on what he asked
in return to coach
four more games.
The poll conducted
on ESPN suggested
that 61% of the people
out there
think he should be allowed
that opportunity.
If you ask people
who are not sports fans,
you might get
a very different result.
Sue: Joe?
- Come on, Joe.
- Yeah.
Come on, hon.
Let's go to bed.
- I, uh--
- Yeah?
Yes, I'm still home.
Yeah, that's enough work
for one day.
Come on, let's go.
( groans )
I think--
hip is acting up again.
- Oh, it is?
- Yeah. See that?
- Oh, man.
- Oh, yeah. I'll give you a rub.
They say that's the--
that's the good--
the best operation
you can get.
A rub?
No, a hip op--
replacement, yeah.
- ( doorbell )
- You're not there yet.
- Oh, what's that?
- What is that?
I don't know.
I'll get--
I'll get it.
Okay.
- Who callin' at this time?
- I don't know.
- Yeah?
- Hey, Joe.
- Hey, Frank.
- Sorry to come here so late.
- That's all right.
- This is for you.
They'd, uh--
they'd like you
to call him.
Call him?
Oh. Yeah, thank you.
Well, the board
of trustees is holding
an emergency meeting
and there's a lot
of speculation here
on the future
of university president
Graham Spanier.
Will he resign?
Will the board ask him
to step down?
( touchtones beeping )
Yeah, it's Joe Paterno.
What?
They fired me.
What?
Yeah,
effective immediately.
- Joe.
- Yeah.
Joe, give me
that phone.
Let me have
that phone.
( dialing )
- ( line out ringing )
- Man: Hello?
After 61 years,
he deserved better.
( beep )
( sighs )
( indistinct chatter )
Man: ...the indictment
of Jerry Sandusky,
the board...
Newhouse ( over phone ):
Hey, listen.
Man on TV: ...Penn State's board
of trustees, tonight,
decided that it is
in the best interests
of the university
to have a change
in leadership to deal
with the difficult issues
that we are facing.
The board of trustees
and Graham Spanier
have decided that,
effective immediately,
Dr. Spanier is no longer
president of the university.
In addition,
Joe Paterno is no longer
the head football coach.
What?
( all shouting )
( shouting continues )
Man:
Take that motherfucker down!
Joe Paterno is Penn State!
( excited chatter )
They fired him
with a phone call.
After 45 years, You know,
who the hell does that?
Student: He didn't give a shit
about winning.
Student 2:
He fuckin' won anyway.
It's a motherfuckin'
travesty.
Get off his fuckin' lawn.
Students chanting:
We want Joe! We want Joe!
( chanting ) We want Joe!
We want Joe! We want Joe!
( chanting continues )
( all cheering )
- ( chanting ) Joe Paterno!
- ( rhythmic clapping )
You're great, you guys.
You guys are great.
And-- And let me tell you this:
You know what I say, guys--
you know, I mean girls too--
- We love you, Joe!
- ( cheering )
Listen. You gotta-- You gotta--
You gotta study now, all right?
( angry shouting )
You gotta get
a good night's sleep
so you can study.
We still got things to do.
I'm out of it now, maybe,
that phone call put me
out of it,
but we're gonna go
from here, okay?
We're gonna go from here.
You know, because things
have ways--
they have ways of working out.
We want Joe! One more day!
We don't know
what's gonna happen ever.
Right? And the same with you.
So, take care
of yourselves.
It's important you do that.
Right? All right.
You're gonna be fine.
- ( all clamoring )
- Oh-- Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Good luck to you all,
but listen to me
just a second.
I thank you for coming.
Pray a little bit for the--
for those victims, okay?
We'll do that. Okay.
- Joe! Joe!
- We love you!
( chanting )
We are Penn State!
We are Penn State!
That's right!
( chanting continues )
We are Penn State!
( siren wails in distance )
We want Joe! We want Joe!
We want Joe!
( all chanting )
Excuse me!
Can I ask you any questions?!
All:
We want Joe! We want Joe!
We want Joe!
What did you think
about happened to JoePa?
Kids got abused
and he didn't
tell the police.
You go to jail
for that.
- Let's go!
- Can I, can I--
Can I maybe quote you
on that?
No! I don't want
to get fucking killed
in my bed!
( crowd roaring )
( siren wailing )
Young man:
The vice president
of the school
knew about it in 1998.
Heard about it twice.
You hear it twice
and you don't hang the guy,
you're just an (bleep)hole.
Joe heard about it in 2001.
He reported it immediately.
But we're definitely
telling Second Mile,
right?
Curley:
Uh, yeah.
And-- and the Child Welfare
thing,
we're just playing it by ear,
and Graham's okay with that?
Well, Graham says the only
downside is if Jerry doesn't
get it and this happens again.
Then we're vulnerable
for not having reported it.
But we can deal with that
down the road.
Joe's fine with that.
- Paterno?
- Yeah.
But he doesn't know
about the last time,
the thing from '98.
Yeah, of course he knows.
I sat down with him
when it happened.
He was all over me about it.
You sat down with him
when it happened?
He wanted
constant updates.
You ever keep Paterno
waiting on anything?
He's like a woodpecker.
( chanting )
We want Joe!
We want Joe! We want Joe!
( chanting continues )
Schultz: Tim, if Joe knows
this is the second incident--
And you're sure?
Curley: Look, I've--
I've got emails
up one side
and down the other. Yes.
( sighs )
I don't know.
Gary. If we need to report it,
we'll report it.
But we start with sitting down
and talking to Jerry
like a person.
Joe's fine with that.
- Okay?
- Yeah. Yeah, fine.
Sit tight, and this is
gonna get taken care of.
Man 1:
What do they do first?
They protect themselves first,
try to sweep it under the rug.
That's one thing
the Catholic Church
and Penn State have in common.
Man 2:
Joe's not the one who should be
taking the fall for this.
It's fuckin' Jerry.
Get the fuck off JoePa.
Man 3: It's the media
who singled out Joe Paterno.
They made him look
like a fuckin' villain!
You call him a legend,
then treat him like a legend.
Man 4:
Here's a man that was told
that a ten-year-old boy
was being sodomized
in his backyard,
and did nothing about it.
Woman: He has done so much
for this university,
and within the past four days,
everything we knew
of Joe Paterno
has been ripped away from us--
Man 4: And rightfully so!
He's as much of an animal
as the guy that did the act.
Man 5: Are you kidding me?
How stupid do you have to be
to go ahead and protest
over taking down
a ring of child abusers?!
Are you serious?!
Man 6:
Two years ago, we had no idea
and it was
a great football program.
Man 7:
Yeah, a few years ago,
you had several kids
getting raped.
Man 8: You guys have been
brainwashed by that school.
It's nothing but a cult--
Man 9: This has football
written all over it!
Man 10: He did exactly
the right thing.
If he had done any more,
he would have been criticized
for that...
- ( overlapping newscasts )
- ( students chanting )
( chanting )
Fuck the media!
Fuck the media!
Fuck the media!
Fuck the media!
Fuck the media!
Fuck the media!
( chanting )
We want Joe! We want Joe!
We want Joe!
We want Joe!
We want Joe! We want Joe!
( chanting continues )
Man:
Good morning to you.
It was really a wild night.
It all started after students
here learned that
Joe Paterno had been fired.
Man 2:
I think it was a witch hunt,
and everybody
got what they wanted.
Woman:
Back in 1998,
this should've
and could've stopped.
Man 3: It almost makes
Paterno look like a fraud
for everything
he always stood for.
Woman: And that's what he
has now opened himself up for
because he always
had the moral superiority.
Man:
Right.
( indistinct chatter )
Hey guys, guys,
can you just back off the car?
Jay, one question:
Was your father fired
because he didn't
tell the grand jury
everything he knew?
No, I don't-- we don't
have an answer for--
- Woman: ...Victim Six
in your locker room...
- Yes, OK, take--
Guys. Guys!
Will you,
out of respect
for the children--
That's why we're here:
the kids.
No, I--
All right,
your kids.
Sorry. Didn't see
them there. Sorry.
Thanks, man.
Okay. Okay, guys. Come on.
Just go straight up to see
Grandpa, all right? Come on.
Just go straight up.
Straight up.
Jay:
I'm gonna get canned.
Bradley wants me
to come talk to him.
I don't think
they're gonna fire you.
Why?
( chuckles )
It's a witch hunt.
If they go for you,
there's no reason
they won't go for me.
The board of trustees wants
to make this all about us.
And football.
'Cause if they don't,
it'd have to be
about Second Mile,
where the guy
actually worked.
So who's gonna be
left holding the bag
if they can't blame it on us?
Oh, I don't know, ya know?
Dad, what exactly
did you...say?
McQueary came to me,
and he told me what he told me.
First time I ever
heard anything...like this.
So...
I knew I couldn't
handle it, so I went--
I mean, what am I gonna do?
Go runnin' with some things
I-- I don't know are true?
So I went to Tim...
and Gary.
( sighs )
Why them?
I didn't see it, Jay.
I didn't see it.
Tim and Gary are all right,
I mean, they--
Ya know? Capable people.
You know, the best thing
about this job...
is the young people
you get to work with.
You see 'em come up
as young kids... and mature.
See 'em grow up...
overcome some adversity,
have some success.
They turn out
to be good people.
They come back and say,
"Hey, Coach.
It was so great...
being a Penn State
football player."
Yeah.
My name...
I spent my whole life
trying to make that name
mean something.
And it's gone now.
( church bell ringing )
Man:
Aaron came forward
three years ago,
in this office,
after his school told him
not to report it
because Jerry Sandusky
had a heart of gold.
We contacted the police
that day,
and usually cases like this
it takes a week,
maybe a month, to get an arrest.
This took three years...
of waiting,
of a scared boy
telling a horror story,
to me, to a trooper,
to two other troopers,
to two other new troopers,
a grand jury,
then a second grand jury,
and a third.
Still no arrest.
He suffered from panic attacks,
insomnia, conversion syndrome.
I don't recall how often
or how many times
he tried to kill himself.
Attorney generals
have looked him in the eye--
in the eye--
"and said, "We're gonna
arrest this monster next week."
Then more months
would go by,
and then more months
would go by.
Three years he stuck with this
because he didn't wanna see
another kid get hurt.
What do you think
about the Paterno situation?
I honestly don't know
why anybody's talking
about Joe Paterno.
Somebody six months
from retirement failed
to see the big picture
and didn't
vigorously protect children?
Of course you goddamn fire him.
It's spectacularly unworthy
of conversation. I'm sorry.
A crime against
children happened--
why the heck is anyone
talking about Joe Paterno?
Man:
Coaches on the same staff
for 32 years...
Man 2: Coaching staffs
spend so much time together
in a room,
in the dark, with the film on,
and talkin', and--
these guys are all close.
- ( opera plays on stereo )
- TV: Know what he's gonna do?
He's not going
to prop his feet up.
He's gonna go help young people
in a program that he started...
What's this?
Alamo Bowl.
When was it?
Everybody wants dates.
I don't know.
Before he retired.
'99, maybe.
Which one is, um,
New Orleans?
- What?
- Which bowl?
Sugar bowl.
That was in the '70's
a couple times.
Yeah.
He went in the pool
with the kids
at the bowl games
in New Orleans and Miami.
- Who? Jerry did?
- Yeah.
Well, you didn't like
to go in the pool, remember?
I mean, you were working,
on a towel,
and, uh, I went in with them.
But I don't throw the kids up
in the air. The dads do that.
And they-- they scream.
They just love that.
What? Our kids?
Yeah. I-- I didn't do that
with our kids. Jerry did.
What are you saying?
I'm saying
you couldn't have known.
Otherwise you wouldn't have
let them go in the pool, right?
I had a job to do.
I was working.
I wasn't focused
on the goddamn pool.
Announcer:
For decades, Penn State
represented what was best
about college athletics.
For the past week,
it has reflected
what is often worst
about human beings.
And today,
for the first time
since late 1965,
Joe Paterno
will not be the head coach,
and those in Beaver Stadium
hope that they can aid,
in some small way,
in the healing process.
Penn State and Nebraska.
From University Park,
Dave Pasch will have the call.
And the Nebraska
and Penn State players,
currently sharing
the sentiments of many
around the nation,
gathering in prayer...
for the victims
of these aberrations
to show their solidarity
and support.
And obviously,
an emotional day
for many reasons.
A lot of Joe Paterno fans.
Paterno was to pass
Amos Alonzo Stagg today
for most games coached
in Division I.
Commentator:
It's been a week nobody
could've imagined here, Dave,
at the state college,
the reach and scope
of all that has happened...
( broadcast fading out )
( chanting )
Penn State!
Penn State!
Penn State!
Penn State!
Announcer: It's been
such an emotional week
for the Paterno family,
and this morning
Jay Paterno went by early
to see his parents,
Joe and Sue.
Fearful that he might
not be able to contain
the emotions,
he wrote a letter,
but he asked that his parents
not read that letter
while he was there
at the house.
"Wait to read it later,
after I leave, Dad"
is what he told Joe.
A letter to be read, basically
giving him the message
of what he means to him,
what this day means to him.
Martinez keeping,
and then pitching it
the last second,
and Burkehead is in--
touchdown, Nebraska!
And Nebraska has opened up
a 17-0 lead.
( crowd cheering )
We hear in the background
chants from the student section
for JoePa...
Female commentator:
The Paternos must be
a letter-writing family.
Matt McGloin told me
that Joe Paterno
sent a letter to the players,
a short note,
and in that letter it said
that he was heartbroken,
sorry he couldn't be with them,
but he wanted them to focus
on this game and not on him.
Dave?
Pasch:
And McGloin fumbled the ball!
( crowd roaring )
( broadcast continues,
indistinct )
...touchdown!
Two scores in five minutes
and Penn State is back within
three, with the football.
...there's always Joe Paterno
on what to do here,
whether to go
on fourth-and-one.
Penn State down three.
If McGloin gets the play off,
this'll be the final play.
McGloin running around...
( crowd roars )
...and it's incomplete.
Nebraska wins!
( chatter )
- Roll for me, Charlie.
- Right.
Oh!
The D came out in nickel,
stacked the strong side.
The O-line got no push.
What is that?
Hey, Dad?
Listen, I talked
to Merrick.
The Big Ten wants to...
...change the name
on the trophy.
Scott:
What?
The Stagg-Paterno Trophy?
What the hell
they gonna call it?
Jay:
I don't know.
I think we call Jim Delany
and-- and talk him down.
- It's a panic move.
- No, no--
- Dan McGinn should call.
- Yeah, you're right.
They're not gonna
announce till Monday.
If we get to Delany today,
then it'll be fine.
- Stop.
- No, this is not where we stop.
This is where we fight.
This is where it starts.
- We're in the fight
of our lives for this...
- Stop.
Stop!!!
No more. No more...
( wheezing )
( MRI machine vibrating )
Sue ( voice echoing ):
He went in the pool
with the kids at bowl games.
Paterno:
Our kids?
Sue:
You couldn't have known.
Otherwise you wouldn't have
let them go in the pool.
Paterno:
I was working.
I wasn't focused
on the goddamn pool.
Sue: Joe!
Joe, get in the pool.
Go play with Jay!
Dad, come get in the pool.
Come here, Dad.
Joe, get in the pool!
Go play with Jay.
Jay:
Dad. Come here, Dad.
- ( kids laughing )
- Sue: Joe!
- Jay: Come here, Dad!
- Sue: Joe!
( kids laughing )
Aah! Oh my-- Aah--
Paterno:
Aah!
( gasping )
Man:
It's a small-cell carcinoma
in the left lung,
and it looks like
it's metastasized, which--
It's not what we want to see.
And we're gonna go at it
with all we've got.
That means chemotherapy,
and then, of course,
with radiation.
But given the bronchitis
you've got now,
your broken pelvis,
and your age...
( voice fading out )
( men arguing )
- Just leave me alone.
- Get the fuck out of here!
- This is wrong.
- You're wrong, pal.
Everybody's got
an opinion.
What makes
yours special, huh?
Get out of here.
Man:
Get the fuck out of here.
( phone ringing )
( ringing )
Sara Ganim.
Hello?
Man: Hi.
H-Hi. Who-- who is this?
Um, do I have to say right now?
Uh, n-n-no?
Whatever's comfortable.
Um, m-my lawyer said
I should call you. I--
I grew up in State College.
Okay.
Jerry Sandusky...
Yeah. Um...
there are a lot
of people who have--
have gone through this.
I'm sure you know that.
Yeah. ( clears throat )
Um, have you--
have you talked
to anyone about this?
Well, the lawyer and...
I talked to Joe.
Joe... J-Joe Paterno?
We-- We didn't really
talk about it.
He said that Jerry's,
um, a good man,
and I shouldn't talk that way
about a good man.
That was pretty much it.
Okay.
And, um, do you, uh--
Do you remember
when exactly it was
that this--
that this all took place?
Yeah. It was in summer.
In 1976.
Uh--
Uh, I'm sorry.
You said...1976?
( music playing )