The question "What did you know and when did you know it?" is one that must be asked to a whole lot of people up the Penn State food chain. Sure, it is easy right now to look all those associated with Nittany Lions gridiron and even the current university administration; but I believe there are many, many, many more responsible for aiding and abetting the years of abuse so many young boys suffered as a result of Sandusky's pedophilia.

Having spent my entire professional career, spanning over 30 years, in higher education there is one thing that is certain "secrets" - no matter how innocuous - never stay secrets very long. But as certain as the secrets that everybody knows so too are the cover-ups. Especially when the secret involves an individual(s) with enough political, monetary, or influence to ruin or even make a career. In higher education, it can be said, breeds very strange bedfellows.

So as we wait to see the other shoe fall and the smoke clear at Penn State, I suspect that the answer to the question "What did you know and when did you know it?" must be asked not only of the fired president and head football coach, but also of the following:

1. The Athletic Director
2. The Vice President to whom the Athletic Director reports
3. Each Vice President reporting directly to the president
4. The University's Chief Attorney
5. The Football Program's Primary Donors
6. The Board of Trustees
7. Members of the Pennsylvania Legislature
8. The Governor

According to the Grand Jury in this case, the cast of characters being told about Sandusky and or witnessing his actions as far back as 1998, reads like a sordid version of "Chicken Little"; except in this case The Sky Really Did Fall! Yet, the Board of Trustees, the Attorney General now Governor, Joe Paterno, and even University Administration would have us all believe that everything is/was all good in University Park. WHY? While WHY? may be the $64,000 question, there is no way that anyone can convince me that everyone up this food-chain had knowledge of the heinous acts perpetrated on young innocent boys by Sandusky.

To put it bluntly, there is simply no way that "gossip this good" lies dormant for over a decade on any university campus. There is no way that one - let alone two - janitors are going to see or hear first hand any untoward or seemingly inappropriate behavior by a university official high above his/her pay grade and not tell it over a couple of beers. There is no way that Joe Pa, the President, or a Vice President isn't "questioned" by a big-time donor about the rumors he/she heard at the barber shop or beauty parlor. And am I really expected to believe that not one university trustee or member of the Pennsylvania legislature NEVER had as much of an inkling about what was going on? PLEASE! This kind of information on a university campus and within a university campus community travels like wild fire.

I hate to think that it took Penn State to act upon these 1998 allegations in 2011 because of the money generated by its football program. I hate to think that this was a massive cover-up that we've not seen since Watergate or Iran-Contra. I hate to think that there was a massive 13+ year conspiracy involving a university of such magnate.

Perhaps, I'm wrong...But, I doubt it!

Much Obliged...Very Much Obliged!

SjP