Did Coach Joe Paterno deserved to be fired, or should they have let him finish the season?

He should have been fired! The first phone call I would have made.............911!................proper authorities to investigate. Then I would have reported it to the college officials.By notifying college authorities and not the police departement, it gives the perception............he was trying to save his own a$$!

It's an alleged child-sex abuse scandal! Morally and ethically no question!

First off I don’t understand all this going on in Penn State because the students are there to get a diploma not create riots but anyways that’s just my opinion. If the allegations against him are true then yes he deserved to be fired because his actions are not acceptable. Keep in mind though that Penn State is know to be a party school and he is probably not the only one sleeping with his students.

To people that say 'I would have called 911 immediately'...it's important to remember that good people can diffuse their sense of responsibility in groups. Remember Kitty Genovese? Many people saw her getting murdered, but no one helped.

Does that make the "witnesses" monsters? Proudmamma, why would Paterno need to save himself? He reported it to his superiors, who then did nothing.

Joe followed protocol, and it is a shame that the higher-ups didn't report it. That doesn't mean he should be either a scapegoat or labeled a deviant. LanaLu - Penn State is hugely rich in football tradition, plus their academic standards have been waning in the past decade.

Football (and JoePa) were pretty much all they had left. Mesacleanpools - You're right, there is a huge difference between knowing what to do and subsequently doing it. I don't know for sure whether I would call the police, but McQueary has no excuse since he saw it firsthand.

They many I am sure knew this man was allowed to come right to that school with young boys after being caught raping one! The one who witnessed it now on leave. There are many people who better go to prison, I don't care how long they have been getting by with a crime!

Let him finish the season, it's not like he saw the actual act it was hear say to him.

It's a tough call. Most people in Paterno's position would probably not have alerted authorities if they had already alerted their bosses. Although, everyone knows the right thing to do would be to get the guy punished for his crimes, it takes a lot extra to step-up to the plate and make sure he is fired and punished.

I can see both sides.

No he did not. It wasn't his fault, he reported it to the athletic board and THEY didn't report it!

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.