By all accounts, Joe Paterno was a good man. He was admired not only for his football coaching but also for his values and his strict adherence to the rules.

And yet, when he was informed that a child had been sexually assaulted by Jerry Sandusky, this “good man” responded by reporting it only to his athletic director. He did not call the police. He did not pursue the matter further with the university.

Nothing happened, and Sandusky allegedly went on to assault other children.

The personnel at the university who knew of the alleged crimes chose to protect the university or the immensely successful football program or the reputation of their coaching staff, instead of taking steps to protect the children.

How many children have to be sexually assaulted before we get it right?

Whenever we have reason to suspect that a child is being assaulted or abused, we must do whatever we can, whatever is necessary to protect that child. We should call the police, and/or call Child Protective Services, and insist that they take action. There is no institution, no reputation, no relationship, no person that is more important than protecting a child who is being hurt or is at risk of being hurt.

The tragedy here is not that Paterno has been fired; it is that this “good man” did not do enough.

The tragedy is that children were sexually assaulted, and the people who knew did nothing to protect them or prevent it from happening to others.

Marty McIntyre, Lewiston

Executive director, Sexual Assault Prevention

and Response Services