Sports Illustrated
Sportswriter Joe Posnanski, who temporarily moved to State College, Penn., to work on a biography of now-former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, explains why he’s remaining on the sidelines rather than reporting or commenting on the child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the school.
I have not wanted to speak because it’s not my place to speak. I’m Joe Paterno’s biographer. I’m here to write about the man. I’m not here to write a fairy tale, and I’m not here to write a hit job, and I hope to be nowhere near either extreme. I’m here to write a whole story. I’ve had people ask me: “Will you include all this in the book?” Well, OF COURSE, I will — this is the tragic ending of a career. I’m going to wait for evidence, and if it turns out that Joe Paterno knowingly covered this up, then I will write that with all the power and fury I have in me.
But I will wait. I will have to wait.
Related: Posnanski speaks Thursday at an actual Penn State class about Joe Paterno and the media (Deadspin) | Paterno would “belittle” college journalists who asked tough questions (About.com) || Earlier: SI writer haunted by favorable profile of Jerry Sandusky
