Pfffffttttt you gotta be kiddin

**imported_mega** · January 8th, 2006, 07:18 PM

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Women's rights advocates who say Joe Paterno made outrageous remarks about an alleged sexual assault want the Penn State football coach to resign.

Joanne Tosti-Vasey, president of the National Organization for Women in Pennsylvania, said Paterno's comments last week represent an institutional insensitivity that endangers women. She issued a news release late Friday calling for Paterno's resignation.

"When someone of his stature makes light of sexual assault, we have a serious problem," Tosti-Vasey said. "It sends a message that this behavior is not serious ... that sexual assault or rape or violence against women is acceptable for an athlete."

The coach's remarks came a day before the Orange Bowl, when a reporter asked a question related to Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson. Nicholson was accused of sexual assault and sent home before Tuesday's game.

Paterno replied by talking about past suspensions of Penn State players, according to an official transcript from the Orange Bowl.

He then added: "There's some tough -- there's so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into, Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?"

"Geez. I hope -- thank God they don't knock on my door because I'd refer them to a couple of other rooms," Paterno continued. "But that's too bad. You hate to see that. I really do. You like to see a kid end up his football career. He's a heck of a football player, by the way; he's a really good football player. And it's just too bad."

A spokeswoman at the NOW headquarters in Washington said the organization's president, Kim Gandy, supports the call for Paterno's resignation.

Guido D'Elia, communications director for Penn State football, said Paterno made his remarks in the larger context of distractions in the bowl-game environment. Nor, he said, did Paterno intend to make light of the assault allegations.

"I think if you were present, you understood he meant no malice," D'Elia said Saturday. "If you heard his tone, he really thought it was too bad for everybody. He was concerned for everybody."

No charges have been filed against Nicholson, although police in Florida said the matter remains open.

Tosti-Vasey said Paterno's comments are the latest in a series of insensitive actions by the university's athletic department. The Pennsylvania NOW branch flayed Paterno, Curley and Spanier in 2003 after a football player accused of sexual assault was allowed to play in a bowl game.

**imported_MoonlightGraham** · January 8th, 2006, 07:22 PM

the guy is a 1000 years old, leave him alone. I am tired of all this sensitivty political correct crap. Seems to me this woman just wants to get her name out.

**pvfan** · January 8th, 2006, 07:26 PM

I'll try to say this and not make a fool out of myself like others have in regards to the NOW organization. I feel that the NOW organization is getting close to reaching the same level in my eyes that the NAACP, ACLU, and Jerry Falwell are. I dont view any of those groups very highly.

**Seventy4** · January 9th, 2006, 09:11 AM

You know, I read the name "Joanne Tosti-Vasey" and just knew what the article was about.

Is that bad?

**CoeburnCane** · January 9th, 2006, 09:16 AM

"These women should get back into the kitchen and I'd better not see them until they got my bean pie ready.

Sincerely,

Joe Paterno"

**imported_mega** · January 9th, 2006, 09:21 AM

I think they are all jealous because they are all too butch to get raped in the first place.

**smarty** · January 9th, 2006, 11:16 AM

SHAME ON YOU MEGA SHAME SHAME SHAME I'm a member (of the UVA-Wise chapter) and I don't think I'm butch or a man hater *lol*

Back to the point I think that NOW is definitely taking things to an unnecessary extreme which is over-shadowing some of the good works that they actually do accomplish. I definitely don't agree with everything NOW does, but I do believe our UVA-Wise chapter does some good so don't go pointing fingers and start with the all feminists are ugly, man haters, b/c we're not ALL like that.

**imported_MoonlightGraham** · January 9th, 2006, 11:19 AM

Reverse the situtation. If UT Womens basketball coach said something a guy in some sort of a sexual way to the media everyone would just laugh.

**smarty** · January 9th, 2006, 11:26 AM

I know that's true I'm just trying to the address the fact that people should not ASSUME all members agree with this or that even our UVA-Wise chapter agrees with this. I just hate all the stereotypes that come saying you're a feminist or likewise a horrible liberal *hah*

**Seventy4** · January 9th, 2006, 11:31 AM

As the male, I would be afraid, very afraid.

Pat Summit scares me.

I see too many people who want to make a name for themselves by being the center of controversy, this Tosti-Vasey chick (should I call her that?) clearly wants to be noticed by not taking the name of her husband as her own.

A girl I dated was in NOW at UVA-Wise, and she got scared by the She-Ra Man haters club (her words in response to "He-Man Woman Haters club" from the little rascals), because after about 10 minutes of good, productive meeting time, it would inevitably devolve back into a "I hate this, I hate that" type of gathering. I always hated to talk to her after one of these meetings, because she would be in a bad mood all night after it was over. Now, that was about 4 years ago, I hope that it's changed, because I didn't like the way it made her, nor did she.