Former Penn State players blast HBO over Joe Paterno movie

A movie that focused on the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal at Penn State aired over the weekend, and several of the school’s former football players are furious over the way the late Joe Paterno was depicted.

In a statement they issued on Monday, 300 Penn State football lettermen — most notably including Franco Harris and Ki-Jana Carter — blasted the HBO film “Paterno” for taking “shameless liberties” about the Sandusky scandal and what Paterno knew about it. Sam Cooper of Dr. Saturday shared the statement in its entirety:

“As Penn State Lettermen, there was never a question that one day we would see a movie made about Joe Paterno, one that showcased his impact on the game of football, on Penn State University and, on the thousands of men he coached and mentored over his 61-year career.

“Sadly — and wrongly — HBO’s ‘Paterno’ is not that movie. It has been described by producer Barry Levinson as a work of fiction, which is likely the only truth in the entire project. Incredibly, in making the movie, Levinson and his team never consulted a single person who was close to, worked with, or was coached by Joe Paterno. Not even family members or us, who undoubtedly knew him best of all.

“As a result, this uninformed depiction of Joe fails in every manner about the man we knew and loved. Deviously using ‘fiction’ as his shield, Levinson takes shameless liberties about the Sandusky scandal and Joe’s knowledge of it that would certainly be proven libelous if Joe were alive today.

“As a coach, educator and philanthropist, Joe Paterno was a positive force in our lives, molding us not only to win games, but to win in life. His character, integrity, and moral compass will live on in us long after the ill-gotten ratings of this reckless attempt at entertainment fades away.”

The HBO movie, which starred Al Pacino as Paterno, has been controversial in that Levinson has admitted some of the content is open to interpretation. Many believe viewers should not be left to form their “own judgment,” as Levinson put it, with such sensitive subject matter.

“‘Paterno’ is not a sprawling piece that spans years. It unfolds largely over a two-week period, when we watch the events play out,” Levinson said in a release about the film. “I’m not following an agenda or trying to tell the audience to take a certain side in regards to Coach Paterno. The film lays out the elements of the story and leaves you to make your own judgment. There are times when you may feel one way, and times when you may feel a totally different way, and I think that’s what makes the piece so compelling. Joe Paterno was known as an honorable man, an educator, a humanitarian — so trying to make sense out of what happened is, for me, the most fascinating aspect of the story. What did he understand? What did he not understand?”

As Cooper reminds us, Paterno himself testified that former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary told him he had seen Sandusky “fondling a young boy” in the showers and that it was “of a sexual nature.” Paterno said specifics were not discussed and that he informed then-athletic director Tim Curley about the incident. In addition, there have been allegations that Paterno knew about Sandusky’s abuse as far back as the early 1970s.

The topic of how much Paterno knew has been a very polarizing one, with some Penn State fans standing behind their two-time national champion coach and insisting he was an honorable man who did no wrong. It would appear there are plenty of Paterno’s former players who feel the same way.