I knew we wouldn’t be able to get through a football season without the Sandusky scandal screwing with us. So, now here we go. Mike McQueary, famous Showergate eyewitness, has filed suit against Penn State and is asking for millions for the impact that his whistle-blowing will have on the remainder of his life and his ability to produce income.
No matter what you might think of McQueary himself, you have to feel that by putting himself in the position he did, his future earnings would be severely impacted. Who would hire him? Where is he going to be getting his income? He’s about the only one involved in the Sandusky caper other than Joe Paterno who doesn’t have a book deal. Victims have book deals. Sandusky is writing another book. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of trustees announcing books, as as shady and unethical as some of those dudes have been.
Who knows what is left of McQueary’s life. Yeah, sure, he’s been spotted around Happy Valley, but how happy is he. Not very, I’d bet. Crap like he’s shoveling usually drags one down with it, creating estrangement from family and community. Mike McQueary is exposed and alone. ????? ??? And I have no problem at all with him asking State to compensate him.
The suit seeks million, which is a reasonable approximation of what McQueary’s salary and benefits would have been for 25 years of standing on the sidelines listening to Joe’s ghost yelling at him, or whatever his job might have been. ????? ????? His salary was $140,400, plus some additional bonuses and benefits.
McQueary has been on “administrative leave” since November 14. He was the only assistant coach under Paterno who was not given the courtesy of an interview by the new regime.
I think McQueary is the quintessential poster boy for whistleblower suits. ??????? ?????? He’ll almost need a new identity in order to lead some semblance of a normal life henceforth.
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BigAl says
If the BOT can find $6.5M to pay Freeh and $5M to pay their PR hacks, they should be able to pay McQuery $4M.
Prediction: The next party to file a lawsuit will be the family of the janitor who has dementia, Since the onset of his condition was accelerated by observing Sandusky.
The Nittany Turkey says
Hahahahahha… I’ll repeat my assertion from some blog post deep in the past: once you show a bully no backbone, you’re screwed, and the other bullies consider you fair pickings. Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dottie Sandusky sued Penn State for fomenting Jer’s pedophilia as an feature of his PTSD or something. But for sure, I can see the potential for your prediction coming true.
To paraphrase the late Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen, “A million here, a million there… Pretty soon you’re talking about real money!”
—TNT
Colin McGinnis says
Great post, TNT.
The way I see it, the admin leave and not being interviewed (which I didn’t know about!) are both a result of him being identified early on as the grad assistant, and that should have never happened. I remember searching for the original source confirming him as the grad assistant, but I never found it.
I can’t begin to imagine his anguish, but at another level I have no clue what a non-Nitanny life for McQueary would look like. He grew up Penn State*, and I (possibly wrongly) assumed few people outside Happy Valley and Nittany Nation wouldn’t know who he was if not for the scandal. If his name isn’t released, he probably gets interviewed, but O’Brien still might have not offered him a job. In that hypothetical, he’s still employable, much less likely to be ostracized, and has little-to-no grounds for a lawsuit. That said, there still would have to be some level of existential angst. Who is/was he outside of Penn State football?
* – http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7205085/growing-penn-state
Joe says
As I understand it, he was paid through the duration of his contract, but probably didn’t get a sweet separation package like the other coaches, but overall the PA whistle blower law did what it was supposed to do-kept him on the payroll.
Based on his coaching skills there is no way O’Brien would have kept him on his staff, regardless of his involvement in this mess, so he would have been out of a job anyway.
And his confounding changes in testimony of what he said to whom and the fact that Voldemort was found Not Guilty on the event he witnessed doesn’t help his street cred in the outside world.
So why do we owe him $4 million friggin’ dollars?
They’ll pay it to make him go away.
Michael H. Geldner says
I can’t imagine that $4M will take care of the angst, loss of confidence, employability problems and other inconveniences that McQueary will face in teh coming years. What can he do, other than coach?
Maybe he could write!
If he can’t write, then maybe he can find someone to write FOR him!
Whenever possible, turn lemons into lemonade!
-mike
lawrence hamilton says
Give the man this money…yes, the BOT gladly handed over an incredible $6 million to Freeh (after putting 3 sons through PSu and being a member of the NLC) I feel like a big chunk of that $$$ was from me. I’d rather see it go to Mike…and he needs way more than $4 million.