Penn State Scandal: Twitter Rages In Reaction to Shocking Allegations

Ever since the stunning allegations of Jerry Sandusky's transgressions at Penn State started to trickle out over the weekend, people have gone to social media to express their outrage. Judging by some of the more fierce comments, it's a scandal that isn't going away any time soon.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 1:20 p.m. EST

If there is one group of people that appears to be standing firmly behind Paterno, it's his team. According to John Clark, from Philadelphia's NBC affiliate, the players gave him a standing ovation when he told them about his situation.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 1:10 p.m. EST

It appears Paterno will be coaching his final home game at Beaver Stadium, which is affectionately known as Happy Valley, assuming he keeps his job until Saturday. Fans are starting to realize how monumental the Senior Day game will be, even during such trying times.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 12:55 p.m. EST

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports reports that ticket prices for Saturday's Senior Day game against Nebraska have started to rise following Paterno's announcement. Whether it will be an appreciative or disgruntled home crowd is yet to be seen.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 12:45 p.m. EST

ESPN's Mike Hill believes Penn State should be worrying more about helping the alleged victims than some of the other issues that are seemingly being viewed as a higher priority. He's right and hopefully it's something the school is working on behind the scenes.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 12:30 p.m. EST

A little bit of irony courtesy of New York Giants defensive tackle and former elite recruit Marvin Austin. His message is also in line with what a lot of people believe right now--Penn State must clean house if it wants the public to know the school is serious about making amends.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 12:20 p.m. EST

The backlash directed toward Paterno's potential retirement at season's end continues. Penn State has a major mess to address and the longer Joe Pa hangs around, the more questions that will arise about their willingness to attack the issue head on instead of tiptoeing around it.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 12:05 p.m. EST

Kansas City radio show host Nick Wright reminds everybody what is the most important aspect of this scandal. It's not Paterno's job security or who is going to lose the blame game, it's the reported victims. Sadly, that side of the story has been largely ignored comparatively speaking.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11:55 a.m EST

Rightfully lost in all the scandal coverage has been Penn State's game against Nebraska on Saturday. It's a pivotal game on the team's road to the BCS, but many wonder if they should even be taking the field on Senior Day. I believe the current players, especially the seniors, shouldn't be punished for actions they had no chance to stop.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11:40 a.m. EST

Here's an interesting question: Has Jerry Sandusky been surprisingly ignored by the media? Between Paterno, Spanier, McQueary, Tim Curley and Gary Schulz among others, somehow the focus has seemingly shifted away from Sandusky's alleged sex abuse to finding scapegoats.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11:25 a.m. EST

Another person under siege right now is University President Graham Spanier. For such heinous acts to occur under his watch, he has to understand the public outrage. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes the end could be near for Penn State's president.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11:15 a.m. EST

One name that is still flying below the radar is Mike McQueary. He witnessed Sandusky taking advantage of a young boy and did nothing more than report it to Paterno. There should have more important calls, to police for instance, that he made first and he should not avoid consequences.

One thing that has seemingly crossed more minds than anything else is the interesting question raised by announcer Bob Papa. People have had trouble wrapping their minds around the lack of moral responsibility illustrated by Penn State representatives.

Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network made his thoughts on the matter crystal clear and a lot of people agree with him. There is always a debate between legal obligations vs. moral duties, but in a case as severe as this one, the latter should definitely outweigh the former.

The biggest figure embroiled in this controversy is head football coach Joe Paterno. He didn't do nearly enough when Mike McQueary, who also deserves his fair share of the blame, told him what he witnessed Sandusky doing. Buster Olney offers a logical plan for Paterno to consider.

However, not everybody thinks that would be enough. Bleacher Report's Dan Levy takes offense to today's ESPN coverage of the scandal, most notably looking back at Paterno's career during this trying time for so many people.

Tim Cowlishaw, who writes for the Dallas Morning News and is a regular on ESPN's Around the Horn, doesn't think Paterno's retirement at the end of the season is enough. It's hard to argue his point because that punishment doesn't fit what happened under his watch.

The New York Times' Pete Thamel, who helped break yesterday's story that Joe Paterno is likely on the way out, insinuates Paterno's retirement news doesn't mean he's home free. The fact of the matter is that no one's job should be safe until all the details have been reviewed and discussed. Joe Pa included.

Former Michigan basketball star Jalen Rose has never been one to mince words, especially when it comes to the NCAA, and he's used the current scandal to further his belief that student-athletes deserve better treatment. While there are far more important issues than the NCAA right now, Rose is right that it's a bit odd how different actions are viewed.

Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports is noticing an interesting trend between the feelings toward Joe Pa. While the casual observer appears to be looking down at Paterno for his lack of effort to end the brutality, he still has a legion of fans supporting him at University Park and probably always will.

Following the release of a statement from Paterno about his situation and what he expects moving forward, popular sports Twitter account "Friends of the Program" tweeted something many people are probably thinking. Always worth mentioning when a high-profile person releases a finely-tuned statement.

Penn State junior wide receiver Justin Brown might have summed it up best just moments ago. The scandal has sent the entire campus into chaos and it will take a long time before everything can be considered normal again. If ever.

If it wasn't real already, it sure is now.