Editor’s note: I did not write what you will read in this post. What you will read below was written by my business partner and one of my closest and most respected friends, Derick Schaefer.
He emailed me the text below earlier tonight with the following preface:
“You know me. . . I’m always inspired to do the right thing. We do have site that can reach thousands of people. One connection can make a difference. Â Personally, I don’t care about the Penn State circus. Rightfully so, those responsible will go to jail and those who didn’t do enough will see their careers ruined. However, since the attention is high, I do feel the right message could inspire others to do the right thing.”
What follows are Derick’s words, not mine.
We’ve all played “Monday morning quarterback” when it comes to the decisions of college football coaches.
I write this post for Midwest Sports Fans as someone who has been at least partially in Joe Paterno’s shoes, though I made a far different decision than he did.
I share it with you not in the attempt to defame the Penn State icon. My goal is to encourage you to do the right thing and realize the powers that you have.
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In the late ’90s, I had achieved my career dream of being an employee at The Microsoft Corporation. Being in my late 20s at the time, I found myself working for an industry powerhouse. Â I was saddled with thousands of stock options in a bull market and given a very promising career ladder.
I also found myself presented with a situation that would make me weight it all against doing the right thing.
Specifically, I was pulled into my manager’s office as he revealed that a few of my peers had been assisting the U.S. government in pursuing a case that had the potential to unravel a massive child pornography ring (see Operation Avalanche).
My manager clarified that a raid was going to take place and that my technical skills might be needed. However, it was made clear to me that with our company was being prosecuted by US government for violations of antitrust laws, company attorneys did not approve of any employees assisting the Feds in this case.
Thus, I was asked to take vacation in order to help.
A few days of vacation was nothing; the real consideration was my career and the value of the deferred stock option compensation, both of which were at very real risk if I participated.
Furthermore, the case itself was a long shot. The legal precedence for online crimes of this nature had not been established at the time, and most of the offending content was being served from foreign countries that were considered “non-cooperative”.
Still, that decision took all of 30 seconds to make.
In the end, though the risk to my career was great, my role was minor. Several of my peers ended up making contributions that netted out the largest child pornography sting in US history. It paved the way for tens of thousands of prosecutions and established the case law that would become instrumental in decades of future prosecution.
My career’s accomplishments are obviously only a fraction of what Joe Paterno has accomplished in the world of college football. Â However, I can say that when it came to a “4th and long” decision in my career, I made one that he didn’t.
I won’t accept the size of Penn State or the power of the institution of college football as an excuse for inaction when circumstance demands it. The numbers we played in at my former employer were as large or larger. The personalities, egos, and other factors were equal.
The reason for posting this message is not to pile on the Penn State media circus. My message is simple: if you are in a position to make a difference when the protection of a child is at stake, accept whatever the risk as a child’s welfare is worth it.
Regardless of the potential backlash or personal setbacks you could face, blow the whistle–a child’s well being could depend on it.
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Derick’s sentiments are echoed, not specifically but in spirit, by friend of MSF Larry Brown in this post, which I encourage everyone to read: Urge to Rip Joe Paterno Leaves Society Ignoring Most Important Lesson: Stop and Report Serious Crimes When you See Them
About Jerod Morris
