Former FBI Director, Louis Freeh released his report on the handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex case by Penn State University officials including former long-time head coach Joe Paterno.
The findings like anything else in this scandal were horrific and damning as it revealed that Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz, Timothy Curley and even Joe Paterno actively covered for Sandusky and totally ignored the welfare of his victims.
READ THE FULL FREEH REPORT (PDF)
Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University – President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President‐Finance and Business Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley and Head Football Coach Joseph V. Paterno – failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade. These men concealed Sandusky’s activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities. They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky’s victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well‐being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001. Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity, of what McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001.
As it turns out, Paterno, Spanier, Schultz and Curley were each aware of the criminal investigation into Sandusky having inappropriate contact with a child (who would later be identified as Victim 6) in a University shower back in 1998. Paterno allegedly followed the investigation closely but like the other four officials took no action and in fact didn’t even address the situation with Sandusky allowing him to retire in relative comfort in 1999. This included collecting a pension (which he still collects today), maintaining an office on the University and lifetime access to the University showers and workout facilities.
READ FREEH’S FULL STATEMENT (PDF)
After another incident in 2001, Spanier, Schultz and Curley decided that they would inform Sandusky’s charity The Second Mile and report the incident to Child Welfare officials however under the direction of Joe Paterno decided that they would play everything by ear. This eventually led to neither official reporting the incident to the proper authorities instead deciding to inform Sandusky not to bring his guests to Penn State facilities and according to Freeh the four went on to “actively conceal” this information and “feared the consequences of bad publicity.”
Earlier in the week and in light of the new findings Paterno’s family denied Freeh’s report saying that Joe Paterno would never protect Sandusky to save the University and it’s football program of bad publicity. Unfortunately though the report further confirmed what we all seemed to of already known and that is the over the top football-centric culture that Penn State had in place. Furthermore it showed us that a football program and brand were vastly more important than protecting and looking out for the welfare of innocent children who had something taken away from them that they’ll never get back.
From here it’s assumed that Spanier, Schultz and Curley will all go to jail for a very long time while Penn State must now prepare itself for a glut of civil lawsuits that are probably heading their way. Nonetheless Freeh’s findings may have also opened a window into the NCAA getting involved.
Ref: CNN.com, The Big Lead
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