Penn State scandal: Pennsylvania sues NCAA

Jerry Sandusky interviewed on Mike McQueary, Joe Paterno

Sandusky did not testify during his trial, but he recently spoke out to documentary filmmaker John Ziegler.

Jerry Sandusky's quest for a new trial might be with us forever

The former Penn State assistant coach was convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse last year.

Penn State scandal: NCAA sues Pennsylvania governor right back

There's another suit in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, with the NCAA saying Pennsylvania can't pass a law requiring it to spend money in the state.

Joe Paterno report is 200 pages of nothing, but the full story is still coming

The Paterno Report mostly serves as a hagiography of the former coach and an opening shot in the civil suits that will soon be filed against his estate. An actual lawyer explains how the report will only serve to embolden Paterno's defenders while failing to illuminate any of the facts surrounding the Sandusky cover-up.

Joe Paterno family's Freeh Report response released, claims 'rush to injustice'

Report claims the Freeh Report was "fundamentally flawed" and rushed to improper conclusions.

Joe Paterno family releasing 180-page Freeh Report counter

The report, which rebuts many of the Freeh Report's findings, will be released on Sunday morning on ESPN's Outside The Lines.

NCAA wants Pennsylvania governor's Penn State lawsuit tossed

The NCAA argues that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett had no legal right to sue them, and that the case should be dismissed.

Jerry Sandusky lawyers again arguing he didn't get a fair trial

Sandusky's lawyers say they did not have ample time to digest all of the information presented to them by the prosecution during last summer's trial.

Penn State scandal: Tom Corbett's no-good, politically motivated NCAA lawsuit

Pennsylvania's governor sued the NCAA for its actions against Penn State. While nobody thinks the NCAA deserves to be sued more than we do, a little digging reveals that this lawsuit is nothing more than a meritless political stunt.

Penn State scandal: Pennsylvania governor announces NCAA lawsuit

Governor claims Pennsylvania's citizens and businesses were harmed by sanctions.

Penn State scandal: Pennsylvania suing the NCAA

The state of Pennsylvania is planning to challenge the NCAA sanctions placed on Penn State, says a report by SI.com's Pete Thamel.

Penn State scandal: Graham Spanier charged with perjury, conspiracy, endangering children

Former Penn State president Graham Spanier will be charged with perjury and obstruction of justice in the Jerry Sandusky case, stemming from evidence in the Freeh Report that he knew of Sandusky's sexual abuse.

Penn State scandal: 'Good faith' settlement negotiations begin

Penn State has begun settlement negotiations with the victims of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which are said to be proceeding in "good faith"

Jerry Sandusky scandal: Victim 1 reveals identity

One of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse victims has come forward and revealed his identity.

Penn State AD Tim Curley's contract won't be renewed in wake of Sandusky scandal

Tim Curley will not have his contract as Penn State's athletic director renewed when it expires in June. Curley has been on administrative leave since being charged with perjury and failure to report charges in connection with the Jerry Sandusky case in November.

A lawyer explains Jerry Sandusky's sentence and Mike McQueary's lawsuit

It has been a busy few weeks in State College as Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Mike McQueary sued the school for firing and defaming him. Noted lawyer Bobby Big Wheel explains each.

Jerry Sandusky's victims speak during sentencing

Before the Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison his victims spoke.

Jerry Sandusky sentencing: Ex-Penn State coach gets 30-60 years in prison

Jerry Sandusky was sentenced in Centre County court Tuesday morning to 30 to 60 years in prison for his sexual abuse crimes, effectively a life sentence.

Jerry Sandusky attorney has Twitter priorities straight

One of Jerry Sandusky's attorneys is on Twitter. He should probably be more selective with his tweets.

Jerry Sandusky releases audio statement from prison

Jerry Sandusky maintained his innocence in a audio statement released from prison on Monday.

Mike McQueary officially suing Penn State, according to report

Mike McQueary, the former Penn State assistant who was a key witness in the child sexual abuse case against Jerry Sandusky, has filed a lawsuit against Penn State, reports NBC News.

McQueary was already reported as intending to sue the university, so this was expected. The details of the lawsuit are unknown, although the assumption is that it is a whistleblower suit: McQueary, who was on staff as a wide receivers coach at Penn State when news of the scandal broke, was not retained in that role when his contract expired in the spring. While many other former Penn State employees and administrators had their legal fees paid for by the school, McQueary has received no such considerations. Pennsylvania's whistleblower law would prevent the school from firing him for reporting misconduct.

The 37-year-old played quarterback under Joe Paterno and Sandusky, and was hired to the staff in 2004, two years after he claimed he witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a child in a Penn State locker room. After his name became associated with the scandal, he was put on indefinite paid administrative leave from his role as an assistant coach due to threats against him. McQueary was the only direct witness to Sandusky's crimes to come forth and testify in court.

Penn State Expected To Send Bowl Trophies To NCAA

The NCAA has requested that Penn State University return the six bowl trophies that were awarded to the college over the years spanning 1998-2011, which have been deemed as years of violation in connection with the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

It is unknown at this time when Penn State plans to honor the request.

In July, the association stripped the university and former head coach Joe Paterno of 111 wins stemming from that time period. Now, they want the bowls connected with those wins, as well.

Over that span, Penn State won the Outback Bowl (1999, 2007) and Alamo Bowl (2000, 2008) on two separate occasions in addition to wins in the 2006 Orange Bowl and most recently in the 2010 Capital One Bowl.

As of last week, the six trophies had been removed from the Lasch Building Lobby where they were previously on display.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Victim Of Jerry Sandusky Suing Penn State

One of the victims in the Jerry Sandusky case sued Penn State Friday, alleging university officials made deliberate decisions not to report Sandusky, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The victim, known as Victim 1 during the trial, was the one who reported Sandusky to authorities in November of 2009, leading to the state investigation and subsequent criminal charges. The suit describes the actions of Penn State officials as "a function of (Penn State's) purposeful, deliberate and shameful subordination of the safety of children to its economic self-interests, and to its interest in maintaining and perpetuating its reputation."

According to the lawsuit, Sandusky assaulted Victim 1 more than 100 times during a three-year period ending in 2008. Victim 1 testified during the trial and Sandusky was found guilty on all six charges related to him. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Penn State spokesman Dave La Torre declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the university takes the cases very seriously and their goal is to find solutions for the victims.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Scandal: Graham Spanier's Lawyers Dispute Freeh Report

Penn State's ex-president Graham Spanier and his lawyers are disputing the findings of the report of ex-FBI director Louis Freeh.

Freeh found at the university what was described in the report as

"total and consistent disregard by the most senior leaders at Penn State for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims." Freeh further concluded that "four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University"-including Spanier and Joe Paterno, the coach of the football team from 1966 to 2011-"failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."

Spanier's lawyers characterized the Freeh report as "blundering and biased."

Spanier's reaction to the report was included in a long description of his conversation with Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker.

The Freeh report is wrong, it's unfair, it is deeply flawed, it has many errors and omissions. I know that they had a lot of very good people on that team working on this. They interviewed, they say, over four hundred and thirty people; many of those folks have spoken to me about their interviews. Many of them describe those interviews to me as a witch-hunt. They felt like it was back in the era of McCarthyism. I don't want to be overly critical, because I think that's the style of investigators, maybe. They put a lot of accusatory or threatening questions out there. Many people reported to me that they were asked questions in a very nasty way, like, "We understand you're friends with Graham Spanier," as if there was something inherently evil in that.

Spanier was the president of Penn State for 16 years before being fired over his handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Paterno 'Had The Most Remarkable Memory,' Says Graham Spanier

Penn State's Accreditation At Risk In Wake Of Freeh Report

The list of organizations lining up to mete out justice to Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal now has another member. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which is in charge of accrediting degree-granting colleges in Penn State's region, has notified the university that it is once again going to be under investigation, this time to prove it should remain accredited.

With the Freeh Report and sanctions the school accepted from the NCAA, Penn State has admitted its leaders suffered a massive lack of proper organizational oversight that allowed a tragedy to occur. "Massive lack of proper organizational oversight" is a type of phrase that perks up ears at an accrediting body, and thus, it issued the school a warning:

"It is critical to emphasize that Middle States does not issue a warning unless the commission believes that an institution has the capacity to make appropriate improvements within a reasonable period and then sustain itself to stay in compliance," Blannie Bowen, vice provost for academic affairs, said in a press release. "This certainly is true for Penn State. We're confident that our monitoring report and the site visit will confirm this to the commission."

Penn State will have to file a report with the commission, which will be followed by a team from the commission visiting the school. If there are still red flags, the commission would be able to put Penn State on probation and submit a show-cause why they should keep accreditation.

Of course, Penn State losing accreditation would be absolutely massive. A degree from a non-accredited college is vastly less valuable than one from an accredited one -- losing accreditation basically means a group of people decided a school isn't fit to hand out degrees -- so the academic reputation would plummet, probably causing many students to leave and a major loss of funding. And since this is a sports website, it's worth pointing out that the NCAA would probably take note of that, and it's reasonable to believe Penn State wouldn't be participating in Division I sports for much longer after that happened.

However, it doesn't seem as if that will happen: Penn State has made massive overhauls since the Sandusky scandal broke and has multiple chances to prove that. It seems unlikely that the school will fail all of them and lose its accreditation. After so many public shamings and sanctions, this seems like a test Penn State will pass.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Trustees Probably Won't Sue The NCAA

While it wasn't put to a formal vote, it sounds like the Penn State Board of Trustees won't appeal the penalties handed down by the NCAA for the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

According to a report from SI.com, more than two dozen of the board's 32 members on a conference call on Sunday indicated they wanted to move forward, although many were still grumbling about it.

I'm going to pass this quote along without further comment:

"For example, Penn State athletics has served as a model program for the NCAA member institutions, contrary to the assertion that Penn State athletics had a `culture problem.' For those of us involved with Penn State athletics, we know just how untrue that is.''

Nothing is official yet, but this isn't the type of story the school is going to want to keep in the news any longer than necessary.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Investigation Report Returns, Is Still Horrifying

Do you remember the very worst rumor you ever heard about Jerry Sandusky? The one from months ago about an alleged investigation into whether or not the convicted sex offender wasn't the only person abusing his victims?

According to two new reports, it's a real investigation, being conducted by the FBI and another division of the federal government and focusing on the boys Sandusky encountered via the Second Mile charity. CBS News reports U.S. Postal Service investigators are looking into whether Sandusky was sharing child pornography with others, and then there's this from Radar Online:

"Investigators have interviewed at least one man who claims to have knowledge of Sandusky and a very prominent man, with strong ties to Penn State, both sexually abusing a boy," a source familiar with the situation told RadarOnline.com.

Criminal investigators from the United States Postal Inspectors are involved because sexual material involving underage boys may have been transmitted through the mail. The source says that the postal service seems to be leading this investigation, although Radar has not confirmed that information.

Just as before, we can hope nothing this despicable ever actually happened, and that the only individual directly responsible is already in jail.

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Penn State Trustees Could Appeal Sanctions, Then Sue NCAA

It's Penn State NCAA sanctions appeals season, so good news for everyone who likes those. Last week it was the Paterno family appeal, which of course won't be heard by the NCAA. Now a more formal appeal, which also will not budge the NCAA whatsoever, could be on the way from "at least two" Board of Trustees members, Don Van Natta Jr. reports:

Trustees and a person with first-hand knowledge of the discussions said the move is a precursor to a federal lawsuit asking a federal judge to invalidate the sanctions, because trustees expect the NCAA to reject the appeal.

So it's a formality, basically, meant to preserve the school's ability to defend itself in court as it moves forward. As our own legal expert wrote the day after the NCAA ruling came out, the school's agreement to a consent decree introduced total legal mayhem into the proceedings, and the trustees would like to wrangle all that back, if you please.

As revealed earlier by Van Natta, there was considerable discord between the BOT and president Rodney Erickson throughout the process that led to PSU being hit with heavy NCAA penalties.

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Joe Paterno's Family Files Appeal With NCAA Over Sanctions

Lawyers representing Joe Paterno's family have sent a letter to the NCAA appealing the governing body's sanctions against Penn State football, and specifically the appearance of Paterno's name as a responsible party in the Freeh Report. The NCAA used the Freeh Report as its entire Penn State investigation.

Onward State has the letter, and, well, the Paterno family is certainly right about at least one thing (even though nobody's ever heard of a former coach's family personally appealing NCAA sanctions):

As will become evident in a thorough and impartial review, the NCAA acted hastily and without any regard for due process. Furthermore, the NCAA and Penn State's Board Chair and President entirely ignored the fact that the Freeh Report, on which these extraordinary penalties are based, is deeply flawed because it is incomplete, rife with unsupported opinions and unquestionably one-sided. The NCAA and Penn State's leadership, by accepting and adopting the conclusions of the Freeh report, have maligned all of the above without soliciting contrary opinions or challenging a single finding of the Freeh report. Given the extraordinary penalty handed out, prudence and justice require that scrupulous adherence to due process be observed and not completely ignored.

Whatever opinion one might have of the Freeh Report, it's hard to ignore that the NCAA sidestepped everything about due process that makes due process critical. I'm as tired of reading Paterno family declarations as you are, but they're absolutely correct there.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

President Obama Backs NCAA's Penn State Sanctions

Jerry Sandusky Upset By NCAA's Penn State Sanctions

The person least qualified to be upset about the NCAA's sanctions of Penn State has finally weighed in on them. Jerry Sandusky is, unsurprisingly, unhappy with what the NCAA did to Penn State.

Sandusky's lawyer, Joe Amendola, says that Sandusky suggests Penn State officials, including former coach Joe Paterno and former president Graham Spanier, did nothing wrong in their response to allegations of serial sexual abuse of children by Sandusky.

"He said, 'To do what they're doing to Penn State is so unjust,' Amendola said. "He loves the program and he loves the university."

Sandusky, who also maintains his innocence and is writing a statement to read to the judge at his sentencing, is likely not someone whose opinions on miscarriages of justice should be disseminated by his lawyer.

However: the lawyer for Victim 4, who testified against Sandusky in the trial that saw the former Penn State defensive coordinator convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse, told a Pennsylvania TV station that Victim 4 was unhappy with victims not being consulted by the NCAA before the sanctions were handed down.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Freeh Group Denies Comments Admonishing NCAA Use Of Report

An article by the Chronicle of Higher Education published Friday quoted a member of the investigative group behind the Freeh Report admonishing the NCAA for basing its punishment of Penn State entirely on the group's findings. In a statement released later in the day, the Freeh Group denied the article, saying no members had talked to the Chronicle.

The Freeh Group emphatically stated that no member of its investigative team spoke to The Chronicle of Higher Education for its story. The Freeh Group has no comment on the NCAA's use of the Report.

The article at the time bolstered the case of those who felt the NCAA had acted too hastily in punishing Penn State football. Regardless of whether the Freeh Group ever takes a stance, expect the debate either for or against the NCAA's actions to continue.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Advice For Penn State's Bill O'Brien: Quit

A new "Bomani & Jones" to lend Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien some moral support, and perhaps more importantly, some advice: Quit that job. Fast.

Penn State Insurer Files Motion To Deny Coverage

The Pennsylvania Manufacturer's Association, the company that has provided Penn State general liability insurance since 1976, filed a motion Wednesday claiming coverage should be denied following the Jerry Sandusky case.

The company says coverage should be denied because the school's administration failed to disclose what they knew about Sandusky's behavior, according to a report from CNN.com.

"It would be unlawful and contradictory to public policy to require PMA to provide coverage to PSU under any policy issued to PSU after May 1998 with respect to PSU's concealment of Sandusky's sexually abusive conduct ... and failure to take appropriate action to prevent Sandusky from molesting minors," the motion read.

The company previously sued Penn State in November of 2011 over the claims of one of Sandusky's victims.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Board Of Trustees Takes No Action After Meeting To Discuss NCAA Sanctions

The Penn State Board of Trustees met on Wednesday in State College, Pa., to discuss the massive sanctions placed on the Nittany Lions football program by NCAA president Mark Emmert on Monday. The board came to the conclusion that the sanctions were better than the alternative.

Statement from the Board of Trustees: No vote, action was taken tonight.

— Laura Nichols (@LC_Nichols) July 26, 2012

Three hours' discussion determined NCAA sanctions threatened by Emmert (4-year death penalty) would have been worse.

— Laura Nichols (@LC_Nichols) July 26, 2012

A Wednesday report by ESPN indicated that the NCAA told Penn State president Rodney Erickson that the university faced a four-year "death penalty" for its football program at the end of a full-scale investigation, and that Erickson instead opted for sanctions that include $60 million in fines, a four-year bowl ban and a slew of docked scholarships.

The Board of Trustees likely sided with Erickson after reviewing the facts and deciding that having an enfeebled football team that draws diminished revenue is better than a nonexistent football program that takes in nonexistent revenue.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Penalties Give Bill O'Brien Contract Extension

As a result of the penalties the NCAA levied against Penn State and its football program on Monday, the school's head football coach "earned" some added job security.

Because Penn State faces a four-year postseason ban, Bill O'Brien is actually guaranteed a contract extension.

It's an odd by-product of the penalties the university and Nittany Lions football program are facing, but it's also something we learned Wednesday morning on ESPN's Mike & Mike In the Morning radio show.

O'Brien told Mike & Mike that his contract with the school includes an "an addendum that said that years would be added to my contract if there were sanctions."

Because it's a four-year postseason ban, and O'Brien's contract is for five years, the fine print extends the contract to nine years if O'Brien is willing to commit himself to a football program that, let's be honest, will likely incur a significantly depreciating value.

Quite the interesting development, no?

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Could Have Faced 4-Year Death Penalty

There was much speculation as to what could have happened to Penn State had they not accepted the sanctions levied by the NCAA on Monday morning.

Wednesday, we learned that the school's alternative would have been a four-year death penalty, which would have ostensibly eviscerated Penn State football from Saturday afternoons until 2016.

University president Rodney Erickson told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" that NCAA president Mark Emmert told Erickson if he did not accept the penalties as a result of the Freeh Report, that the NCAA would have launched their own formal investigation that would have likely resulted in far more damaging penalties for the university and its football program.

Basically, the message from Emmert to Erickson was accept your fate now or wait a few months and face something far more crippling.

The decision to accept the penalties announced Monday came following "intense" internal discussions following a July 17 phone call between the school and the NCAA.

The "death penalty" would have been something that could have had a far greater economic impact to the university and community that what the school is currently facing, and that was the determining factor in Erickson's decision.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Board Looking To Fight NCAA Penalty?

I expect very little to come of this, but the Associated Press is reporting Penn State's Board of Trustees will meet to determine whether school president Rodney Erickson had the authority to agree with the NCAA's heavy sanctions on the football program. The board was apparently left out of the agreement process, which would mean both parties involved, the NCAA and Penn State, skipped portions of their usual protocols in order to come to a quick accord.

NCAA president Mark Emmert has indicated he essentially offered PSU either a year without football or the long list of football-crippling penalties. Erickson obviously chose the latter.

The trustees have otherwise made their presence felt at every significant stage of the scandal story so far, including the firing of Joe Paterno.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Could Schedule Bowl-Like Game In Hawai'i

Penn State Football Loses Sponsor, Could Hurt School's Credit Rating

Last year, after the Jerry Sandusky grand jury report was released, Penn State football lost Cars.com as a sponsor and saw its bowl game status drop from a middling Big Ten bowl to the TicketCity. That sort of thing will continue: State Farm Insurance is now also out as a Penn State football sponsor.

In potentially even worse financial news, Moody's Investors Service is considering lowering Penn State's credit rating. As it is, PSU has the second-highest credit rating possible, but news that the football program will have to pay $60 million due to NCAA sanctions, miss out on about $13 million due to Big Ten sanctions, and face other unpredictable financial hits makes their standing quite rocky.

According to the AP's report, Moody's wasn't concerned about the university's monetary standing until the Freeh report and NCAA punishments came out.

The salvation for PSU could be that hypothesized surge in donations in order to help the school pay that $60 million fine as quickly as possible. A show of force by boosters could mean even more than just paying off a penalty.

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The Lost Decade: Penn State Football's Next 10 Seasons

The NCAA's dismantling of Penn State football is going to affect the program for years. It's gonna get bleak, and it's gonna stay that way for a long time.

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Unprecedented: Penn State Admits Culpability, Leading To Legal Mayhem

In order to see the NCAA deliver a quick death, Penn State 'fessed up to the entire scandal as documented in the Freeh report. What's this mean for the coming wave of civil lawsuits and other legal matters?

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Graham Spanier Denies Turning 'Blind Eye' To Abuse In Letter To Penn State Trustees

Following the announcement of the NCAA's sanctions against Penn State for the university's failure to properly handle the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, former university president Graham Spainer has sent a letter to the Board of Trustees in which he denies that he turned a blind eye to abuse. Spainer says that he was never informed that Sandusky sexually abused a child when Tim Curley mentioned Sandusky's misconduct to him, and says that, as a victim of abuse himself, he would have done more if he knew Sandusky was abusing children.

"It is unfathomable and illogical to think ... someone who experienced massive and persistent abuse as a child," Spanier said in a reference to himself, "... would have knowingly turned a blind eye to a report of child abuse."

Spainer also attacked the Freeh Report for what he thought were misrepresentations of his actions. He also informed the Board of Trustees that he would make himself available for any questions that they have regarding his handling of the Sandusky scandal.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Bobby Bowden Downplays Overtaking Joe Paterno On Wins List

Depending on how you look at it, either Bobby Bowden or Grambling's Eddie Robinson is now the major college football all-time wins leader after the NCAA redacted 111 of Joe Paterno's victories. At the very highest level, it's Bowden.

After calling last week for Paterno's statue to be taken down -- though largely out of sympathy for Paterno's family -- Bowden says he's taking no joy from standing in sole possession of the record: "I wasn't expecting it like this and didn't want it to happen like this. Wish I could have earned it, but that is the way it is."

Elsewhere, he's told Jon Solomon, "There's no way we can rejoice in that here because of what happened with the circumstances. Under the circumstances, we can't even cheer."

Paterno now ranks seventh among all Division I coaches after retiring one game ahead of Robinson. Frank Beamer is the leading active coach and could very well pass Paterno within five years or so.

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Penn State Avoided Death Penalty By Agreeing To Massive Penalty

Penn State football wasn't hit with a one-year blackball, commonly referred to by the public as a death penalty, by the NCAA on Monday. But the actual list of punishments might be more damaging for the program in the long run, and now it comes out that the NCAA never really ruled out the death penalty anyway.

Penn State president Rodney Erickson acknowledged PSU agreed to the severe sanctions in order to keep the NCAA from shuttering football entirely for a season or more:

In an interview with the Centre Daily Times, Erickson said, "We had our backs to the wall on this. We did what we thought was necessary to save the program."

Joined by board of trustees chairwoman Karen Peetz and interim director of athletics David Joyner, Erickson said he signed the NCAA agreement because no better deal was available.

The punishments awaiting Penn State include heavy scholarship losses, free transfers for current players, a four-year postseason ban and a $60 million fine.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Paterno's Family Responds To Penn State's NCAA Sanctions

The NCAA acted with uncharacteristic swiftness against Penn State, but the family of Joe Paterno was not caught off guard. Equipped to issue statements at a moment's notice after every event that occurs throughout this story, the family was prepared with another statement following the NCAA's verdict.

As always, the Paternos contend that the Freeh report paints an unfair picture of the former coach. This statement decries the swiftness with which university leadership complied with the NCAA's aggressive and unprecedented punishment and laments the NCAA's disregarding of due process, and it's hard for me to disagree with that specific portion.

The complete statement below:

Sexual abuse is reprehensible, especially when it involves children, and no one starting with Joe Paterno condones or minimizes it. The horrific acts committed by Jerry Sandusky shock the conscience of every decent human being. How Sandusky was able to get away with his crimes for so long has yet to be fully understood, despite the claims and assertions of the Freeh report.

The release of the Freeh report has triggered an avalanche of vitriol, condemnation and posthumous punishment on Joe Paterno. The NCAA has now become the latest party to accept the report as the final word on the Sandusky scandal. The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best.

That the President, the Athletic Director and the Board of Trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the Committee on Infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the University and the 500,000 alumni. Punishing past, present and future students of the University because of Sandusky's crimes does not serve justice. This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did.

The point of due process is to protect against this sort of reflexive action. Joe Paterno was never interviewed by the University or the Freeh Group. His counsel has not been able to interview key witnesses as they are represented by counsel related to ongoing litigation. We have had no access to the records reviewed by the Freeh group. The NCAA never contacted our family or our legal counsel. And the fact that several parties have pending trials that could produce evidence and testimony relevant to this matter has been totally discounted.

Unfortunately all of these facts have been ignored by the NCAA, the Freeh Group and the University.

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Penn State Punishment: The NCAA Finally Gets Something Right

The NCAA handed down a historic punishment to Penn State football on Monday, a package of sanctions that leaves Joe Paterno's former program crippled for the immediate and distant future. And that's okay.

Penn State Sanctions: Big Ten Tacks On Bowl Money, Title Game Penalties

The NCAA's list of punishments for Penn State wasn't the end of it for the Nittany Lions, who've also received an assortment of penalties from their own conference. The Big Ten announced it'll match the NCAA's four-year bowl ban with a four-year conference championship ban -- not that PSU's going to the Big Ten title game any time soon -- and will redistribute Penn State's cut of Big Ten bowl revenue for the same period to children's charities. That should amount to something like $13 million.

Jim Delany also said the Big Ten is unlikely to prevent PSU players from leaving for other Big Ten schools.

Thus, the total damage after both the NCAA and Big Ten have picked Penn State to the bone:

• 10 incoming scholarships lost first year, 20 scholarship deduction for four years (More on the scholarship losses here)
• Penn State players can transfer immediately without penalty (More on transfers here)
• Loss of about $13 million in Big Ten bowl money, also to children's charities
• Four-year bowl ban and Big Ten Championship Game ban
• $60 million fine over five years, with the fine going to an endowment for children's charities
• Vacation of all wins from 1998 through 2011 (meaning Joe Paterno now ranks seventh among all D1 coaches in wins)
• Five years NCAA probation
• The NCAA-enforced creation of various oversight positions

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State, And The NCAA's Thirst For Punishment

A four-year bowl ban, a $60 million fine, and 14 years of vacated wins leaves Penn State a ruined football program. The NCAA had the rare opportunity to rain punishment on a team, and they didn't waste it. That and more in today's Monday Morning Jones.

Penn State Sanctions: Coach Bill O'Brien Reacts To Heavy Punishment

New Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien left a Super Bowl job with the New England Patriots in order to take over for Joe Paterno in State College, taking on perhaps the most pressurized gig in college football history. Considering both the weight of Paterno's legacy and the stigma and looming penalties against PSU, O'Brien knew he was walking into a fearsome challenge.

Monday, O'Brien issued his first statement after NCAA president Mark Emmert unveiled a custom suite of sanctions -- O'Brien, you'll recall, had nothing to do with the Jerry Sandusky coverup, yet still has to pay a mighty, mighty price.

Today we receive a very harsh penalty from the NCAA and as Head Coach of the Nittany Lions football program, I will do everything in my power to not only comply, but help guide the University forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence. I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.

I was then and I remain convinced that our student athletes are the best in the country. I could not be more proud to lead this team and these courageous and humble young men into the upcoming 2012 season. Together we are committed to building a better athletic program and university.

Also, athletic director David Joyner, who played no role in the Sandusky coverup either, commented on the sanctions:

The Freeh Report concluded that individuals at Penn State University entrusted to positions of authority, shunned their basic responsibility to protect children, and innocent children suffered as a result. Our hearts go out to the victims of this abuse and their families.

Today Penn State takes another step forward in changing the culture at the institution as we accept the penalties of the NCAA for the failure of leadership that occurred on our campus. We are deeply disappointed that some of our leaders could have turned a blind eye to such abuse, and agree that the culture at Penn State must change. As we move forward, today's student athletes have a challenging road ahead. But they will do the right thing, as they have always done. I am confident all of our head coaches will come together to make the change necessary to drive our university forward. Penn State will continue to fully support its established athletic programs, which provide opportunities for over 800 student athletes.

Working together, the path ahead will not be easy. But it is necessary, just, and will bring a better future. Our faculty, staff, students, athletes, and parents will work together as Penn State begins this new chapter. Though this cooperation and collaboration, Penn State will become a national model for compliance, ethics, and embodiment of the student athlete credo.

New president Rodney Erickson released a statement as well.

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Penn State Scandal: NCAA Beats Up Corpse, Then Demands Your Applause

NCAA president Mark Emmert's decision to absorb power accomplished nothing, but let's all marvel at the wreckage he's left of Penn State football anyway.

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Penn State Football Recruiting: Impact Of NCAA Sanctions

The NCAA hit Penn State harder than the death penalty, and Nittany Lions recruiting is unlikely to recover for at least a decade.

Penn State Football Roster Likely Gutted By Transfers After NCAA Sanctions

When SMU was hit with the death penalty in the '80s, it was actually only a one-year thing. The Mustangs missed two years of football because they couldn't field enough players the second year due to other punishments. We might see something similar happen to Penn State after the NCAA's heavy, heavy penalties were announced Monday morning.

The NCAA says it's considering allowing schools to tack PSU transfers on top of their own current scholarship counts without any penalty, meaning other teams could essentially get players who don't count against the "salary cap," so to speak. Meaning even Alabama could take on Penn State players.

If that happens, the Nittany Lions' roster could be completely picked apart to such a degree that competition could be pointless for the time being. And each player that leaves Penn State only increases the chances of more leaving.

Even before that stipulation was announced as under consideration, coaches across the nation were eying Penn State's roster for potential acquisitions. It might be open season now.

More from the NCAA's release on player transfers:

Football student-athletes who transfer will not have to sit out a year of competition. Any incoming or currently enrolled football student-athlete will be immediately eligible upon transfer or initial enrollment at an NCAA institution, provided they are admitted and otherwise eligible per NCAA regulations.

Penn State will release any incoming student-athletes from the National Letter of Intent.

Permission-to-contact rules will be suspended. Penn State cannot restrict in any way a student-athlete from pursuing a possible transfer. Student-athletes must simply inform Penn State of their interest in discussing transfer options with other schools. Interested schools also must inform Penn State of their intention to open discussions with the student-athlete.

Official and unofficial visit rules will be loosened. Any incoming or currently enrolled football student-athletes interested in taking an official or unofficial visit will be permitted to do so during the 2012-13 academic year, no matter how many visits they took during their recruitment. Institutions seeking to provide an official visit to a student who already visited the school as many times as NCAA legislation allows can seek relief from the NCAA on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, the NCAA is considering waiving scholarship limits for programs to which these football student-athletes transfer, provided they reduce proportionately in the next year. For example, the limit is 25 new scholarships per year to a total of 85 scholarships. If the limits are waived in 2012-13 to accommodate one Penn State student-athlete who wishes to transfer to a particular school already at the limits, in 2013-14 the school will be limited to 24 new scholarships and 84 total scholarships.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Paterno's Wins Vacated: Bobby Bowden, Eddie Robinson Now Top Coaches

The NCAA chose to vacate all the wins accumulated by Joe Paterno's Penn State team from 1998 (when reports of Jerry Sandusky's child abuse first reached the ears of school officials) through 2011 (when Paterno was fired).

Though that's the least critical of the overwhelming sanctions against Penn State going forward, it does forever alter the record books and gives either Grambling's Eddie Robinson or Florida State's Bobby Bowden the top college football coaching wins record, depending on whether you're a Division I-A purist or not.

1. Eddie Robinson: 408
2. Bobby Bowden: 377
3. Bear Bryant: 323
4. "Pop" Warner: 319
5. Amos Alonzo Stagg: 314
6. Tubby Raymond: 300
7. Joe Paterno: 298

This is all really, really amazing. If Frank Beamer (251) coaches for five or so more years, he very well could pass Paterno as well.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State's NCAA Punishments Include Massive Scholarship Losses, Vacated Wins

The NCAA didn't have to get involved in the Jerry Sandusky coverup tragedy, but it chose to do so anyway. At a 9 a.m. ET press conference, NCAA president Mark Emmert announced his punishments against Penn State -- his punishments, because he used the NCAA's constitution to subvert the NCAA's standard governing process in order to punish Penn State with greater haste.

There's no death penalty, meaning the Nittany Lions will still get to play football this year and onward. But, as reported, the rest of the penalties are so dire that a year off the gridiron might actually be less damaging for PSU's coaches, players, staff, and fans.

Here's the rundown:

• Four-year postseason ban
• $60 million fine, to go to an endowment for children's charities
• 10 incoming scholarships lost first year, 20 scholarship deduction for four years (more or less an entire roster worth of scholarships)
• Vacation of all wins from 1998 through 2011 (meaning Joe Paterno now ranks seventh among all D1 coaches in wins)
• Five years probation
• Penn State players can transfer immediately without penalty

Before the list of sanctions, NCAA executive committee chair Edward Ray called Penn State's coverup "reckless" and defended the NCAA's involvement in the scandal.

"Not only does the NCAA have the authority, we have the responsibility," Ray said.

Penn State isn't out of the woods yet -- not even its football program has its full list of damage at hand. The Big Ten can still choose to punish Penn State in just about any way conceivable, from witholding conference revenue to forbidding trips to the Big Ten Championship Game and so on. Indeed, the Big Ten will announce something one way or the other Monday as well.

The school could choose also to limit its own football program in addition to what's being imposed.

And this is all outside of what's going to be levied against the university itself by the Department of Education and perhaps other government agencies, which could make the worst the NCAA can do look like nothing by comparison.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Watch Penn State's NCAA Press Conference Live Online

NCAA president Mark Emmert will announce his sanctions against Penn State football at 9 a.m. ET. Those sanctions are unknown at this point, but are believed to include an eight-digit fine, heavy scholarship losses, and a multiple-year bowl ban.

You can watch it all online live at CBS or ESPN3.

PSU is not expected to receive the item popularly referred to as "the death penalty," which is the forced shuttering of the football program from NCAA competition for a year or more.

Debate will rage throughout the day as to whether Emmert made the right decision by using Penn State's own Freeh Report as its entire investigation and by usurping the NCAA's standard investigation process in order to grant himself the power to levy his own penalties against Penn State.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State To Be Fined Between $30 And $60 Million, According To Report

When earlier reports indicated Penn State was set to face "unprecedented" and "crippling" sanctions from NCAA President Mark Emmert, to be announced Monday morning at a news conference, the theories bandied about were the famed "death penalty" levied against SMU in the '80s, a longer-than-ever-before bowl ban or scholarship removals. No one really expected monetary fines in the tens of millions of dollars but, according to CBS Sports's Brett McMurphy, who has been one of the most reliable reporters in the business, that's what's about to happen.

McMurphy reports that Emmert is set to levy between $30 and $60 million in fines, a staggering amount considering Penn State's athletic department had $116 million in revenue for the 2010-11 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Equity in Athletics. It's unclear whether that amount will be against the school as a whole, the athletic department or just the football team, but that should be revealed by Monday morning, if not before.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Scandal: Recruits Confirm Commitments Despite Pending NCAA Sanctions

NCAA president Mark Emmert will personally hand down sanctions against Penn State Monday morning. The punishment is expected to be crippling -- worse than the death penalty, sources say -- and could cause massive direct and indirect damage to the program for years to come. Recruiting will likely suffer, but it appears that Class of 2013 commitments are staying firm for now, according to Mike Farrell of Rivals.com.

Heading into tomorrow's sanctions texts from Adam Breneman, Brendan Mahon and Garrett Sickels all say they r solid commits. #PennState

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) July 22, 2012

The Nittany Lions have been building a solid class under new head coach Bill O'Brien. Brenman (TE), Mahon (OL) and Sickels (DE) are all ranked among the best at their positions by major recruiting services.

Penn State has suffered just one decommitment so far, with defensive tackle Greg Webb switching his pledge to North Carolina on Saturday. Farrell reports that top offensive tackle Dorian Johnson declined to comment at this time.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Trustee Blasts 'Pansy Presidents' For Giving NCAA's Mark Emmert Authority

Penn State reportedly won't be handed the death penalty by the NCAA. According to sources, the sanctions that Mark Emmert is set to announce Monday may be even worse, however. Emmert is forgoing the NCAA's standard months of due process to hand down a punishment based solely on the Penn State-commissioned Freeh Report that found that Joe Paterno and others covered up years of child sexual abuse by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Emmert's seemingly unilateral decision will likely include a lengthy bowl ban and a significant loss of scholarships. The president's swift action isn't sitting well with Penn State's board of trustees.

"Emmert has been given full reign by the pansy presidents (at other universities) to make his own decision," said the trustee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He has been given the authority to impose these unprecedented sanctions. It's horrible."

Emmert is setting a very interesting precedent with the scandal. Expect plenty more chatter in the days and weeks to come.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State's NCAA Punishment To Be 'Crippling,' Could Change College Sports

Based on reports coming out about what the NCAA's going to do to Penn State, the widely repeated "unprecedented" portion of the punishment won't exactly refer to the nature of the penalties, but rather how they were arrived at. As Charles Robinson reports, "a 'multiple-year' bowl ban and 'crippling' scholarship losses" are included, but it's NCAA president Mark Emmert's unilateral wielding of sanctions that's the truly ground-breaking element.

Technically, it's not the NCAA that's punishing Penn State. It's the NCAA president. This indeed changes things and will set up some very weird discussions the next time a school gets in trouble.

Typically, NCAA investigations take many months and involve several give-and-take phases in which the school argues its case, is informed of its charges and so forth. By comparison, Miami's NCAA investigation has been going on for months longer than Penn State's has and appears far from over.

In this instance, Emmert's skipping much of the process and using Penn State's own commissioned report by Louis Freeh as all the evidence he needs, Robinson reports. Emmert's granted himself this power by way of the NCAA's constitution and its board of directors, which has signed off on the move.

If Penn State hadn't chosen to pay for its own investigation into itself, the NCAA would have to do its own detective work here, meaning PSU sped up the process, quite possibly by years. And that report was hardly exhaustive -- it certainly was revealing but wasn't a legal document. Basing the entire thing on a report the school released on its own does not feel rock solid by any means, even considering the conclusion we're meant to take from that report is that all the true bad actors are gone.

Now we have a man consolidating a never-before-seen amount of institutional power for himself in order to punish a school for letting a man have too much power, days after we all laughed at the Big Ten for wanting to do the same. This is going to change things.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Removing Joe Paterno's Statue 'Does Not Serve Victims,' Says Coach's Family

If an event has happened in the Penn State scandal story, then the family of Joe Paterno has released a statement about it. Sunday morning, the statue of the fallen coach outside Beaver Stadium was removed and placed in storage, and thus a statement followed.

The statement:

Tearing down the statue of Joe Paterno does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky's horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State Community. We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth. The Freeh report, though it has been accepted by the media as the definitive conclusion on the Sandusky scandal, is the equivalent of an indictment - a charging document written by a prosecutor - and an incomplete and unofficial one at that.

To those who truly want to know the truth about Sandusky, it should matter that Joe Paterno has never had a hearing; that his legal counsel has never been able to interview key witnesses, all of whom are represented by lawyers and therefore unavailable; that there has never been an opportunity to review critical evidence which has not been made public; that selective evidence and the opinion of Mr Freeh is treated as the equivalent of a fair trial. Despite this obviously flawed and one-sided presentation, the University believes it must acquiesce and accept that Joe Paterno has been given a fair and complete hearing. We think the better course would have been for the University to take a strong stand in support of due process so that the complete truth can be uncovered.

It is not the University's responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno. But they at least should have acknowledged that important legal cases are still pending and that the record on Joe Paterno, the Board and other key players is far from complete.

The part about victims is certainly true. Other items on the list of things that don't serve Jerry Sandusky's victims include releasing statements, challenging the findings of an internal investigation, defending the legacy of a football coach, promising to retire after a season instead of immediately, or many other decisions that have been made throughout this story.

Or, you know, leaving a statue up instead of taking it down.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State's NCAA Punishment Reportedly Not The Death Penalty, But Still Severe

Monday morning, the NCAA will announce what it's going to do to Penn State football for the program's serial coverup of a serial rapist. I don't know how you quantify child abuse in terms of bowl money, but we're about to find out.

Penn State facing loss of bowl/s and scholarships, but not so-called death penalty

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) July 22, 2012

Joe Schad also reports the NCAA has given president Mark Emmert power he's never had before in order to deal with this case, that Penn State has played no role in determining what the punishments are (however, the Sporting News' Matt Hates reports PSU came up with the punishments and the NCAA accepted), and that the toll could be even worse than having football killed for a season. That would seem to indicate that whatever the punishment is, it will last for many years, more than the typical two or three.

The death penalty is looking more unlikely by the moment, with Dan Wetzel reporting nobody's heard anything about games being canceled.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

NCAA To Announce 'Unprecedented' Penalties For Penn State, According To Report

At nearly the same time Joe Paterno's statue was being removed from outside Beaver Stadium, we learned that the NCAA is preparing to drop the hammer on Penn State University.

A source tells CBS News that the NCAA's penalties, aimed at both the school and its football program, will be "unprecedented," with an official announcement coming Monday morning.

NCAA to hold press conference on #PennState Mon at 9 a.m. ET. Live coverage from @InsidetheNCAA & web stream link avail tmrw.

— NCAA (@NCAA) July 22, 2012

The NCAA doesn't usually work this fast, as even last year's Miami case has yet to meet its NCAA resolution, but it would appear the school has taken a deal, perhaps in order to get it over with.

NCAA president Mark Emmert will make the official announcement, which is the result of former FBI Director Louis Freeh's independent report on the child sex abuse scandal and Penn State's response to questions the NCAA posed to the school about institutional control and ethics surrounding the scandal.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Paterno Statue Reportedly Coming Down This Weekend

If Joe Paterno's statue is going to come down, it could reportedly happen as soon as this weekend.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Trustee Steve Garban Resigns

Steve Garban, the chairman of the Penn State Board of Trustees when the Jerry Sandusky abuse scandal rocked America and when the board fired Joe Paterno, resigned on Thursday, according to the Centre Daily Times.

Garban is a former Penn State treasurer and had been on the Board of Trustees since 1998. He served as its chair in 2010 and 2011, and had come under fire both for not better informing the board of the criminal case against Sandusky and the handling of Paterno's firing.

Garban and vice chairman John Surma had previously decided not to run for re-election. Garban was replaced as chairman by Karen Peetz in January.

Garban graduated from Penn State in 1959, and was the captain of the football team during his time in State College as an undergrad. Paterno was an assistant coach at Penn State from 1950 to 1965, before ascending to the position of head coach.

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Big Ten Not Ruling Out Booting Penn State, According To Report

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Penn State Earns Clery Act Investigation, Will Respond To NCAA Soon

There is still a long road ahead of Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky conviction and the release of the Freeh report. Now it appears the school will continue to be investigated from all angles.

Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post reports that the U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation to determine whether Penn State violated the Clery Act, a federal campus law meant to ensure student safety.

Alison Kiss, executive director of the Pennsylvania-based Clery Center for Security on Campus, which was started by Clery's parents, said the Freeh report raised questions about Penn State's compliance with the law. "You kept seeing a missed report and a victim. Another missed report, another victim," Kiss said. University officials "have a lot on their plates, but they need to pay attention."

The Clery Act requires that serious incidents be reported to authorities and be recorded, regardless of whether charges are eventually filed as a result. If PSU is found to be in violation of the Clery Act, the school could face serious fines, up to -- although this has never been enforced -- loss of federal aid funding.

As for the NCAA, an official response is coming soon.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Death Penalty For Penn State? NCAA President Figuring Out 'Right Penalties'

NCAA President Mark Emmert said that he hasn't ruled out any potential punishment -- not even the so-called "death penalty" -- for Penn State in an interview with PBS' Tavis Smiley.

"I've never seen anything as egregious as this in terms of just overall conduct and behavior inside a university and hope never to see it again," Emmert said. "What the appropriate penalties are, if there are determinations of violations, we'll have to decide."

Emmert repeatedly emphasized that precedent -- including the SMU case -- isn't exactly applicable: the Penn State scandal demonstrates a unique, especially egregious scenario that past cases don't exactly cover, with Emmert classifying the case as "much more than a football scandal." Emmert's hesitance to rule anything out can't be comforting to Penn State fans.

As for action, we won't hear anything on that for a while. Emmert said that he expects a response from Penn State to the NCAA's letter of inquiry regarding the Sandusky trial within weeks -- the NCAA will in all likelihood wait to hear what Penn State has to say in that response before handing down any punishments.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State's 'Paternoville' Student Camp Site Will Change Name To 'Nittanyville'

Following the release of the Freeh report, many are re-evaluating the legacy of late and storied Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno. Nike renamed its child care center, an adjustment was made to a local mural and conversations are ongoing about whether to remove a statue of Paterno at PSU.

The weekly tent-city and camping site outside of Beaver Stadium in University Park, formerly known as "Paternoville," will now be known as "Nittanyville," reports Ben Jones of State College, PA.

"We always have discussed the idea of changing the name once Joe was no longer the head coach," Paternoville Vice President Jeff Lowe said.

"The discussions slowed down a bit in January as we waited for more information. With the Freeh Report being released, we began the process of careful discussion and planning so we could make the right decision if faced with the situation where we would have to change the name.

"The idea of being in the middle of a political war over the name, due to our association with Joe Paterno, has to lead to threats, hate mail and efforts from people outside of Penn State to try and ruin our ability to run an effective organization," Lowe said.

Throughout the 2012 college football season, students at Nittanyville will donate a portion of their fundraising to the Center for the Protection of Children, based at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Graham Spanier's Attorneys Call Freeh Report Inaccurate

Former Penn State president Graham Spanier may face criminal charges and civil lawsuits for his role in Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children at the university. Spanier's lawyers, consequently, are on the attack, saying the Freeh Report "contained numerous inaccuracies."

The Freeh report ignored many important facts, including the conclusions of a far more independent and thorough investigation of Dr. Graham Spanier conducted simultaneously by federal officials responsible for our national security.

...

The Freeh report is not an independent judicial evaluation. Mr. Freeh, no longer a judge, runs a company that was retained by the Board of Trustees of the University. His report contained numerous inaccuracies and reached conclusions that are not supported by the data. Meanwhile, Mr. Freeh unfairly offered up Dr. Spanier and others to those insisting upon a finding of culpability at the highest level of the University. Mr. Freeh’s conclusions are not judicial or law enforcement pronouncements.

Spanier's lawyers had previously denied any cover-up by Spanier.

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Joe Paterno's Family Releases Another Statement, Will Review Freeh Report

The family of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno has already released one statement disputing the findings of the Freeh Report, and now it's released another. The family says it has told its lawyers to review all the materials examined by Louis Freeh's group. The statement is definitely correct in at least one regard: the report is not the final word in the case. The Department of Education and other bodies are still investigating the entire Penn State scandal, and we surely still have much left to learn, most of it likely unpleasant.

Following the release of the Grand Jury findings last fall, Joe Paterno called for a thorough, fair and transparent investigation. Like everyone else, Joe was stunned at the charges that were filed against Jerry Sandusky. At the same time, Joe cautioned against a rush to judgment on Penn State and its senior officials and reminded everyone that we owed it to the victims to uncover the full truth.

The announcement of the findings by the Freeh Group is yet another shocking turn of events in this crisis. We are dismayed by, and vehemently disagree with, some of the conclusions and assertions and the process by which they were developed. Mr. Freeh presented his opinions and interpretations as if they were absolute facts. We believe numerous issues in the report, and his commentary, bear further review.

Our interest has been and remains the uncovering of the truth. We have never tried to run from this crisis or shift all responsibility to others. To help prevent this sort of tragedy from happening again at Penn State or any other institution, it is imperative that the full story be told.

After the report was released, we instructed our attorneys and their experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the materials released by the Freeh Group as well as Mr Freeh's presentation and press conference. We have also asked them to go beyond the report and identify additional information that should be analyzed. And we have asked the Freeh Group to preserve all records, notes and other materials related to the investigation and the presentation of their findings as we expect they will be the subject of great interest in the future.

To those who are convinced that the Freeh report is the last word on this matter, that is absolutely not the case. Since various investigations and legal cases are still pending, it is highly likely that additional critical information will emerge. With that said, we want to take this opportunity to reiterate that Joe Paterno did not shield Jerry Sandusky from any investigation or review. The 1998 incident was fully and independently investigated by law enforcement officials. The Freeh report confirms this. It is also a matter of record that Joe Paterno promptly and fully reported the 2001 incident to his superiors. It can certainly be asserted that Joe Paterno could have done more. He acknowledged this himself last fall. But to claim that he knowingly, intentionally protected a pedophile is false.

The process of reviewing the report and other relevant information is going to be a complicated and time consuming exercise. It took the The Freeh Group roughly seven months to conduct more than 400 interviews and review three million documents. We do not expect or intend to duplicate this effort but we are going to be as thorough as reasonably possible. In the meantime, our attorneys have asked that we not make any further comment on this matter until they are ready to provide an update on their progress.

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Joe Paterno Earned That Statue

Joe Paterno was treated like a deity, but he was never perfect, even before the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Still, he deserves that statue on Penn State's campus. Bomani explains that and more in this week's Monday Morning Jones.

Penn State And The Death Penalty: A Body Count For The Sake Of A Body Count

Calling for Penn State to get the death penalty due to the Jerry Sandusky coverup? It might be helpful if we define exactly what the death penalty is and think about the total impact.

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Joe Paterno Loses Halo

The headline isn't metaphorical, and it's not about the innocence being gone at Penn State. It's literal: The halo above Joe Paterno's head on the Heister Street mural in State College is gone. It was painted over early Saturday morning.

Here's the before:

Photo of halo, courtesy of US Presswire. RT @AP_Top25 Joe Paterno loses his halo _ literally: apne.ws/Mud86x twitter.com/BTNBrentYarina…

— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) July 14, 2012

And here's the after

The halo above Joe Paterno's head on the Heister Street mural has been removed. twitter.com/OnwardState/st…

— Onward State (@OnwardState) July 14, 2012

There was a problem with all of this to begin with, and it has little to do with the sex abuse scandal and the fallout. The mural is nice, and a part of the State College community. But deifying Joe Paterno, living or not, has always seemed a little ... off.

The statue that was erected while he was still living and coaching, the mural that implied Paterno was a pure angel and the way the former Penn State coach was viewed never really made sense -- at least to an outsider. He was a human, not above the trials and tribulations the rest of the world faces.

Elevating Paterno's stature to an image of perfection was unnecessary. So yeah, the halo is gone. But it should've never been there in the first place.

Joe Paterno Statue Will Remain For Now, According To Report

Following the release of the Freeh Report, the fate of the Joe Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium has been questioned. Some have called for the removal of the statue, but Saturday the Penn State Board of Trustees decided the statue would remain, according to a report from ESPN.com.

The report says the trustees decided to not remove the statue in an attempt to avoid offending alumni and students.

"You can't let people stampede you into making a rash decision," a trustee said. "The statue represents the good that Joe did. It doesn't represent the bad that he did."

Their decision, however, may not be a permanent one, as according to the report some trustees said they believed the statue should eventually be removed. All agreed it should remain for the time being.

"It has to stay up," said another trustee. "We have to let a number of months pass, and we'll address it again. But there is no way, no way. It's just not coming down."

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Paterno Negotiated Raise, Exit After Learning Of Jerry Sandusky Investigation

Joe Paterno started re-negotiating a new contract with Penn State as he learned that his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was being investigated for the widespread sexual abuse of young boys. According to a report by Jo Becker in The New York Times, Paterno unexpectedly approached his superiors at Penn State and started to work out a new deal in January 2011 -- the same month he gave his testimony in front of a grand jury for the Sandusky case.

Paterno's contract at that time was set to run through 2012, but by August 2011 he came to an agreement on a new contract. According to Becker, Paterno and university president Graham Spanier worked out a deal that stipulated 2011 would be his last season as head coach at PSU. The outline of the deal:

Mr. Paterno was to be paid $3 million at the end of the 2011 season if he agreed it would be his last. Interest-free loans totaling $350,000 that the university had made to Mr. Paterno over the years would be forgiven as part of the retirement package. He would also have the use of the university's private plane and a luxury box at Beaver Stadium for him and his family to use over the next 25 years.

The university's full board of trustees was kept in the dark about the arrangement until November...

In November, the Sandusky scandal had garnered widespread national attention and the pressure to remove Paterno had mounted on the university Board of Trustees. Paterno saw the writing on the wall and quickly issued a statement saying that the Board did not need to act, that he would step down at the end of the 2011 season. Of course, according to Becker, that had already been arranged:

Mr. Paterno quickly issued a statement saying, in effect, that the board need not act, that he would resign at the end of the season. Neither he nor the university revealed that he had effectively agreed to do so already, in return for an expensive financial package.

As the external pressure mounted, the Board would act quickly and fire Paterno. But in the struggle with the family and amid widespread criticism in State College, they would not strip him of any of the retirement benefits previously agreed to:

In the end, the board of trustees - bombarded with hate mail and threatened with a defamation lawsuit by Mr. Paterno's family - gave the family virtually everything it wanted, with a package worth roughly $5.5 million.

Becker writes that the family's fight for money during the ouster of the head coach is another indicator of the power he held in Happy Valley. An attorney for Paterno, Wick Sollers, stated that the university proposed the retirement package in the summer of 2011 and that the perks had long been a part of his contract.

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Silas Redd, Jordan Hill Still Support Joe Paterno

As the Freeh Report continues to make waves through all of those connected to Penn State University, some of the current players have finally commented on the issue. They're not the kind of comments that you want to see, though, and some of them are cringeworthy.

Some Nittany Lions football players were attending the "Uplifting Athletes" charity event to raise money for the Kidney Cancer Association. Running back Silas Redd was asked about Paterno and the Freeh Report. "It has nothing to do with us," Redd told the Associated Press about the findings. "We're just talking about this event and this season."

Redd was asked if he thought Penn State should take down their statue of Paterno, something many people have called for, and he said he disagreed with the idea.

His reasoning?

"Because I feel he did a lot more good than bad for this university," Redd told the AP.

Redd wasn't alone in his support as defensive tackle Jordan Hill said he still supported his former head coach. "I'm still a big supporter of coach Paterno and he is one of the reasons that I'm here," Hill told the Associated Press. "All you can really say is no man is perfect at all."

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Announces Renovations To Areas Where Boys Were Abused

Penn State University spokesman David La Torre announced Friday that the school plans to renovate the football shower and locker room areas as a direct result of Jerry Sandusky's crimes. The former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator was found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of child sex abuse, several instances of which took place within the team shower.

Plans to renovate the Lasch Football Building were reportedly first drawn up in November after Sandusky's arrest. La Torre said that the school must wait until all legal proceedings have finished before moving ahead.

There is still no word yet on what Penn State plans to do with what now stands as perhaps the biggest symbol of the scandal, Joe Paterno's statue outside of Beaver Stadium.

Legal experts say Paterno may have faced charges based on emails and evidence in the independently investigated Freeh Report released Thursday, had he been alive. Those charges could have included child endangerment, perjury and conspiracy. Victims in the Sandusky case could still sue the Paterno estate.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State's LaVar Arrington On Joe Paterno, Fallen Hero

Penn State, You're About To Get Sued

The Freeh Report confirmed some of our worst fears about Joe Paterno and Penn State's involvement in covering up Jerry Sandusky's decades of child abuse. Now let's have an actual lawyer look at how the victims will go after Penn State and its highest ranking officers.

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Penn State Scandal: Former School President Denies Coverup Allegation

Former Penn State president Graham Spanier, named in the Freeh Report as one of "four of the most powerful people at Pennsylvania State University" who "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade." According to the report, Spanier was fully aware of allegations against Sandusky in both 1998 and 2001, but collaborated with other school leaders including Joe Paterno in keeping the whole thing quiet, and reportedly didn't even confront Sandusky.

A statement from Spanier's lawyers, released Thursday afternoon:

"As a former Federal Judge and a former United States Attorney, we appreciate and respect the investigative efforts of the Freeh Group and the comprehensive report they have today provided the Board of Trustees of Penn State University.

Unfortunately, Judge Freeh's conclusion, repeated often during his press conference this morning, that Dr. Spanier was engaged in a course of "active concealment," is simply not supported by the facts or by the report itself.

Not only did Dr. Spanier never conceal anything from law enforcement authorities, but prior to 2011 he was never contacted by law enforcement officials, or any other officials, about any criminal activities now attributed to Sandusky. And as he told Judge Freeh himself last Friday and has steadfastly maintained, at no time in his 16 years as President of Penn State was Dr. Spanier told of any incident involving Jerry Sandusky that described child abuse, sexual misconduct, or criminality of any nature.

While we disagree with certain of Judge Freeh's conclusions, Dr. Spanier joins with others in hoping that the University will never have to endure such a traumatic chapter again. This has been a painful episode in the history of a great university, and the thoughts and prayers of Dr. Spanier, and all of us, continue to be with the victims and their families."

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Jay Paterno Interviewed, Says Freeh Report 'Basically An Opinion'

Former Penn St. Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Jay Paterno, son of Joe Paterno, was interviewed Thursday on ESPN after the release of the Freeh report, which contends that the former head coach repeatedly put children in danger by covering up Jerry Sandusky's actions.

Jay Paterno called the report "basically an opinion" and "not a legal document," finding that Freeh came to "reasonable conclusions" in the absence of facts and used the "same facts we've had" to come to a "different interpretation." The apparently damning emails "were conversations [investigators] were not party to, that they subscribed meaning to."

Jay Paterno touted the "higher burden of proof" of "sworn testimony" that runs contrary to the items in the Freeh report. He noted the 1998 incident was not pursued by law enforcement and the coach turned the 2001 claim over to his superiors.

"I think we have to keep in context one thing," Jay Paterno said in response to a question about whether his father showed "callous disregard" for child safety, as the report claims. "It's always easier to judge people based on the information we have in 2012. When this was brought to Joe's attention, Jerry Sandusky had never been charged with a crime. Joe has been the only leader to say, with the benefit of hindsight, that he would've done more."

He also shot down the use of certain emails in the report's reconstructed timeline, which appear to show other members of Penn State's leadership conferring with the coach on what to do about Sandusky.

"After giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe yesterday, I am uncomfortable with what we agreed were the next steps," former athletic director Tim Curley wrote in one email.

When asked what he wishes his father had done, Jay Paterno said he doesn't know, but wishes somebody in the program saw "a sign or something that we could've caught on" to in order to prevent further victimization. He defended the oversight by noting that adoption agencies and other professionals were unaware Sandusky was a serial rapist.

On the removal of his father's name from Nike's child care center and what it means for the future of the name's legacy, Jay Paterno called it "an emotional issue."

"They're a public company. I'm not going to judge what they did," he said. "Phil Knight continues to be a family friend."

And as for the future of the statue of his father outside Beaver Stadium, Jay Paterno said, "This episode is one chapter in a very, very big life, and this chapter is not even finished being written yet. There are still more facts to come out as we go into sworn testimony.

"I think the statue belongs there," said the coach's son.

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Penn State Board On Freeh Report: Joe Paterno's Legacy A 'Sensitive Topic'

The report by former FBI director Louis Freeh on the Jerry Sandusky coverup at Penn State raises a number of very important questions for the future of the university. Though the responsible leadership is all gone, it's up to the current regime to repair something that will probably never be wholly repaired.

Thursday afternoon, the Board of Trustees met with the press to share portions of their plan moving forward. There was a lot of talk about new action items and groups and relationships, along with promises to follow Freeh's recommendations moving forward. The Board will also not be resigning despite having played their own role in the scandal, with Peetz saying, "we should've had our antenna up."

As far as Joe Paterno's legacy goes, Karen Peetz called it a "sensitive topic" that "will continue to need to be discussed with the entire university community." She described his "60 years of service" as being "marred" by the Freeh news, while president Rodney Erickson called "the worst things" Paterno did "inexcusable," but insisted we "measure the man's life" by the many good things he did, and called for "reflection and distance" on assessing Paterno as a whole. This is a far, far cry from the "unconditional support" pledged by former president Graham Spanier.

Peetz described the construction of new oversight committees and such, saying the Board "accepts full responsibility for the failures that occurred" and plans to ensure nothing like this ever happens at "our university community ever again."

"We must become a best-in-class standard in governance," Peetz said. "Above all, we must restore trust in our community. We don't expect it to happen overnight. We will earn it back."

Erickson said, "While in no way lessening our own failings, we're committed to bringing greater awareness to abuse." The school has started a new child protection center at its medical school and is partnering with a local anti-rape group, Erickson said.

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Joe Paterno's Name Removed From Nike Child Care Center After Freeh Report

The future of Joe Paterno's legacy involves a whole lot of questions for a whole lot of people to answer. None will get more attention than the statue of his likeness outside Penn State's football stadium. But for institutions with more of a financial stake in Paterno than a familial one, the choice isn't quite so hard.

Nike, which has such a close relationship with PSU that Phil Knight spoke at Paterno's funeral, has already removed the coach's name from a campus child care building in light of the details of the Freeh Report, which overwhelmingly contend that Paterno worked repeatedly to cover up Jerry Sandusky's rape allegations.

The statement from Nike CEO Mark Parker, via Darren Rovell:

I have been deeply saddened by the news coming out of this investigation at Penn State. It is a terrible tragedy that children were unprotected from such abhorrent crimes. With the findings released today, I have decided to change the name of our child care center at our World Headquarters. My thoughts are with the victims and the Penn State community.

Expect more of this sort of thing to come soon.

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Joe Paterno Should Have Gone To Jail: 6 Takeaways From The Freeh Report

The Freeh Report spared nothing, from the Penn State leadership's handling of allegations against Jerry Sandusky to Joe Paterno's legacy.

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Joe Paterno's Family Releases New Statement After Freeh Report

The legacy of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno took a catastrophic hit Thursday upon the release of the investigative report by former FBI chief Louis Freeh, who found Paterno worked to "actively conceal" sex abuse allegations made against Jerry Sandusky. Paterno and three other PSU leaders "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade," Freeh found.

Paterno's family released a statement in defense of the fallen patriarch shortly after the report came out . The complete statement is below. There's also this:

Just talked to Scott #Paterno who said his father's hands were tied in 1998 because of police investigation. In 2001, he reported it to boss

— Sara Ganim (@sganim) July 12, 2012

We are in the process of reviewing the Freeh report and will need some time before we can comment in depth on its findings and conclusions. From the moment this crisis broke, Joe Paterno supported a comprehensive, fair investigation. He always believed, as we do, that the full truth should be uncovered.

From what we have been able to assess at this time, it appears that after reviewing 3 million documents and conducting more than 400 interviews, the underlying facts as summarized in the report are almost entirely consistent with what we understood them to be. The 1998 incident was reported to law enforcement and investigated. Joe Paterno reported what he was told about the 2001 incident to Penn State authorities and he believed it would be fully investigated. The investigation also confirmed that Sandusky's retirement in 1999 was unrelated to these events.

One great risk in this situation is a replaying of events from the last 15 years or so in a way that makes it look obvious what everyone must have known and should have done. The idea that any sane, responsible adult would knowingly cover up for a child predator is impossible to accept. The far more realistic conclusion is that many people didn't fully understand what was happening and underestimated or misinterpreted events. Sandusky was a great deceiver. He fooled everyone -- law enforcement, his family, coaches, players, neighbors, University officials, and everyone at Second Mile.

Joe Paterno wasn't perfect. He made mistakes and he regretted them. He is still the only leader to step forward and say that with the benefit of hindsight he wished he had done more. To think, however, that he would have protected Jerry Sandusky to avoid bad publicity is simply not realistic. If Joe Paterno had understood what Sandusky was, a fear of bad publicity would not have factored into his actions.

We appreciate the effort that was put into this investigation. The issue we have with some of the conclusions is that they represent a judgment on motives and intentions and we think this is impossible. We have said from the beginning that Joe Paterno did not know Jerry Sandusky was a child predator. Moreover, Joe Paterno never interfered with any investigation. He immediately and accurately reported the incident he was told about in 2001.

It can be argued that Joe Paterno should have gone further. He should have pushed his superiors to see that they were doing their jobs. We accept this criticism. At the same time, Joe Paterno and everyone else knew that Sandusky had been repeatedly investigated by authorities who approved his multiple adoptions and foster children. Joe Paterno mistakenly believed that investigators, law enforcement officials, University leaders and others would properly and fully investigate any issue and proceed as the facts dictated.

This didn't happen and everyone shares the responsibility.

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Matt Millen Still Defending Joe Paterno, Penn State

Penn State Scandal: Freeh Says Paterno Was 'Integral Part Of Act To Conceal'

The Freeh Report was released on Thursday morning and revealed some damning evidence against the leadership at Penn State University, including head football coach Joe Paterno. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh held a press conference to discuss the findings of the report.

Freeh was asked by reporters if he felt the issue was a football problem, to which he replied "The rapes of these boys occured in the Lasch building. Paterno's office was in the Lasch building. Sandusky's office was in the Lasche building."

The Lasch Building, as you could have gathered, is the football building at Penn State.

Freeh also indicated that Paterno was part of a group that went on to "actively conceal" the transgressions by Sandusky. "The facts are the facts," Freeh said at the press conference. "He was an integral part of the act to conceal."

When asked if Paterno could have stopped the cover-up, Freeh responded, "I think it's a very strong and reasonable inference he could have done so if he wished."

Freeh also discussed janitors' claims to have seen some of the most horrific acts that were covered up. "What is striking about 1998, is that nobody spoke to Sandusky," Freeh said. "Not one of those four persons. There's not one indication that Paterno, who was a few steps away from his office, did anything. Nobody said, 'Look, do not bring in any other kids to this lockerroom or football facility' in 1998, including Paterno.

"If that's the culture at the bottom, God help the culture at the top."

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Freeh Report: Joe Paterno, Penn State 'Failed To Protect' Children

The Freeh Report on Penn State's response to claims made against Jerry Sandusky in 1998 and 2001 has been released, painting a very unpleasant picture of the decisions made by Joe Paterno and other school leaders.

Joe Paterno Knew About Jerry Sandusky In 1998, Penn State Freeh Report Alleges

You can go here to read the item commonly known as the Freeh Report in a moment or two, as it's set to be ready for public consumption. Deadspin also has documents believed to be preparation notes from the 10 a.m. ET press conference, which includes the line, "Yes, we believe it does," in response to the question, "Does the evidence support the termination of Coach Paterno?"

Additionally, Freeh released remarks on the occasion of the report's conclusion, detailing its process and highlighting some of the major findings, including Paterno's alleged awareness of the 1998 investigation into Jerry Sandusky's alleged sex abuse:

Working exceptionally hard in a very short amount of time for an investigation of this magnitude, my team conducted over 430 interviews of various individuals that included current and former University employees from various departments across the University, as well as current and past Trustees, former coaches, athletes and others in the community. We also analyzed over 3.5 million emails and other documents. The evidence found by our investigators included critical, contemporaneous correspondence from the times of these events. Our investigative team made independent discovery of critical 1998 and 2001 emails - the most important evidence in this investigation. We also confirmed, through our separate forensic review, that the correct year of the Sandusky sexual assault witnessed by Michael McQueary was 2001, and not 2002 as set forth in the original Grand Jury presentment ...

Some individuals declined to be interviewed. For example, on the advice of counsel, both Mr. Curley and Mr. Schultz declined to be interviewed. Also, the Pennsylvania Attorney General requested that we not interview certain potential witnesses. We honored those requests. Mr. Paterno passed away before we had the opportunity to speak with him, although we did speak with some of his representatives. We believe that he was willing to speak with us and would have done so, but for his serious, deteriorating health. We were able to review and evaluate his grand jury testimony, his public statements, and notes and papers from his files that were provided to us by his attorney ...

The evidence shows that these four men also knew about a 1998 criminal investigation of Sandusky relating to suspected sexual misconduct with a young boy in a Penn State football locker room shower. Again, they showed no concern about that victim. The evidence shows that Mr. Paterno was made aware of the 1998 investigation of Sandusky, followed it closely, but failed to take any action, even though Sandusky had been a key member of his coaching staff for almost 30 years, and had an office just steps away from Mr. Paterno's. At the very least, Mr. Paterno could have alerted the entire football staff, in order to prevent Sandusky from bringing another child into the Lasch Building. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley also failed to alert the Board of Trustees about the 1998 investigation or take any further action against Mr. Sandusky. None of them even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct. In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity.

The report, the result of an independent group led by former FBI chief Louis Freeh investigating and reviewing the circumstances at Penn State around Jerry Sandusky's decade-plus of abuse, has been in the works for months, and has been anticipated by media members and fans alike. One group less happy with the report's release? Joe Paterno's family, which released a statement expressing its displeasure with the endeavor.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Tim Curley's Choice: Sell Out Joe Paterno And Penn State Football?

Joe Paterno can't defend himself in court. So might his former associates, who are facing perjury charges for failing to stop Jerry Sandusky from abusing children, dare to use that against him?

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2001 Penn State Officials Discussed Jerry Sandusky With Lawyers For 3 Hours

Following up on that damning CNN report in which emails between Penn State vice president Gary Schultz, athletic director Tim Curley and president Graham Spanier revealed a 2001 plan to keep sex abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky in-house, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports PSU higher-ups met for three hours with lawyers to discuss a "report of suspected child abuse."

From the Chronicle:

Top Pennsylvania State University officials held a three-hour meeting to discuss Jerry Sandusky in 2001 over concerns about the former coach's behavior with a boy in the football showers. A law-firm billing record from that conversation describes a "report of suspected child abuse," according to a person with knowledge of an independent investigation into the matter.

That's three hours of lawyering, at least two rounds of emails, at least one meeting with accuser Mike McQueary, one apparent meeting with Joe Paterno and a potential eventual sit-down with Sandusky himself, but not a single phone call to police or child welfare authorities. Unsurprisingly, Curley and Schultz face perjury charges.

The Chronicle also confirmed CNN's report of an email from Spanier which read, "The only downside for us is if the message isn't 'heard' and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it."

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Penn State Scandal: Explaining The Jerry Sandusky Appeals Process

We've got a long way to go here. While former Penn State higher-ups Gary Schultz and Tim Curley face perjury charges, and the school itself has a whole lot of settling to do, we're not even done with the Jerry Sandusky legal proceedings yet.Follow @SBNationCFB

Penn State Scandal: Louis Freeh Report Could Mean NCAA Action

After the bombshell dropped Saturday that the late Joe Paterno may have been involved in the Penn State administration's coverup of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal, more bad news is coming for the athletic department in Happy Valley.

According to a report in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the independent investigation led by Louis Freeh has honed in on, among other things, special treatment the athletic department sought for some university athletes. According to a report by the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News, emails between former university President Graham Spanier and the school's former general counsel, Wendell V. Courtney, "describe steps the two men took to protect players." Also from the Patriot-News:

[An] unnamed source told the Chronicle some of the Freeh investigators "appeared to find it problematic" that some top Penn State officials had resisted adopting athletic oversight practices in use at many other schools.

[...]

"We'll have to wait to see what the Freeh report finds," (current university President Rodney) Erickson said. But, he added, "We will take responsibility for whatever is identified in the Freeh report, and we will make changes that address any issues that are raised."

If the NCAA views the Freeh report as something viable on which to act, it could mean big sanctions coming down to Penn State. Despite Sandusky's egregious acts, to this point it has remained unclear what, if any, action the NCAA could take against Penn State. However, if a general lack of oversight and favoritism for athletes is proven to have taken place, don't be surprised in the NCAA brings the hammer down on the Nittany Lions.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Coverup: Joe Paterno Mentioned In 2001 Penn State Emails

Emails by disgraced Penn State officials discussing Jerry Sandusky appear to reference Joe Paterno.

Jerry Sandusky Found Guilty: Full Breakdown Of Charges

Jerry Sandusky was originally facing 52 counts of child sexual abuse. Friday, he was found guilty of 45 counts. Sandusky was facing 48 counts when the jury returned with a verdict after four chargers were dismissed during the trial.

During the trial, three charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse were dismissed as was one charge of unlawful contact with minors. When the verdict returned, Sandusky was found not guilty of one charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and two charges of indecent assault.

Sandusky was found guilty of nine charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, six counts of indecent assault, nine counts of unlawful contact with minors, 10 counts of corruption of minors, 10 counts of endangering welfare of children and one count of criminal attempt to commit indecent assault.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Joe Amendola Has Gone Full-Hutz

Jerry Sandusky Trial: More Victims Ready If Jury Acquits, According To Report

It appears quite likely the prosecution in the Jerry Sandusky case is confident of victory once the jury has finished deliberating. I don't know much about legal things, but this much does seem to be clear. However, just in case the jury acquits, NBC reports more victims are ready to come forward.

A transcript via Deadspin, from a story on Travis Weaver, a 30-year-old Ohio man who's the first alleged victim to speak publicly:

"He is now part of a second group of guys who came forward later, who did testify-he testified before a grand jury, prosecutors have his testimony, he's willing to testify in court. They're holding that group in case they need them, in case they get a not guilty verdict out of this current jury. They could potentially go after federal charges against Jerry Sandusky."

The feds are indeed interested in Sandusky, since he allegedly took boys across state lines on bowl game trips. Weaver alleges he was taken to the 1995 Rose Bowl against Oregon in California.

That's in addition to Matt Sandusky, the Penn State coach's adopted son, who likewise has said he was abused and was prepared to testify.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky's Son Says He Was A Victim Of Adoptive Father

The trial of Jerry Sandusky concluded Thursday, but ugly allegations continue to surface. With the jury deliberations underway, Sandusky's adopted son, Matt Sandusky, alleged through his attorney that he is also a victim of his father's abuse.

Sara Ganim of the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported that Matt Sandusky's attorney, Andrew Shubin, indicated that he and his client met with prosecutors this week to tell them for the first time that he is a victim. Via Ganim:

Matt, 33, was adopted by Jerry and Dottie Sandusky as an adult, after going to live with the family as a foster child.

He has denied ever being abused by his adopted father until now.

"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment," Shubin said in a statement.

Matt Sandusky was never called as a witness in the case against Jerry Sandusky, but Ganim reports that he was prepared to give a full and truthful account if called to the stand. Matt's biological mom, Debra Long, had testified earlier before a grand jury about odd behavior between Jerry Sandusky and her son.

As Ben Jones points out, Matt is just one of six children adopted by Sandusky:

What makes this feel worse is the fact Matt Sandusky is only one of Jerry's six adopted children.

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) June 21, 2012

For more on the Sandusky trial, head to Black Shoe Diaries and SB Nation Pittsburgh.

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Jerry Sandusky Trial: Joe Amendola Makes Closing Arguments

Joe Amendola, the lead attorney for Jerry Sandusky, has wrapped up his closing arguments in the sexual assault trial against the former Penn State coach. In his arguments, Amendola questioned the credibility of his client's accusers and claimed that the first victim set off a chain reaction that caused other children who were, in the opinion of Amendola, not actually assaulted by Sandusky to come forward.

"We believe there was a push when [alleged victim No. 1] came forward. This is a public figure. Let's see if we can get more kids. Let's see if we can move forward ... If he's such a monster, why didn't they arrest him in 2008? They didn't feel comfortable charging him until they had enough."

This is certainly an interesting argument by Amendola. It's not exactly uncommon for police to wait to arrest someone until they feel they have enough to make a case against them.

Amendola also questioned why, if his client is a serial pedophile, he was not accused of anything until the late 1990s. Sandusky is 68-years-old, and Amendola asked whether "Mr. Sandusky out of the blue becomes a pedophile? [It] doesn't make sense."

The prosecution will now present its closing arguments, and the jury is expected to go into deliberation on Thursday afternoon.

For more on the Sandusky trial, head to Black Shoe Diaries and SB Nation Pittsburgh.

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Jerry Sandusky's Wife Takes Stand On Tuesday, Defense Begins To Build Case

The prosecution has already rested in the trial of former Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Now it is up to the defense of Sandusky's lawyers to attempt to prevent a prison term on the 51 criminal counts of sexual abuse against him.

The Associated Press via SI.com reports that the defense called several witnesses as it attempts to build its case. Sundusky's wife, Dottie Sandusky, took the stand on Tuesday to testify on her husband's behalf, to speak to Sandusky's reputation. Much of the defense, however, seems to be focusing on a personality disorder by which Sandusky is said to be affected.

Earlier, a psychologist testified that Sandusky has a personality disorder that might explain the "creepy" letters he sent to one of his accusers.

Elliot Atkins told jurors that he diagnosed Sandusky with histrionic personality disorder after talking with the ex-coach for six hours.

People with the disorder often interact with others in inappropriately seductive ways and don't feel comfortable unless they're the center of attention, Atkins explained.

"Often these are people who did not have as much success in relationships - emotional or romantic - (and) relationships in life," he said, responding to questions from Sandusky lawyer Joe Amendola.

Sandusky's attorney is hoping to convince jurors that the disorder could explain his client's letters to the accuser known as Victim 4 and other interaction that prosecutors allege show his grooming of victims.

It remains to be seen how this approach will be interpreted by the jurors in the case.

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Jerry Sandusky Defense Off To Strong Start

Jerry Sandusky Trial: Victim Testifies About 'Soundproof' Basement

The final accuser in the Jerry Sandusky trial took the stand and testified on Thursday as the prosecution winds down their case. The last accuser testified that he spent more than 100 nights in the basement of Sandusky's home, where the young boy alleged he was molested and sexually abused.

The accuser also testified that he thought the basement was soundproof, articulating that he screamed out for help at least once while Sandusky's wife was home. He could not confirm whether Sandusky's wife heard his cry for help.

It was chilling testimony from the now-18-year-old, who, along with his mother, reported the accusations to police in November 2011. The accuser added during his testimony that Sandusky would also take him to Penn State football games and give him gifts.

Judge John Cleland ended the day of trial after the testimony of the eighth and final accuser. The trial will not resume until Monday, with the prosecution still presenting argument and testimony as it progresses toward the end of its case.

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Jerry Sandusky Trial: Prosecution To Rest Case Early As Troubling Testimony Continues

The state is prepared to rest its case against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky well ahead of schedule, judge John Cleland announced Thursday. A move meant to express the prosecution's confidence in its case, perhaps, despite a lack of any "smoking gun" or any more major surprise evidence?

It's a case that's only gotten more and more convincing, especially with Cleland's admission of hearsay testimony by former Penn State janitor Jim Calhoun, who can't testify due to suffering from dementia. As Dan Wetzel describes the scene, defense attorney Joe Amendola was unprepared for the testimony and struggled mightily to counter it, as Calhoun and his associates have no hypothetical financial motive whatsoever.

As their case wraps, yet another accuser -- "Victim 6" -- accused Sandusky of sexual assault in vivid detail. He said his mother went to law enforcement, but was unable to get an investigation started. A police detective said that encounter alone should've resulted in charges for Sandusky.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Yes, Jerry Sandusky Still Has People On His Side

Jerry Sandusky Trial: 'Victim 10' Alleges Threats After Sexual Assault

Day 3 of the Jerry Sandusky trial has brought more and more horrible testimony against the former Penn State coach, including allegations of threats after one episode of sexual assault. The accuser identified as "Victim 10" accused Sandusky of threatening him with isolation from family if he ever told, adding that Sandusky later told him he loved him.

Via the Associated Press:

The man, now 25 and called Victim 10 by prosecutors, told jurors Sandusky assaulted him in the basement of the former Penn State assistant football coach's State College home in the late 1990s, then threatened to keep him away from his biological family.

"He told me that if I ever told anyone that I'd never see my family again," the accuser testified, adding that he believed Sandusky's wife, Dottie, was home at the time.

"Victim 7" has also testified, describing in truly quease-inducing detail the effects of Sandusky's alleged molestation.

That particular threat alleged by "Victim 10" might be one of the most appalling claims yet, especially considering Sandusky's Second Mile charity was founded with the supposed mission of helping young boys with troubled family lives. According to the charge, Sandusky used the threat of actively worsening a family life just to keep sexual abuse quiet.

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Jerry Sandusky Trial: Mike McQueary Describes Intense Abuse Scene

Day 2 of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse trial concluded early after testimony by former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary, who passed along to former head coach Joe Paterno an eyewitness account of Sandusky allegedly abusing a boy in the Nittany Lions' locker room in 2001. McQueary described the incident to the court Tuesday in very graphic detail, saying he slammed a locker door to try and break up the act before going upstairs to collect his thoughts.

McQueary was criticized early in the Sandusky story for apparently failing to stop the act and instead calling his father and Paterno, though he's maintained that he did cause it to halt. McQueary testified Tuesday that his father told him to leave the building immediately, which he did.

Earlier in the day, "Victim 1" broke down while describing the alleged abuse perpetrated by Sandusky.

Also, a social worker testified that Sandusky admitted to her that he'd had intimate contact with a boy, but that he "couldn't recall" whether he'd ever touched him sexually.

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LaVar Arrington Remembers Alleged Jerry Sandusky Victim

Jerry Sandusky Trial: 'Victim 1' Breaks Down During Graphic Testimony

We're only in day No. 2 of the Jerry Sandusky sex assault trial, and details of alleged victim testimony are already becoming just about unbearable. A day after "Victim 4" described years of molestation and bribery by Sandusky, "Victim 1" took the stand, breaking down in tears while recounting some of the worst moments yet.

First, there's this:

Victim 1 says that he went to a guidance counselor who said "Jerry wouldn't do that he has a heart of gold"

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) June 12, 2012

And via The Associated Press:

The teen told the jury Sandusky would also initiate contact by blowing on his stomach and performed oral sex on him.

"I spaced,'' the alleged victim said. "I didn't know what to do with all the thoughts running through my head, I just kind of blacked out and didn't want it to happen. I froze.''

Sandusky didn't visibly react to the teen's account and looked straight ahead during his testimony.

"Victim 1" is the 18-year-old whose story helped launch the investigation that led to the grand jury report bombshell in the first place. He's the second of as many as eight young men who could testify against Sandusky during the trial.

Meanwhile, the defense's primary argument has been that each of the accusers is uniquely not credible and that money has played a role in their claims against the former Penn State coach.

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Jerry Sandusky Trial: Defense Lawyer Argues Sandusky Is Victim, Marijuana Purchase Alleged

The Jerry Sandusky trial began Monday, and almost immediately became a horrifying account of both Sandusky's alleged serial sexual abuse and the lengths to which the defense will go to defend him.

The latter came when the defense posited that that there will be no victims unless the jury finds Sandusky guilty. The former came in all sorts of ways, notably when the prosecution had an alleged victim of Sandusky's abuse testify that the former Penn State defensive coordinator bought him marijuana.

Victim 4 said #Sandusky took him to buy marijuana. Amendola asked: did he know what it was? Victim 4: I smoked it right in front of him.

— abc27 Sandusky Trial (@abc27Sandusky) June 11, 2012

But that wasn't nearly the worst bit of evidence presented against Sandusky on the first day:

#Sandusky contracts given to victim 4 for money in exchange for relationship shown to jurors

— Sara Ganim (@sganim) June 11, 2012

Victim 4: when others were around #Sandusky would treat him like his son. When no one was around,he'd treat him like his girlfriend.

— abc27 Sandusky Trial (@abc27Sandusky) June 11, 2012

2/2Victim 4: Told the Grand Jury he and Sandusky had engaged in sexual activity over 50 times, a combination of oral sex, etc…"

— abc27 Sandusky Trial (@abc27Sandusky) June 11, 2012

And as for the supposed "love letters" Sandusky sent to one of his victims, they're already part of the trial.

Defense team offers new explanation for alleged "love letters" to victims -- #Sandusky suffers a personality disorder. note.io/Mv4Tro

— Megan Healey (@MeganHealey) June 11, 2012

To read one of the "love letters" written by #Sandusky to alleged victim click here: ow.ly/bvzaS (via @InSession)

— Megan Healey (@MeganHealey) June 11, 2012

In all, Victim 4 testified for about four hours on Monday before court was adjourned at 4:47 p.m. Eastern.

Proceedings will resume at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

For more Penn State football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

'Humane'

Jerry Sandusky Trial: Opening Statements Set Disturbing Stage

The Jerry Sandusky trial began with opening statements on Monday, and it very quickly got just as troubling as you've likely feared. From the prosecution's opening remarks, one of the worst details raised yet against the former Penn State assistant football coach:

#Sandusky had asterisks next to victim names on lists of second mile children, prosecutor said

— Sara Ganim (@sganim) June 11, 2012

But, as always, there's more, and it's always horrible:

Prosecution also states that Dottie Sandusky witnessed an assault in a hotel room.

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) June 11, 2012

As for what the defense can do to counter an apparent mountain of evidence raised against their client:

Defense acknowledges state has overwhelming evidence, pleads for open minds, says there are no victims unless jury finds Sandusky guilty

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 11, 2012

Mike McQueary will be major focus. Defense say story inconsistent, he assumed he saw intercourse. Prosecution promised graphic testimony

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 11, 2012

McQueary's story has indeed apparently changed over time, with the date of the witness he allegedly witnessed among the elements that's no longer the same. The defense will also have to make every other witness and alleged victim look much less than credible, however.

For more Penn State football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Trial's Jury Is So Penn State

We knew it was going to turn out like this, but it's still kind of amazing to look at how many ties to Penn State there are among the jurors in Jerry Sandusky's sex assault trial. In addition to the nine chosen Tuesday, which included a current Penn State student in addition to others with ties to the school, Wednesday's jurors added even more university associations to the complete jury.

From the AP's report:

... an engineering administrative assistant at Penn State, a dance teacher in the school's continuing education program and a professor who has on the faculty for 24 years.

They also include a Penn State senior, a retired soil sciences professor with 37 years at the university, a man with bachelor's and master's degrees from the school and a woman who's been a football season ticket holder since the 1970s.

As for the one alternate who's been chosen:

Alternate juror #1 is a white female in her 30s. Single, 2007 Penn State grad. Short questioning period comparatively.

— abc27 Sandusky Trial (@abc27Sandusky) June 6, 2012

This was all but bound to happen in State College, leading some to wish the trial had been held elsewhere.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky's 'Creepy' Love Letters To Victim Will Be Used Against Him, According To Report

Jury selection has begun in the Jerry Sandusky trial, but that wasn't the biggest news of the day regarding the trial. Former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Sandusky, who is facing 52 counts of child molestation, will reportedly have a bombshell dropped on him. The prosecution is apparently set to introduce "love letters" that Sandusky allegedly wrote to several victims as evidence against him, according to a report by ABC News.

The letters, which were allegedly written in Sandusky's own handwriting, are expected to corroborate the testimony of the man known as Victim 4, now 28 years old, who met the coach through Sandusky's charity, the Second Mile. The victim's attorney won't talk about the letter, but sources describe the letters as "creepy" and note that one was written in the third person includes a lewd title and is a love story between a boy and a man.

Just when you thought the Sandusky trial couldn't get more creepy and weird, it got more creepy and weird. A lot more creepy and weird.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky 'Likely' To Also Face Federal Indictment, According To Report

The sex assault trial against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has barely even begun, with jury selection only starting up Tuesday morning, and there's already something else on the horizon. Philadelphia's ABC affiliate reports the federal investigation into Sandusky is "likely" about to lead to an indictment.

As detailed in the grand jury report from last year, one of Sandusky's alleged victims ("Victim 4") accompanied the coach across state lines to the 1998 Outback Bowl in Tampa and the 1999 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Crossing state lines makes the alleged ensuing sexual abuse a federal issue. Action News reports this is indeed the crux of the federal investigation.

The feds have reportedly been looking into Sandusky for more than three months now, though their interest also included Sandusky's Second Mile charity, according to the Patriot-News. This means there could be even more on the way here.

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For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Trial Already Demonstrating Circus-Like Tendencies

Mike McQueary Intends To Sue Penn State

Mike McQueary, the former wide receivers coach for the Penn St. Nittany Lions, was a key witness who testified about Jerry Sandusky's alleged actions in the PSU locker room in 2001. After McQueary came forward as a witness in the case, he received death threats and was placed on administrative leave by the university.

Mike Dawson of the Centre Daily Times reports that McQueary has filed a notice of intent to sue Penn State. The notice is for a civil suit and was filed in county court on Tuesday.

The details of the suit are not immediately known but the case is referred to in the filed documents as a "whistleblower" lawsuit. Under United States law, employees who report on illegal activity are protected and should not be subject to reprisal or termination by the employer as a result of their testimony.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Penn State Warned In 1998 That Jerry Sandusky Fit 'Likely Pedophile' Pattern

The ongoing saga of former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is just that -- ongoing. While he's been charged with more than 50 counts of child sexual abuse, it's looking as though the whole situation is still capable of looking worse and worse for him, Joe Paterno and Penn State.

What makes it look worse is the fact that NBC News obtained the complete file on the 1998 police investigation of Sandusky, when he allegedly was showering and bear hugging a young boy in the locker room. That investigation has some troubling conclusions, mostly from psychologist Dr. Alycia A. Chambers, a therapist for one of Sandusky's alleged victims.

The file includes a report from Chambers that states Sandusky's actions fit the pattern of a "likely pedophile." A piece from MSNBC has some recent quotes from Chambers that shed further light on the situation:

"There was very little doubt in my mind (Sandusky) ... was a male predator, someone that was in the process of grooming a young man for abuse ," said Chambers, speaking publicly for the first time, with the permission of her client's family, in an interview with NBC News. "I thought...my report was strong enough to suggest that this was somebody who should be watched."

This is significant to everything related to this situation because it's 1998 -- a full four years before Mike McQueary reported to Paterno regarding catching Sandusky in the shower with a young boy. It's troubling to know that such solid and professional ties to Sandusky and this kind of behavior dates back that far. The piece also has some quotes from one of the investigators in the 1998 case, who claims he never saw the report from Chambers.

Even if something like this was never introduced as evidence in an official police investigation, the report suggests that the proper people at the school were made aware of Chambers' conclusion.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Victims To Get Promised Assistance From Penn State, School Says

Back in January, Penn State University promised to find Jerry Sandusky's alleged sex abuse victims and pay for their "abuse-related health costs," but the Patriot News' Sara Ganim reported Wednesday evening that no victims had yet been helped. Hours later, the school announced it has established a partnership with which it can follow through with its pledge.

As for the pending trial itself, the cases for and against the former Penn St. Nittany Lions coach are still being constructed, with judge John Cleland providing the defense with the contact information of Sandusky's accusers. One alleged victim's lawyer says Sandusky "knows what he did to these young men."

Penn State's own investigation also continues, with former FBI chief Louis Freeh's team interviewing 200 individuals. Freeh has been tasked by the school's Board of Trustees with exploring exactly the role the football program played at the school in light of the Sandusky coverup.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Attorney General: Jerry Sandusky Abused 8 Victims On Penn State's Campus

According to a Thursday court filing by prosecutors, former Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant Jerry Sandusky had alleged sexual abuse victims that ranged from age eight to 17, and that instances involving eight boys occurred on the Penn State campus (via SI.com).

Via the attorney general's "bill of particulars," one boy was abused in Florida and Texas, while another was abused at his own school. The alleged assaults happened between 1996 to 2009 and ranged from Sandusky's home to the Penn State athletics facilities.

The document, which was produced thanks to a request by Sandusky's lawyer, discloses details of the allegations that might help them prepare a defense.

The 68-year-old Sandusky is confined to his home while he awaits trial on 52 criminal counts, all of which he denies guilt.

On Wednesday, a judge turned down Sandusky's request for a two-month delay and tentatively scheduled trial to begin with jury selection on May 14.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Jerry Sandusky Now Subject Of Federal Investigation, According To Report

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been the subject of a months-long investigation into numerous claims that he sexually abused children. Now, according to Sara Ganim of The Patriot-News, Sandusky is also the subject of a federal investigation that involves both Penn State and The Second Mile, the children's charity Sandusky allegedly used to meet more than 10 of the children he's charged with abusing.

Ganim writes that the federal investigation is separate from and "parallel to" the state investigation into Sandusky, and that Penn State confirmed to her that it received a subpoena from federal authorities for information related to the university, former Penn State president Graham Spanier, and Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, who face perjury charges for their roles in the Sandusky investigation.

Sandusky's state trial date has been set for May 14 in a Pennsylvania court.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Trial Date Tentatively Set For May

The ongoing Jerry Sandusky case now has a tentative trial date: May 14, announced by judge John Cleland. The former Penn St. Nittany Lions coach, accused of sexually abusing young boys, has been going through a pretrial hearing this week.

Sandusky testified Friday at the hearing that he doesn't think it matters whether his jury is local to State College or composed of Pennsylvanians from elsewhere. Prosecutors want an out-of-county jury, while the defense wants to restrict jurors to nearer Penn State's campus.

Cleland also promised a swift ruling on Sandusky's request to see his grandchildren and heard complaints from prosecutors about Sandusky allegedly being spotted observing schoolchildren from his porch while on house arrest. The prosecution wants Sandusky to remain indoors except in the event of an emergency. The defense, of course, wants Sandusky to be able to leave his house.

For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.

Phil Knight Attacks Penn State Trustees At Joe Paterno's Memorial

Joe Paterno's Death Means Testimony Can't Be Used In Perjury Cases

The passing of former Penn St. Nittany Lions football coach Joe Paterno is expected to have no impact on the cases against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who's accused of raping multiple young boys over the period of about a decade. But according to a New York Times report, the seven-minute testimony Paterno recorded and his testimony for the Sandusky grand jury can't be used in future proceedings against former admins Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, who've been charged with perjury:

"Now that Paterno is deceased, this charge will have to stand only on the report by McQueary," said Geoff Moulton, a former federal prosecutor and an associate professor at Widener School of Law. "With respect to Victim 2 and the charges against Curley and Schultz, McQueary's testimony, which has always been critical, is even more so."

This damages the cases against Curley and Schultz, which now have to rely largely on the story of former graduate assistant Mike McQueary, whose story may have changed slightly over time. Plenty of other evidence should still be on the way against Sandusky, however, including expected testimony from multiple alleged victims.

Paterno had testified that he knew Sandusky had been accused of "inappropriate action."

For more on Paterno, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For more college football, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub.

Joe Paterno's Death Leaves LaVar Arrington And Others With Lots Left To Say

As former Penn State Nittany Lions like LaVar Arrington deal with Joe Paterno's death, others are considering his legacy. The answer depends on whether you truly knew JoePa, or just what you were told.

Jerry Sandusky's Statement On Joe Paterno's Death

Jerry Sandusky is in the news these days for all of the wrong reasons, but the former Penn State Nittany Lions assistant coach decided to issue a statement on his former head coach following the death of Joe Paterno on Sunday morning.

Sandusky is currently facing 52 criminal charges for the alleged sexual abuse of children -- charges that led to a blowup of the Penn State football program and the ousting of Paterno as head coach after he'd spent the previous 61 years coaching at the school.

Sandusky's statement, as released to the Associated Press, is included below.

"This is a sad day! Our family, Dottie and I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to Sue and her family. Nobody will be able to take away the memories we all shared of a great man, his family, and all the wonderful people who were a part of his life."

"He maintained a high standard in a very difficult profession. Joe preached toughness, hard work and clean competition. Most importantly, he had the courage to practice what he preached."

For more on Paterno, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For more college football, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub.

Joe Paterno Dies, And Penn State Tragedy Continues Without Him

Behind The Scenes Of Joe Paterno's Firing

Joe Paterno Interview: 'I Didn’t Know Exactly How To Handle It'

Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno broke his silence and spoke with the Washington Post about the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Gary Schultz On Jerry Sandusky: 'Don't Know' If Genital Contact Is 'Criminal'

Former Penn St. Nittany Lions vice president Gary Schultz' testimony joined Joe Paterno's and Tim Curley's in court records on Friday. His is certainly the hardest to read. At one point, Schultz explained why he didn't feel Penn State should take allegations of "inappropriate conduct" against former coach Jerry Sandusky to the police.

Here's how Schultz conveyed his reasoning:

CoryGiger Schultz in transcript: "Not all inappropriate conduct is criminal."

CoryGiger Schultz in transcript: an adult being naked in a shower with a young boy doesn't necessarily constitute criminal    

CoryGiger Schultz in transcript: "I don't know if it's criminal" if a man grabs a young boy's genitals    

We don't really need me to explain to you everything that's off there.

Schultz added that he didn't try to find out the alleged victim's identity.

He agreed with Curley in describing Mike McQueary's version of the shower incident as just "horsing around," adding that genitals may have been grabbed. 

Regarding the 1998 claim against Sandusky, Schultz testified he believed the 2002 investigation had been sent along to the same "agency," though he couldn't specify which agency that may have been.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Case: Tim Curley Testifies He Decided Not To Call Police

Former Penn St. Nittany Lions athletic director Tim Curley had testimony read into court records Friday. He's the AD who was arrested and charged with perjury for his role, or lack thereof, in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse investigation.

Curley testified that, from what then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary told him Sandusky had done, he didn't think a crime had occurred. He said McQueary described the shower encounter as "horsing around" with a child and not "anal intercourse." The decision not to call police was his own, Curley said. 

He also said he was contacted by Joe Paterno on Sunday following the allegation, but Paterno testified that he didn't contact Curley until the weekend was over. Curley said he and then-vice president Gary Schultz visited Paterno's house that Sunday.

After being told by Paterno and McQueary about the GA's claim, Curley said he and Schultz met with then-president Graham Spanier. Curley said he told Sandusky he was uncomfortable with the situation, but that he didn't keep him from bringing children onto Penn State's campus.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Joe Paterno Testifies He Knew Of 'Inappropriate Action' By Jerry Sandusky, But Waited To Tell

Testimony by former Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno was read into court records Friday afternoon. His remarks were brief, adding slight detail to his role in the story. The coach said he passed along Mike McQueary's allegations against Jerry Sandusky to athletic director Tim Curley, trusting the right thing would be done.

Here's Paterno, as quoted by the Daily Collegian:

I knew innapropriate action was taken by Jerry Sandusky with a youngster. I told Mike that what he did what was right. I said I would refer his concerns to the right people.

But one portion is going to draw more attention than the others. Paterno said he would've contacted Curley and vice president Gary Schultz immediately, but didn't want to interfere with their weekends. While that won't cut it morally for most people, it's an explanation.

There'd been some concern about the timeline relayed in the grand jury report, where it appears each step in the chain of communication halted the claim for a day or so before transmitting. Sounds like that's exactly what happened.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Mike McQueary Testifies He Saw Jerry Sandusky Having Intercourse With Boy

Mike McQueary, an assistant coach with the Penn State Nittany Lions, took to the stand to testify against former Penn State officials accused of lying to a grand jury about sexual abuse allegations against former coach Jerry Sandusky on Friday morning.

McQueary, a former graduate assistant, is the only adult witness on record to allege actually seeing Sandusky involved in the sexual abuse of young boys. The assistant coach was called to the stand early Friday morning to explain exactly what he saw Sandusky do and, according to the USA Today's liveblog of the incident, he testified that he witnessed Sandusky involved in actual intercourse with a young boy.

"I believe they were having some kind of intercourse. He moved toward shower and Sandusky separated from the boy. He didn't say anything and left. I was distraught. I was horrified," McQueary said. "I know they saw me. They both looked directly in my eyes, both of them."

McQueary then testified that he told head coach Joe Paterno was happened.

McQueary said over time that evening his decision was to call Joe Paterno and tell him what he saw. When asked why he told Paterno, McQueary said, "He's the head coach and he needs to know what's happening in there," USA TODAY's Audrey Snyder reports.

McQueary is the only known adult that has admitted to the grand jury that he saw Sandusky engaged in the sexual abuse claims, leaving his testimony as a rather key piece of the case against the former Penn State head coach.

Jerry Sandusky's Defense: Hygiene Education

Jerry Sandusky's Wife Releases Statement On Sex Abuse Allegations

Can't imagine it's been easy to be Dottie Sandusky, wife of former Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant Jerry Sandusky. Her husband has become the unofficial Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of just about everybody. And despite an extensive grand jury report, it's fruitless to judge her for choosing to believe her husband's claims of innocence. That's just what people do.

Mrs. Sandusky released a statement Thursday:

I want to thank our children, our family, our extended family of former Second Mile participants, and all our friends for standing by us through these difficult times. Jerry and I want to express our sorrow for all the hurt that has come to those who have supported us and our beloved Penn State and State College Communities.

I have been shocked and dismayed by the allegations made against Jerry, particularly the most recent one that a now young man has said he was kept in our basement during visits and screamed for help as Jerry assaulted him while I was in our home and didn't respond to his cries for help.

As the mother of six children, I have been devastated by these accusations. I am also angry about these false accusations that such a terrible incident ever occurred in my home. No child who ever visited our home was ever forced to stay in our basement and fed there. All the kids who visited us ate with us and our kids and other guests when they were at our home. Our children, our extended family and friends know how much Jerry and I love kids and have always tried to help and care for them. We would never do anything to hurt them. I am so sad anyone would make such a terrible accusation which is absolutely untrue. We don't know why these young men have made these false accusations, but we want everyone to know they are untrue.

I continue to believe in Jerry's innocence and all the good things he has done. Jerry's many success stories with his Second Mile kids and positive memories of those kids keep me going. I am asking everyone to please be reasonable and open-minded until both sides of this case are heard, and Jerry has the opportunity to prove his innocence.

I would like to thank all those individuals who continue to support Jerry and hope they will continue to support us through the conclusion of this very sad time in our lives.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Investigation: Big Ten Wants To Observe Penn State Probe

Local and federal government bodies are investigating Penn State University in light of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse disaster, and the NCAA has announced it'll play cop in some way or another. Now the Big Ten says in a statement that it would like to join in.

The most noteworthy portion: the conference will "reserve the right to impose sanctions, corrective or other disciplinary measures in the event that adverse findings are made in the areas of institutional control, ethical conduct."

That condition would seem to very, very much apply in this case.

The Big Ten's statement, unquestionably the most boring non-work-related thing you'll read today:

Park Ridge, Ill. - The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) held its regularly scheduled meeting this week with several items on its Agenda, including the series of events recently unfolding at Penn State University.

With regard to the Penn State matter, the Big Ten office issued the following statement on behalf of the COP/C:

The Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors express their sincere concern for any harm done to innocent young victims and their families. Protection of our children is one of society's most central responsibilities and institutions of higher education should be particularly vigilant. We are committed to examining our own institutions to assure that effective measures are taken to assure the safety of children on our campuses. 

It has been approximately one month since the initial release of the Grand Jury report in the Penn State matter and a number of federal, state and institutional investigations have been launched. While it is premature to reach any conclusions regarding civil or criminal liability arising out of these events, there does appear to be sufficient information to raise significant concerns as to whether a concentration of power in a single individual or program may have threatened or eroded institutional control of intercollegiate athletics at Penn State. 

As a result, the COP/C has determined that:

- It will gather and review the facts arising out of the allegations in the Grand Jury report that pertain to matters of institutional control, ethical conduct and/or other compliance related issues;
- It will request from Penn State University and the NCAA that Big Ten legal counsel be allowed to participate in the investigations or reviews, as the case may be, being conducted by Penn State and the NCAA as pertain to these issues; and
- It will reserve the right to impose sanctions, corrective or other disciplinary measures in the event that adverse findings are made in the areas of institutional control, ethical conduct and/or other Conference related matters.

In addition, the COP/C discussed the imperative of maintaining the public's trust in the integrity of its member institutions and, in earning and deserving this trust, the importance of asserting each institution's control over its intercollegiate athletics programs. The COP/C recognized and acknowledged that from time to time its institutions have failed to maintain the proper control of their athletics programs and that whenever this occurs at one institution in the Conference, due to the common bonds and shared values of the members of the Big Ten, each other member of the Conference is impacted. Accordingly, the COP/C has directed the Conference to initiate an immediate review of the fundamental issues and systems affecting intercollegiate athletics, including the serious issues relating to the institutional control of athletics. It intends for this review to lead to the consideration of a common set of "stress tests" or other criteria that could be applied by the Conference to its member institutions (a) to insure that each member is responsible and accountable to the collective membership of the Conference for the control and operation of its intercollegiate athletics programs as well as (b) to prevent anyone, whether a trustee, administrator, faculty member, athletic director, coach, booster or otherwise, from eroding the effectiveness of an institution's practices and procedures designed to protect the institution's integrity and control over its intercollegiate athletic programs. The COP/C intends for the review to be completed and for the proposed standards, stress tests and other criteria, along with the proposed enforcement procedures and penalties, to be presented to it for consideration at a special meeting to be held in spring 2012.    

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Arrested, Posts $250,000 Bail

Following his arrest on Wednesday, Judge Robert E. Scott ordered that Jerry Sandusky would have to post $250,000 bail and wear an electronic monitoring device if he didn't want to spend time in jail before facing sexual abuse charges. On Thursday morning, ESPN's Ashoka Moore reported that Sandusky has posted bail, according to court documents. He posted that bail using $200,000 in real estate holdings and a check for $50,000. Sandusky will now leave jail for his home and will wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure that he doesn't go places he isn't supposed to go.

One of those places he isn't supposed to go is the campus of Penn State University, which he is no longer allowed to visit. Incredibly, Sandusky was arrested while wearing PSU attire. Prosecutors had asked the judge to set Sandusky's bail at $1 million, but that request was denied.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Investigation: Another Accuser Steps Forward

A 19-year-old man recently filed a complaint with Pennsylvania state police alleging he was sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky after the former Penn St. Nittany Lions coach gave him liquor on campus in 2004, according to the accuser's lawyer Tuesday.

According to the lawyer, Charles Schmidt, his client first contacted him three weeks ago after the many charges of sexual abuse were brought against Sandusky.

From the Associated Press:

"He suffered one incident of abuse, to use the legal term - involuntary deviate sexual intercourse - allegedly at the hands of Mr. Sandusky,'' Schmidt said. "That occurred on the Penn State campus, we believe in the area of the football facilities.'"

Schmidt told The Associated Press that his client was 12-years old when the alleged incident  happened. The lawyer said the two met through The Second Mile.

The grand jury report did not allege any instances of Sandusky giving boys alcohol. Schmidt's law firm is conduction their own investigation of the claims and expects to have a final report in the next few weeks.

Sandusky's lawyer said he was not aware of these claims or the victim.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Talks About Investigation, Joe Paterno

Jerry Sandusky denied allegations of sexual child abuse in an interview with the New York Times released Saturday. During the four-hour interview, Sandusky said that former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno never approached him about the investigations into Sandusky's relationship with children in 1998 and 2002.

"I never talked to him about either one," he said. "That's all I can say. I mean, I don't know."

Paterno was fired last month, in part for failing to notify the police after assistant coach Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant, allegedly caught Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the Penn State locker room showers in 2002.

According to Sandusky, his relationships with kids was largely misunderstood.

"They've taken everything that I ever did for any young person and twisted it to say that my motives were sexual or whatever," Sandusky told the Times. "I had kid after kid after kid who might say I was a father figure. And they just twisted that all."

So far, eight alleged victims have come forward accusing Sandusky of sexual abuse. More audio from the interview can be found at the New York Times.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Investigation: New Alleged Victim Files First Civil Lawsuit Against Sandusky, Penn State

The Jerry Sandusky scandal has taken another turn as the investigation into the former Penn State football coach has now officially made its way into the courts system. A new alleged victim filed the first civil lawsuit on Wednesday morning, stating that he was sexually abused by the former Nittany Lions assistant "over one hundred times."

The new victim is only described in the lawsuit as being under 30 years of age and was referred to as John Doe throughout, but the suit notes that Sandusky met the boy in 1992 when he was 10 years old while participating in programs sponsored by the Second Mile foundation.

According to Lehigh Valley's The Morning Call, the new alleged victim is seeking in excess of $900,000 -- $100,000 from Sandusky, $400,000 from Penn State and $400,000 from The Second Mile.

The lawsuit is posted online (hat-tip to Andrew McGill) and says that Sandusky threatened the new alleged victim and his family if he told anyone about the abuse, forcing the victim to stay silent in the matter until the recent allegations emerged. The alleged victim also released a statement, presented by his lawyers at a press conference Wednesday:

I am the man in this lawsuit and I'm writing this statement and taking this action because I don't want other kids to be hurt and abused by Jerry Sandusky or anybody like Penn State to allow people like him to do it -- rape kids! I never told anybody what he did to me over 100 times at all kinds of places until the newspapers reported that he had abused other kids and the people at Penn State and Second Mile didn't do the things they should have to protect me and the other kids. I am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened but feel now even more tormented that I have learned of so many other kids were abused after me. Now that I have told and done something about it I am feeling better and going to get help and work with the police. I want other people who have been hurt to know they can come forward and get help and help protect others in the future.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Penn State Scandal: Louis Freeh Leading Internal Investigation

Louis Freeh, a former director of the FBI, will head up Penn State's internal investigation into the Jerry Sandusky debacle. He was introduced by PSU Board of Trustees investigative committee chair Ken Frazier, who said, "We are here today in response to the shocking and horrendous grand jury report."

Freeh is charged with digging into the entire university's role in Sandusky's alleged crimes, including any roles the trustees themselves may have played.

It's not the first foray into sports-related investigations for Freeh. He also looked into charges of FIFA World Cup corruption and the Reggie Bush ordeal at USC. Many jokes are probably running through your head right now after reading those two items.

Freeh said any findings of criminality will be sent immediately to the police and that the investigation needs to go back as far as 1975 -- shortly before Sandusky founded the Second Mile. It won't be public until it's concluded, and it could go on as long as it needs to.

State and federal government entities are investigating the school, and the NCAA has decided to play cop as well. Adding an internal probe to the matter, you'd have to hope somebody's going to find out every step at which this all went wrong.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jay Paterno Suggests Office Supply-Based Remedy To Big Ten Trophy Name Problem

Penn State Scandal: Second Mile Making Plans To Disband

Second Mile, the charity for at-risk youth founded by former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky, is beginning the process of disbanding, according to its chief executive. Two weeks ago, Sandusky was indicted on dozens of counts of child sex abuse following a lengthy grand jury investigation. In the presentment, the grand jury accused Sandusky of using Second Mile to find and groom victims, ultimately leading to the sexual assault allegations.

From the New York Times:

David Woodle, the chief executive of the charity, known as Second Mile, said in an interview Friday that the foundation was seeking to transfer its programs to other nonprofit organizations. The Second Mile’s leaders are looking at a limited number of organizations that could, and would, carry forward the foundation’s work with disadvantaged youth. He would not say which organizations would be candidates.

“We’re working hard to figure out how the programs can survive this event,” Woodle said. “We aren’t protective of this organization that it survives at all costs.”

Second Mile has also launched its own investigation into the claims of abuse in an effort to answer what charity leaders knew and when. The investigation is expected to last at least a month.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

The NCAA Shows Up Late To The Penn State Fire

Penn State NCAA Investigation: Jerry Sandusky Scandal Prompts Look Into 'Institutional Control'

NCAA president Mark Emmert has written a letter to new Penn State president Rodney Erickson, advising that an NCAA investigation into the Jerry Sandusky travesty is underway, which is quite an ambitious task for a rulebook that organizes a basketball tournament.

 A portion of the letter, though the entire document is available here:

I am writing to notify you that the NCAA will examine Penn State's exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs, as well as the actions, and inactions, of relevant responsible personnel. We recognize that there are ongoing federal and state investigations and the NCAA does not intend to interfere with those probes.

Emmert cites Article 2.1 of the NCAA Constitution, which declares, "it is the responsibility of each member institution to control its intercollegiate athletic program in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Association. The institution's president or chancellor is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the athletics program," including the actions of staff members.

After listing a pair of bylaws Penn State will need to show it hasn't broken, Emmert closes with a series of questions on the school's "institutional control" in relation to the Sandusky grand jury report. Penn State will have to submit their responses to the NCAA's inquiry by December 16. 

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Interview Brings More Alleged Victims, Witnesses To Case

Based on a New York Times report (which police have denied), the total number of Jerry Sandusky's suspected victims who've either come forward or been detailed in the grand jury report has approached 20. That might not be all, especially if Sandusky keeps denying the charges on national television.

The Patriot-News reports "several" more have come forward since the interview, with one alleging Sandusky's behavior went back as far as 1977, while ABC News reports Sandusky's interview steeled a pair of witnesses into testifying. From the sound of it, they might otherwise have declined to get involved if not for Sandusky's defiance. 

Here's attorney Andy Shubin, from the Patriot-News report:

"I spent about half the day in kitchens and living rooms, speaking with victims of Sandusky's molestation and processing with them the effects of Jerry Sandusky being on television and Jerry Sandusky denying wrongdoing," Shubin said. "And what I found was that these folks are being re-traumatized."

For so many reasons, putting Sandusky on air was a baffling legal move. Here are a few more reasons why.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

VIDEO: South Park's Penn State Jokes, Which Really Aren't Penn State Jokes

Mike McQueary Never Went To Police In 2002, According To Spokesperson

Penn State assistant Mike McQueary claimed he spoke to police in an email circulated to friends and obtained by the Morning Call on Tuesday. The email seemed to contradict the grand jury presentment in the case against Jerry Sandusky, but also raised questions about what police knew and when. On Wednesday, two police agencies in State College spoke out, denying McQueary ever sought them out in 2002.

The statement from State College police actually has little bearing on McQueary's credibility at all. A spokesman explains:

"He didn't come to State College police. The crime happened on campus and we don't have jurisdiction on campus," King said. "We've had no reports (of Sandusky sexually abusing someone) from anybody."

The university police force, which does hold jurisdiction over the Penn State campus, also denies ever hearing from McQueary:

"This is the first we have heard of it," said Lisa Powers, Penn State's director of public information.

Both quotes via ESPN

But here's the problem: we can only take Penn State's word for it. Because PSU is exempt from information requests, it can't be compelled to release records unless subpoenaed by a court of law. Penn State won't release the records itself, citing an ongoing investigation, so it's one word against another.

There's another piece to the equation, as well: nobody knows what, exactly, McQueary said to the grand jury. The presentment only paints one picture, and doesn't serve as a transcript of the testimony. It's a summary, and for all we know his statements could line up, making this much ado about nothing.

This semantics argument matters, or will matter in the future, because McQueary's credibility is at stake. If he's making conflicting statements now, it calls into question his status as a credible witness, opening him up to attacks by the defense whenever the case against Sandusky goes to trial.

Or McQueary could be back-tracking and making different statements now than he had in the past, which would be a problem for the prosecution come trial time. The bottom line, however, is that it's likely too early to make any kind of judgment on whether or not he can be deemed credible in a trial situation.

Everything You Need To Know About The Penn State Scandal But Were Afraid To Search For

No, Joe Amendola Is Not On Twitter

Penn State Scandal: New Judge Assigned To Sandusky Case, According To Report

The judge in the Jerry Sandusky trial has been replaced. Robert E. Scott will take over the case from Leslie Dutchot, who volunteered for Sandusky's charity and reportedly benefitted from a fund-raiser thrown by a Second Mile official. Dutchot came under scrutiny after she set Sandusky's bail at $100,000 and didn't order him to wear an ankle monitor after prosecutors requested that his bail be set at $500,000 and be monitored. 

According to a story at Pennlive.com, Dutchot did not volunteer extensively with Second Mile and never had any personal contact with Sandusky. Still, a Pennsylvania lawmaker requested that a superior court judge look into a potential conflict of interest. It's unclear if Rep. Mike Vereb's request to Justice Ronald Castille played any part in the decision to change judges in the Sandusky trial.

For the Penn State angle on this story, be sure to check out Black Shoe Diaries. 

Armen Keteyian Interviews Orson Welles About The Snow Globe From 'Citizen Kane'

Franco Harris Fired For Support of Paterno

Mike McQueary's 'Interview' Wasn't Really An Interview

Mike McQueary Claims He Spoke To Police, According To Report

As Mike McQueary prepares to tell America his side of the story in a nationally-televised interview, details about his specific actions upon allegedly witnessing former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky sexually-assaulting a child remain murky.

According to an email McQueary sent to friends, "The truth is not out there fully." In the email, McQueary claims that he "didn't just turn and run," as has been speculated based on alleged testimony. 

"I made sure it stopped. I did the right thing ... you guys know me," he wrote, adding that he "had to make quick, tough decisions."

In the email, McQueary also contradicts the grand jury testimony by stating that he told Penn State University police about what he saw on the night in question.

According to University Police, no such interview or meeting ever took place. Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, both of whom have been accused of perjury, have both said that they never received any news or descriptions from McQueary.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors.

Second Mile Camp Attendee To Anderson Cooper: 'His Hand Is On My Left Thigh'

CNN's Anderson Cooper is doing an hour-long program on Jerry Sandusky and Penn State, to air at noon on Tuesday. At one point in the show, he interviews Troy Craig, identified as a former Second Mile camp attendee for four years. Craig tells Cooper that Sandusky often made him uncomfortable, but that it occurred at too young an age to register as "sexual perversion."

A portion of Craig's interview:

Cooper: Troy you attended Sandusky's Second Mile camp from age 11 to 14. When you were alone with him riding in cars, was there ever any incident where he did something?

Troy Craig: Anytime riding in a vehicle with him. I can remember clearly the first time that I got into the car, in the passenger seat, we were alone in the car, I mean I'm there with him for two seconds before the doors closed and his hand is on my left thigh and it stays there, and stays there the entire car ride, and from my place to campus is about 25 to 30 minutes.

Cooper: What did you think at the time?

Troy Craig:  I certainly didn't make any connection between his hand on my leg and any kind of sexual perversion. That didn't strike me as something possible between a grown man and a child. I just knew it was uncomfortable, and for me mainly because it made my leg hot.  It would be 20 minutes into the car ride and I almost wanted to give him my other leg because it would just stay there and every once in a while it would squeeze, but it didn't move. It made me uncomfortable.

Expect a lot of stories like this to come out. It's not going to be easy to judge who's telling the truth, but I can't imagine what an adult would have to gain from making up a claim like this.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky Had Long, Tense Relationship

Why did Joe Paterno allegedly never confront Jerry Sandusky about claims of sexual abuse?

In Monday night's interview with NBC's Bob Costas, Sandusky denied Paterno ever spoke to him about the 2002 rape allegation raised by then-GA Mike McQueary, despite Sandusky's lingering presence on campus up until October of this year. Unlike several of his other denials, Sandusky was emphatic on that one. 

While that was one of many points in the story where a lack of communication helped endanger children, there's a possibility it could stem from a relationship that had simply soured after decades of working together. Reconstructing the scene in your mind, it's hard to piece together why a head coach would put up with seeing an accused child molester on his campus for nine more years without following up, especially if they didn't get along. There's a difference here between trying to shield Penn State and trying to defend Sandusky, though.

From a 1999 Sports Illustrated piece gleaming with ignorant praise of Sandusky:

Working under Paterno takes something out of a man, too. Sandusky was asked last week if he'll miss Joe Pa. "Well, not exactly," he said. "You have to understand that so much of our time was spent under stress, figuring out how to win. That takes a toll. We've had our battles. I've quit. I've been fired. I've walked around the building to cool off." 

Paterno evidently felt the same tension:

"In staff meetings, it was getting to be 'We' and 'You' and it should be 'Us.' Jerry [Sandusky's] leaving gave me an opportunity to get that out of the way and do things I'm comfortable with," Paterno told the Centre Daily Times in January 2002.    

ht Black Shoe Diaries

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Interview: 'I Shouldn't Have Showered With Those Kids'

Jerry Sandusky declared his innocence Monday night, telling Bob Costas in a telephone interview aired on NBC's Rock Center that he is not a pedophile and has no sexual attraction to young boys. Sandusky did admit to showering with some of the children that he's worked with over the years, as well as physical "horseplay," but maintains it was always "without the intent of sexual contact."

"I say that I am innocent of those charges," he said.

"Innocent? Completely innocent, and falsely accused in every aspect?" Costas asked. 

"Well, I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids, I have showered after workouts," Sandusky replied. "I have hugged them and I have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact. So if you look at it that way, there are things that ... would be accurate."

Sandusky admitted that he showered with a young boy the night that Mike McQueary claims he saw Sandusky forcibly raping a child, but he denied there was any sexual activity. "I would say that that's false," he said.

As for what McQueary's motive to lie might be, Sandusky refused to speculate. "You'd have to ask him that," he said.

When Costas asked what actually happened that night, Sandusky replied: "OK, we were showering and horsing around, and he actually turned all the showers on and was actually sliding across the floor," he said. "And we were, as I recall, possibly like snapping a towel or horseplay."

That identity of the young boy was never discovered by the grand jury investigation, but Sandusky's attorney Joseph Amendola told Costas later in the program that he has identified that child, who apparently backs up Sandusky's version of events.  

"We expect we're going to have a number of kids, now how many of those so called eight kids, we're not sure, but we anticipate we're going to have at least several of those kids come forward and say, 'This never happened, this is me, this is the allegation, this never occurred,'" said Amendola. "In fact, one of the toughest allegations -- the McQueary allegation -- what McQueary said he saw, we have information that that child says that never happened."

"Until now," said Costas, "we were told that alleged victim could not be identified."

"Well, by the Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania]," said Amendola.

"You have identified him?" asked Costas.

"We think we have," said Amendola.

Costas also asked Sandusky about being confronted with the mother of one of his alleged victims in 1998. 

"During one of those conversations you said, 'I understand, I was wrong, I wish I could get forgiveness speaking now with a mother, I know I won't get it from you, I wish I were dead,'" Costas said. "A guy falsely accused, or a guy whose actions have been misinterpreted doesn't respond that way, does he?"

"I don't know, I didn't say to my recollection that I wish I were dead," Sandusky said. "I was hopeful that we could reconcile things."

In 2000, a janitor told his supervisor that he saw Sandusky performing oral sex on a young boy in the showers of Penn State's athletic facility, another charge that Sandusky flatly denied. 

"It seems that if all of these accusations are false, you are the unluckiest and most persecuted man that any of us has ever heard about," Costas said.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Sandusky replied. "I don't think that these have been the best days of my life."

Sandusky denied that Joe Paterno, Penn State's former head coach who was fired in the wake of the grand jury presentment, ever spoke to him about the allegations. He's also disturbed by the turmoil that's surrounded his former school in the wake of his arrest. 

"How would you think that I would feel about a university that I attended, about people that I worked with, about people that I care so much about, how do you think i would feel about it? I feel horrible," he said.

"Do you feel guilty?" Costas asked. "Do you feel as if its your fault?"

"No, I don't think it's my fault. I obviously played a part in this," Sandusky said.

"How would you define the part that you played?" Costas asked. "What are you willing to concede that you've done that was wrong and you wish you had not done it?"

"Well, in retrospect, I shouldn't have showered with those kids."

Near the end of the interview, Costas asked Sandusky if he was sexually attracted to young boys. Sandusky repeated the question before answering. 

"Am I sexually attracted to underage boys? Sexually attracted? You know, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. I ... but no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."

Costas ended his interview by telling Sandusky that while he's presumed innocent in court, a lot of people have looked at the mountain of evidence working against him and have already made up their mind. "Millions of Americans who didn't know Jerry Sandusky's name until a week ago now regard you not only as a criminal, and I say this in I think a considered way, but as some sort of monster. How do you respond them?"

"I don't know what I can say, or what I could say, that would make anybody feel any different now," Sandusky said. "I would just say that as somehow people could hang on until my attorney has a chance to fight, you know, for my innocence. That's about all I could ask right now. Obviously it's a huge challenge."

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Jerry Sandusky Interview: Former Penn State Coach Denies Sex Abuse Charges

Former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has denied charges of sexual abuse in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas, but has admitted to other behavior that almost everyone would still find entirely inexcusable. The interview is scheduled to air at 10 pm ET Monday night.

A portion of the interview made available by NBC:

"I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact," said Sandusky.    

So, yeah, what he admits to is still plenty terrible. Sandusky also granted to Costas that he "shouldn't have showered with those kids," later going on to say he enjoys "being around children." 

With Mike McQueary insisting he stopped Sandusky from allegedly abusing a boy in Penn State's locker room, this is turning into an evening of which few lawyers would approve. 

Update: Read Jerry Sandusky's interview with Bob Costas. 

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Mike McQueary Claims He Stopped Jerry Sandusky After Witnessing Abuse, According To Report

Penn State wide receivers coach Mike McQueary, who allegedly witnessed former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in the showers of the school's athletic center in 2002, told friends and former teammates in an email last week that he "made sure it stopped," according to Peter Alexander of NBC Nightly News. McQueary, who hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing, has also reportedly hired a lawyer.

The grand jury presentment released on Nov. 5 seemed to indicate that McQueary saw Sandusky but left without stopping the abuse before phoning his father for advice and informing Joe Paterno. He hasn't spoken publicly about the incident but has been the target of public criticism for his apparent inaction -- including from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who launched the investigation into Sandusky while serving as the state's Attorney General. From the email obtained by NBC Nightly News:

I did the right thing...you guys know me...the truth is not out there fully...I didn't just turn and run...I made sure it stopped...I had to make quick tough decisions.

Alexander's report, which aired Monday evening, is embedded below:

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Penn State, Journalism And Twitter: How Local Blogger Became Nationally Known

As the Penn State scandal began to unfold early last week, local Nittany Lions blogger Ben Jones began tweeting anything and everything from the scene and instantly became a national voice from Happy Valley.

Joe Paterno's Name Removed From Big Ten Championship Trophy

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany announced Monday that former (former!) Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno's name will no longer remain on the conference's football title game trophy, which had been named the Stagg-Paterno Trophy. It's now just the Stagg Championship Trophy.

Delany:

We believe that it would be inappropriate to keep Joe Paterno's name on the trophy at this time. The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial. We believe that it's important to keep the focus on the players and the teams that will be competing in the inaugural championship game.    

The family of Amos Alonzo Stagg, the Stagg in Stagg-Paterno, has expressed displeasure in being associated with the Penn State debacle. Stagg coached football, basketball, and baseball at Big Ten-founding Chicago, also serving as athletic director. His Big Ten career lasted 30 years and included two football national championships and seven Big Ten crowns.

It was always kind of awkard that Paterno's name appeared on the trophy anyway, since he hadn't even retired yet when it was unveiled and spent fewer than 20 years in the Big Ten.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Penn State Scandal: Jerry Sandusky's Bail Set By Judge Who Volunteered With The Second Mile

When Jerry Sandusky's bail was set at $100,000 unsecured, considerably more lenient than the prosecution's suggestion of $500,000 and monitoring, it raised a few eyebrows. Due to the terrible nature of the allegations contained in the grand jury indictment of Sandusky, it's understandable that many felt uncomfortable with the idea of him walking around freely without an ankle bracelet. Even more questions are about to be asked about the nature of that ruling.

On Sunday, Deadspin connected the dots and figured out that Judge Leslie Dutchcot, the judge who set Sandusky's bail, is a volunteer at Sandusky's charity The Second Mile. The 'unsecured' part of 'unsecured bail' means that Sandusky won't have to pay anything if he shows up to all of his required court appearances in a timely fashion.

Accusing Dutchcot of any kind of preferential treatment would be unfair, but surely as a volunteer at The Second Mile, she at least had some idea of who Jerry Sandusky was and that he was affiliated with the charity. Rescuing herself from judicial responsibilities in this case due to a possibility of a perceived conflict of interest probably would have been the best move.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Bo Pelini Says Penn State-Nebraska 'Should Not Have Been Played'

Penn State Fans Rain Profanity, Beer On Protester With 'Honor The Abused Kids' Sign

Penn State Vigil Videos: LaVar Arrington Speaks, Thousands Sing Alma Mater

Mike McQueary In Seclusion, No Longer Coaching At Penn State, According To Report

Update: McQueary is not in protective custody but is not in State College, his father says.

Mike McQueary was placed in protective custody at a secluded area away from State College, according to a report on Friday. Using information gathered from team sources, the Patriot News reports McQueary spoke with the wide receivers on Friday, telling them he's in protective custody and is "done."

Below is a portion of the conversation, reported by David Jones.

During a brief and emotional conversation, McQueary told them, “I wanted to let you guys know I'm not your coach anymore. I'm done.”

When players asked, "Coach, where are you? Can we see you?" McQueary responded, “No, I'm actually in protective custody. I'm not in State College.”

McQueary added that he was, "Double-fisting it," meaning he was having two drinks at once.

Considering the emotionally-charged environment in State College, there was almost no chance his safety could be assured in town at this time. McQueary has drawn fire in recent days for failing to call police after seeing Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a child in the Penn State locker room. Since the grand jury report was released, McQueary's job status has been in question, with officials choosing to keep him away from Beaver Stadium for this weekend's game against Nebraska.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Report Of Jerry Sandusky Contacting Penn State Recruit 'False And Untrue,' Says High School AD

Update: Travis Perry, Greer High School's athletic director, has informed Ben Jones of Black Shoe Diaries that Jerry Sandusky was never at a practice or a game and never recruited Ah Ching, calling Ah Ching's statements to the contrary to WYFF, the NBC affiliate for Greenville, S.C., "false and untrue." As of 5:25 p.m. (EST) on Friday, WYFF's story has not been edited.

We knew former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky still held a position within the program despite retiring more than a decade ago, maintaining an office and access to all football facilities. We know he's alleged to have used much of that access for evil, too. And we also know Joe Paterno and Tim Curley knew of the allegations and the grand jury investigation, but still allowed him on campus up until the week of his arrest.

And now we're learning Sandusky was reportedly still in contact with a Penn State recruit while under grand jury investigation for child sexual abuse.

According to Adam Ah Ching, a 2012 South Carolina linebacker with offers from BYU and Georgia Tech, among others, that's the case. From WYFF4.com:

"He came to my last spring game going into my senior season. He liked how I moved, laterally, and how gifted I am," said Ah Ching.

But days after Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing young boys, leading to the firing of football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier, Ah Ching scratched Penn State off his list of where he'd continue his football career.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State's movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.

Penn State, Sandusky, And A Doctor Who Walked In The Door

As the tragedy at Penn State proves yet again, evil comes in many forms, taking good people and turning them into accomplices by force, neglect, or denial.

VIDEO: Jon Stewart's Penn State Allegory

Penn State Coaches Reportedly Ask Players To Wear White In Support Of Joe Paterno

The Penn State football team will take the field for Senior Day on Saturday, and according to a report on Thursday night coaches asked that friends and family of the players wear white in support of Joe Paterno.

Multiple sources connected with the Penn State football team tell TMZ ... coaches held a meeting with players today and told them their friends and family should show support for ousted coach Joe Paterno by wearing white to the game on Saturday.

The veracity of the report is unknown, but if true, this seems like a bad idea all around. The players and coaching staff are loyal to Paterno -- that's understandable. But asking for friends and family to wear white when a huge movement to have those in attendance wear blue to support victims of child abuse seems unsavory. Going against an established, and great, cause would seem to create a volatile situation in a stadium that will already be incredibly emotionally charged.

Again, nothing about the report has been confirmed, and who knows if this will actually take place. As of now, the Penn State community has asked fans to wear blue as a symbol of support for the victims.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit SB Nation's Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For the latest news updates on the Jerry Sandusky investigation, follow our comprehensive StoryStream.

Penn State Trustees Don't Want Mike McQueary On Sidelines, According To Report

Penn St. Nittany Lions interim head coach Tom Bradley told reporters Thursday that Mike McQueary, the former GA who reported the 2002 Jerry Sandusky allegation to Joe Paterno, will remain in his capacity as an assistant and will be with the team in some form this Saturday.

The Penn State Board of Trustees have now asked Bradley to keep McQueary off the field during Saturday's nationally-televised game against Nebraska.

The trustee told The Morning Call in an exclusive interview that the board made the request out of concern for McQueary's safety.

According to the Morning Call, the board does not plan to fire McQueary or ask him to step down. This according to a trustee who has asked not to be identified.

Expect Bradley to comply with the BOT and keep McQuery off the field. Likely he'll end up in one of the coaching booths, if he's even in the stadium at all.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Penn State Riot Draws 'About 100' Police Officers, According To Report

We have all sorts of Penn State riot videos, photos, and first-hand accounts here, but one thing we've lacked is big-picture numbers and facts on the aftermath. Word spread throughout the night about two arrests, but police are still tracking down the official final number.

The Associated Press reports "about 100 police wearing helmets and carrying pepper spray" were on the scene. Tear gas was also used at one point, and batons were brandished. At one point, claims of police dogs broke up a large cluster of humanity. Hard to say whether police dogs were actually used as a threat, but it definitely doesn't seem any were loosed.

Expect more throughout the coming days on arrests, damage, and injuries as officials put pieces together.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

NCAA Comments On Penn State Scandal: 'We Will Determine Whether Bylaws Were Violated'

To some surprise, NCAA president Mark Emmert has commented on the disaster unfolding at Penn State University. Most had assumed Jerry Sandusky's alleged crime spree and the resulting apparent cover-up were outside of the NCAA's realm, but it looks like Emmert at least wants to make sure that's the case.

Here's Emmert:

Regarding the ongoing Penn State criminal investigation, the NCAA is actively monitoring developments and assessing appropriate steps moving forward. The NCAA will defer in the immediate term to law enforcement officials since this situation involved alleged crimes. As the facts are established through the justice system, we will determine whether Association bylaws have been violated and act accordingly. To be clear, civil and criminal law will always take precedence over Association rules.    

Penn State's mistakes didn't involve student-athletes, so it's hard to say exactly what the NCAA could rule on here. But as long as Penn State wants to play by the NCAA's rules, the NCAA can sort of do whatever it wants. The NCAA can't make Penn State shutter its football program, but it could find a reason to refuse to sanction it for a time, if it wanted to.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Tom Bradley Press Conference: Mike McQueary To Remain As Coach

Tom Bradley, longtime Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator, was introduced as the team's interim coach at a Thursday morning press conference. Bradley is taking over for Joe Paterno, who you may have heard has coached in Happy Valley for 61 years. Paterno was fired Wednesday night due to the ongoing Jerry Sandusky scandal.

"I take this job with very mixed emotions," Bradley said, seated in front of a blue Nittany Lions backdrop and wearing a gold tie. He mentioned team meetings, hearing from former players who will attend on Saturday, planned meetings with recruits, and a captains' gathering in preparation of the Nebraska game.

"The football part, we'll get working on that right away," Bradley said, "For now, you should know our team's thoughts and prayers are with those children and their families."

Bradley said Mike McQueary, the former GA who reported the 2002 Sandusky allegation to Paterno, will remain in his capacity as an assistant, but didn't say where he'd be positioned in the stadium. He also declared Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlinden will take over as co-coordinators on defense.

When asked about whether Penn State will play any games after the Nebraska game, he boggled a little bit. "What do you mean?" he said, eventually saying the rest of the season is up to the school's administration, but he hopes to finish it out. He said canceling games hasn't been discussed.

"Joe Paterno has meant more to me than anybody but my father," Bradley said, adding that he's comfortably coached on the sideline before with Paterno either in the press box or unavailable.

He also said, "Coach Paterno will go down in history as one of the greatest men -- most of you know him as a football coach -- I've had the privilege to work with him. He's had a dynamic impact on so many, so many -- I'll say I, so many -- people and player's lives. I'm proud to say that I worked with him."

He was asked many times about Paterno's exit, but declined to comment on the investigation, Sandusky, McQueary's role, his own future as a potential non-interim coach, Paterno's firing and so forth, deferring the McQueary question to acting athletic director Mark Sherburne.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Joe Paterno And The Dark, Deluded End Of An Era

Joe Paterno was fired by Penn State's board of trustees on Wednesday night, the latest turn in the darkest tragedy college sports has ever seen. It was also the first step forward.

NCAA Won't Punish Penn State, Unless Nothing Is Real Anymore

When you first heard about the allegations made against former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, you probably wanted somebody, anybody to do something about them. The whole problem is that nobody did anything about Sandusky's alleged crimes for a long time, and now Happy Valley has been torn apart trying to figure out who exactly has to do something.

The federal government is inserting itself, the Board of Trustees did what Joe Paterno wasn't willing to do, and Sandusky, along with AD Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz, is going to court.

But since this involves sports, many people have called for the NCAA to do something, too. As Boston College sports law professor Warren Zola tells the New York Daily News, the NCAA doesn't really have jurisdiction here:

No student-athletes are involved, for now, and nothing benefitted the teams of the institution for a competitive advantage. You and I may have a different interpretation on lack of institutional control, but under the NCAA's, I don't see it. The only thing I could see, if convicted, would be placing a ban on individual coaches.

Penn State, the school, is being investigated by the Department of Education. Everyone who failed to take the allegation against Sandusky to an authority (if you accept that Curley wasn't really Paterno's authority) has been fired or arrested. The current players, future players, and remaining coaches didn't do anything wrong, and thus shouldn't be punished.

What would be the punishment, anyway? A postseason ban and loss of scholarships? For how long? If Boise State lost scholarships for years over some cheeseburgers, what's the multiplier the NCAA should use to figure out what covering up 40 counts of child sex abuse is worth?

We could say the NCAA should shut down Penn State football, but that's not really how the NCAA works. The NCAA can dictate how Penn State makes money off of football and which teams it plays, but it has no control over what Penn State chooses to do with Beaver Stadium.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Joe Paterno Fired: By Shielding And Fearing Football, We Weaken It

The game of football doesn't need us to cover for the mistakes of its heroes. It only needs us to love it for what it is. Football will outlast even Joe Paterno.

PHOTOS: Philadelphia Daily News, Inquirer Front Pages On Joe Paterno's Firing

VIDEOS: Mid-Riot Penn State Students Debating Joe Paterno's Firing

Joe Paterno Fired In The Weirdest Way Possible

We know Joe Paterno was fired by phone -- a necessary move considering the circumstances and situation in State College this week. But the whole story gets even more weird, according to reports on Wednesday evening. You see, it wasn't as simple as an official ringing up Paterno at his house to inform him of the news. It went a step further.

Joe Schad reveals the details surrounding how Paterno was given the news.

Paterno received at his home an envelope from a messenger with a # to call 15 minutes b/f BOT announcement — @schadjoe via Twitter

When Paterno called he was told "you are relieved of your duties." — @schadjoe via Twitter

VIDEO: Joe Paterno Fired As Penn State Media Paints Itself Blue And White

Penn State Riot: Student Protest Grows After Joe Paterno Fired

Penn State students took to the street on Wednesday night after head coach Joe Paterno was fired, effective immediately, by the Board of Trustees. Paterno is a beloved figure in State College, and the news that he was out as head coach triggered a huge gathering in downtown State College. Students took to the streets, and have been rallying in protest -- some screaming "We Want Joe" -- since the move was announced.

A few photos from the scene can be found below. The first should give you a sense of what's going on in State College, and involves a "look at me" moment.

Via KegsNEggs

via Daily Collegian

via Daily Collegian

Lastly, this view of the situation as it stands now, which shows the magnitude of the gathering in State College.

via Jon Wertheim

This clearly looks like a situation about to get out of hand. While one could classify this as college students being college students, there's no need for a potentially destructive gathering on top of everything else that's rocked the Penn State community recently. It's already bad enough; the students -- who are probably a small representation of the Penn State community at large -- rallying and protesting in the streets are making the situation worse.

For more on the situation that continues to develop at State College, visit SB Nation's Penn State blog, which has been on the forefront of the story from the beginning, Black Shoe Diaries, and revisit this storystream for updates.

Joe Paterno Fired: Penn State Students Gather On Campus In Protest

Joe Paterno is out as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Board of Trustees announced on Wednesday evening. The move was immediately met with shock and anger by those gathered in State College following the press conference to announce Paterno had coached his last game.

Video of the area showed a large gathering, likely of students, chanting and yelling. Screams of "We Want Joe" could be heard, as well as "[expletive] Sandusky" and "We Are ... Penn State."

Many began to gather outside Beaver Stadium, where a statue of Paterno resides. Black Shoe Diaries' Ben Jones tweeted the following picture after the press conference, which seems to show a relatively peaceful crowd gathering around the statue.

He added the mood, at the time, was somber, with students shedding tears and taking photos of the statue.

On campus, however, it was a different story. The situation appears to be volatile and the crowd continues to grow. While it probably doesn't classify as a riot at this point -- more of a large protest -- there's no telling if the gathering will take a turn for the worse as the night progresses.

We'll be back with more as it develops in State College.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

VIDEO: Joe Paterno Fired, Penn State Board Makes Official

Penn State University's Board of Trustees held a 10 pm ET post-meeting press conference to discuss next steps in the school's ongoing attempt to dig itself out of the Jerry Sandusky muck. The biggest news: yes, 61-year Penn St. Nittany Lions football coach Joe Paterno will not retire at the end of the season, pushed out by a unanimous board vote. He won't coach another game, meaning he's been fired, and was notified over the phone "earlier this evening."

He'll be replaced in the interim by Tom Bradley, longtime defensive coordinator. Mike McQueary, the former graduate assistant-turned-assistant coach who alerted Paterno to an alleged sex crime committed by Jerry Sandusky, will not see his status change.

President Graham Spanier, as expected, was also announced as having resigned. He appears to have accepted his fate more willingly than did Paterno, who earlier in the day insisted the Board not waste its time discussing his future.

An attempt at a live transcript of the press conference's opening remarks:

Dr. Spanier is no longer president of the university. In addition, Joe Paterno is no longer the football coach. Effective immediately.

These decisions were made after careful deliberation and in the best interest of the university as a whole. Penn State always strives for the highest moral standards in all of our activities. We promise we are committed to restoring public trust in our university.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Joe Paterno Fired, Tom Bradley Named Penn State Interim Coach, According To Report

Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno will not coach another game, according to Jim Gardner of ABC's affiliate on the scene of Wednesday night's board of trustees meeting. Tom Bradley will take over as Penn State's interim coach, according to Gardner.

@Jim_Gardner Assistant coach, Tom Bradley is interim coach. #PSUcharges

Bradley is Penn State's defensive coordinator. He grew up in Pennsylvania and played defensive back for Paterno in the mid-'70s, and has been considered a potential successor along the way. He took over for Jerry Sandusky in 1999.

The Nittany Lions have three regular season games left, starting this Saturday at home against Nebraska. Paterno had planned to finish out the season, but forced the board of trustees to make the final decision on his future.

For the latest updates on the Sandusky story and the fallout, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For the Penn State perspective of the ordeal, be sure to check out Black Shoe Diaries.

Graham Spanier Resigns As Penn State President

Penn State University President Graham Spanier has resigned in the wake of the numerous allegations of sexual abuse levied against former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The Penn State Board of Trustees met late Wednesday night and reports of Spanier's resignation came shortly after the session came to a close. Rumors of his resignation swirled throughout the day, with reports indicating Spanier had already handed in a former letter to the board indicating he would step down.

Spanier presided over the university at the time of the alleged abuse, and has been under fire since the grand jury report on Sandusky was released. Spanier was made aware of the claims against Sandusky in 2002, but failed to pass along the reports to the police, according to the grand jury testimony.

Rodney Erickson, the current Executive Vice President and Provost at Penn State, is Spanier's rumored replacement in the interim. We'll have more on the situation as it becomes available.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Penn State Releases Statement Concerning Jerry Sandusky's Alleged Abuses

Penn State has released a statement concerning the Grand Jury findings concerning Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuse. This is the text in full:

The Penn State Athletics family is devastated by the details in the Grand Jury presentment. Our hearts go out to the children involved and their families.

Every day we are entrusted with the lives of young people, and we do not -- nor have we ever -- taken that trust lightly. We are outraged that a valued trust has been broken. We can promise you that we are doing everything in our power to restore that broken trust. Everyone within athletics -- coaches, administrators, staff and student-athletes -- are committed to this pledge.

Mark C. Sherburne
Acting Director of Athletics
Penn State University

For the latest updates on the Sandusky story and the fallout, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For the Penn State perspective of the ordeal, be sure to check out Black Shoe Diaries.

Mike McQueary Unsure About Coaching Penn State On Saturday, According To Report

Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant coach Mike McQueary, the former graduate assistant who told Joe Paterno in 2002 about seeing Jerry Sandusky molest a young boy in Penn State's locker room, might not make it to the sideline on Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Musselman.

@rmusselmanppg I am told that Penn State wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary is uncertain if he will coach Saturday.    

McQueary wasn't at practice on Tuesday, with Chris Fowler reporting he'd been declared to be on a recruiting trip. That's not all that easy to believe, since there's no way he could effectively convince anyone to play for Penn State with this going on. "On leave" would probably be a more accurate way to put it, but I guess you never know.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Addressing The Most Popular Wrong Opinions Regarding Joe Paterno's Retirement

Penn State President Graham Spanier Will Quit Or Be Fired Wednesday, According To Report

Penn State President Graham Spanier will either resign or be fired by the board of trustees, according to a story in the Lehigh Valley Express-Times. Spanier has found himself in the middle of a sexual-assault scandal that has rocked Penn State and, recently, led to coach Joe Paterno announcing that he will retire at the end of the season.

Spanier was apparently first made aware of sexual assault allegation against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in 2002. According to a grand jury testimony, a graduate assistant coach told Spanier about Sandusky's sexual assault of a young boy in the Penn State locker room. Despite this knowledge, the testimony said Spanier never involved police. Although there are currently no formal charges against Spanier, many have called for his resignation.

Sandusky faces 40 counts of sexually abusing children and two other university administrators have been charged in relation to the subsequent cover-up. 

For the latest updates on this situation, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For reaction from the Penn State community, check out Black Shoe Diaries.

PHOTO: Penn State Literally Washing Jerry Sandusky From Their History

What The Penn State Scandal Says About The NCAA And College Football

The Penn State scandal puts all other college football scandals to shame, and it's a convenient opportunity to highlight everything that's wrong with the morality of college sports. But that's too easy.

Penn State Football Players React To Joe Paterno's Retirement

Penn State's football players were called to a meeting with Joe Paterno at 11 a.m. to discuss his retirement. That meeting, understandably, got a bit emotional. The Daily Collegian's Joe McIntyre and SB Nation's Black Shoe Diaries' Ben Jones both tweeted players' reactions.

From McIntyre:

Joe told players he's retiring. Will be here until end of season. Joe was emotional, crying. #PennState

Nate Stupar said players emotional, too. Never saw Joe cry before.

It was a sad mood. Joe was very emotional. -Derek Moye

Team captain Quinn Barham walked away from Lasch with a hood over his head. Did not talk.

From Jones:

Drew Astorino says "Obviously a tough time for everyone at PSU. Team is handling it well."

Astorino on the room when Joe told the team: "It was tough to hear. Everybody was obviously very emotional, very upset."

Astorino says he doesn't know what to expect from the crowd this weekend.

Referring to Sandusky being around the football building, Astorino: "Not going to comment on that."

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Joe Paterno Retiring, But Could Still Be Fired By Penn State Board Of Trustees

Joe Paterno retiring as Penn State's head football coach at the end of the 2011 season was his own decision, according to Sara Ganim of The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Penn., who cites a source close to Paterno.

If that much is true, then the rest of Ganim's report, which is that Paterno has had no contact with the Penn State Board of Trustees thus far, Paterno may not be entirely out of danger of being fired. The Board of Trustees promised an investigation and "swift, decisive action" after a Tuesday meeting, and Paterno independently making the decision to retire after the 2011 season and finish out his career as the Nittany Lions' head coach could rankle the Board further.

Paterno's comment on the Board of Trustees in a statement he released announcing his retirement suggests he is making this decision for their benefit:

At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.

But that could well embolden a Board that could be interested in making the ultimate call on Paterno to consider firing a man who has become ingrained in American sports as the leader of Penn State over a career that spans more than 60 years at the school.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

Joe Paterno Announces Retirement: 'I Wish I Had Done More'

Penn St. Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno announced the end of his 61-year career in Happy Valley in a statement released Wednesday. After the news was reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by son Scott Paterno, the coach himself said a few words.

Defenders will note the portion about hindsight, while critics will parse Paterno's call for the Penn State Board of Trustees to devote their energies to more pressing matters. It's important to note Paterno hasn't met with the Board yet, and there's no guarantee he'll be allowed to finish out the season once they decide on a course of action.

I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.

I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.

That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.    

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation.

Tom Ridge Could Replace Graham Spanier As Penn State President, According To Report

The Penn State scandal will almost assuredly result in quite a few firings, dismissals and resignations as more details emerge and meetings take place. The school's board of trustees has apparently already begun looking at possible replacements -- including former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge -- for school president Graham Spanier.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Spanier out by the end of the weekend, especially if names like the former United States Secretary of Homeland Security are already being batted around as his successor, as according to ESPN's reports.

Penn State president Graham Spanier also has lost support among the trustees ahead of Friday's board meeting, the person said, although precisely how much has been unclear.

Late Tuesday, however, a source close to the situation told ESPN's Joe Schad that the board has weighed the possibility of having former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge replace the embattled Spanier.

The Board of Trustees has promised "swift, decisive action" regarding this matter so it seems something will be solved sooner rather than later.

How Penn State Fans Can Remain Fans Despite The Sexual Abuse Scandal

Hopefully, those responsible for Penn State's inability to report Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuses will be gone from the program. And when that happens, its fans will have full license to return to the team they love.

Penn State Scandal Makes It Difficult To Defend College Football

In the past year, college football has been rocked by scandal after scandal. The latest, involving former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky, makes it impossible to defend the sport.

Penn State Scandal: Students March In Support Of Joe Paterno

Hundreds of students gathered in front of Joe Paterno's house Tuesday evening, cheering and chanting Paterno's name and eventually drawing the Nittany Lions head coach out of his house to offer his thanks for the support.

Paterno eventually went back inside, but instead of dispersing, the throng of student supporters continued to grow, eventually migrating down Beaver Avenue to the steps of Old Main, the school's administrative building, according to Penn State's student newspaper, The Daily Collegian.

Thousands of students congregated in the campus streets, as you can see in the picture below posted on Twitter by @TheSchoolPhilly:

Numerous people tweeting from the scene were calling the crowds a "riot," but others, such as Dan Vecellio (@DanVecellio), were quick to point out there was no actual violence, just large groups of people migrating between Old Main and Beaver Stadium, overtaking the streets with loud pro-Paterno and anti-Graham Spanier (PSU's embattled president) chants. Because of the size of the crowd, police officers in riot gear wielding clubs and tear gas did emerge, but the peace was never broken, even if the students were slow to disperse. Again, from @TheSchoolPhilly:

While so many students have been vocal in their support for Paterno, the whole reason for why his job may be in jeopardy -- could he have done more to protect minors from a suspected sexual predator? --  seemed to have been lost on the crowd:

Paterno is guilty of this, as well. Even as he urged the students to pray for the alleged victims and the families of victims, he did so in a tone deaf manner, prefacing his first request with "Beat Nebraska!" and following his second by leading "We are Penn State!" cheers. It's either empathy as an afterthought or ill-timed enthusiasm to fill an awkward silence. Either way, it's a combination shared by those students gleefully marching in his support, and one that's difficult for those outside of State College, Pa. to understand. 

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn St. blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation.

Penn State Scandal: Joe Paterno Leads Cheers With Student Supporters

After his speech to fans waiting outside his window when thinking of the victims of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuse was an afterthought, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno left his house, supposedly to address the various media gathered outside.

Paterno said, "I want to say to the kids who were the victims, or whatever they want to say, I think we ought to say a prayer for them because they were ... tough life, when people do certain things to you, but anyway, you've been great." 

The students gathered on his lawn immediately cheered "We love you, Joe!" and broke out into a "Let Joe Stay!" chant, after which Paterno led them in a "We are Penn State" call and response cheer. Clearly a large amount of those in State College, Pa. would rather applaud Penn State football amid this scandal than question their fearless leader. Here's video of the event, via Along The Olentangy:

Joe addresses fans (via TDCFootball)

For more on the developing scandal, head to Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow along here for updates on the Jerry Sandusky investigation.

VIDEO: Joe Paterno Heads To Practice, Fans And Media Swarm

PHOTO: 1975 Penn State Alum Burning His Diploma

Penn State Scandal: Joe Paterno 'Not Stepping Down,' According To Son

Joe Paterno is "not stepping down," and will be on the sideline this Saturday against Nebraska, according to his son Scott Paterno. Philly's FOX 29 and SB Nation's Ben Jones are both reporting the statement.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Penn State will not force Paterno out of his job. The New York Times has reported that Paterno is on his way out of State College "perhaps within days or weeks."

It appears increasingly likely that Paterno's 46-year tenure as head coach of Penn State will end as a result of the sex-abuse scandal currently gripping Penn State because of chargers of child molestation against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Earlier today, Penn State University president Graham Spanier canceled Paterno's Tuesday press conference due to the Jerry Sandusky investigation.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit SB Nation's Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For the latest news updates on the Jerry Sandusky investigation, follow this comprehensive StoryStream.

Second Mile Charity Issues Statement On Jerry Sandusky Scandal

Second Mile, the charity former Penn St. Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky allegedly used to come into illegal contact with nine boys, has issued a statement.

According to the grand jury's presentment on Sandusky and other reports, the longtime coach met children through the charity and football camps, bringing boys onto campus, to games and along on bowl trips. After unreported allegations of child molestation, Sandusky was told by Penn State officials not to bring any more kids onto campus. That ban didn't last for long.

Here's the statement in full, in which it's revealed Sandusky knew he was being investigated three years ago:

The newly released details and the breadth of the allegations from the Attorney General's office bring shock, sadness and concern from The Second Mile organization. Our prayers, care and compassion go out to all impacted.

The most recent reports we've read this past weekend state that Mr. Sandusky met the alleged victims through The Second Mile. To our knowledge, all the alleged incidents occurred outside of our programs and events. However, we are encouraging anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact investigators from the Office of Attorney General at 814-863-1053 or Pennsylvania State Police at 814-470-2238.

As The Second Mile's CEO Jack Raykovitz testified to the Grand Jury, he was informed in 2002 by Pennsylvania State University Athletic Director Tim Curley that an individual had reported to Mr. Curley that he was uncomfortable about seeing Jerry Sandusky in the locker room shower with a youth. Mr. Curley also shared that the information had been internally reviewed and that there was no finding of wrongdoing. At no time was The Second Mile made aware of the very serious allegations contained in the Grand Jury report.

Subsequently, in November 2008, Mr. Sandusky informed The Second Mile that he had learned he was being investigated as a result of allegations made against him by an adolescent male in Clinton County, PA. Although he maintained there was no truth to the claims, we are an organization committed first and foremost to the safety and well-being of the children we serve. Consistent with that commitment and with The Second Mile policy, we immediately made the decision to separate him from all of our program activities involving children. Thus, from 2008 to present, Mr. Sandusky has had no involvement with Second Mile programs involving children.

The Second Mile was first contacted by the Attorney General's office in early 2011. Since then, we have done everything in our power to cooperate with law-enforcement officials and will continue to do so.

Our highest priority always has been and will continue to be the safety and well-being of the children participating in our programs. We encourage program participants to report any allegations of abuse and/or inappropriate sexual activity wherever it has occurred, and we take any such reports directly to Child Protective Services. We have many policies and procedures designed to protect our participants, including employee and volunteer background checks, training and supervision of our activities.

The Second Mile has helped thousands of Pennsylvania's children to lead better lives, and we remain committed to that mission. Our success is a result of the trust placed in us by the families and professionals with whom we partner, and we will take any steps needed to maintain their confidence in us.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow along here for updates on the Jerry Sandusky case.

VIDEO: Penn State Scandal Gets Matt Millen Emotional On ESPN

Joe Paterno On Way Out As Penn State Football Coach, According To Report

The Penn St. Nittany Lions football program is crumbling. It's no surprise to see the New York Times reporting longtime legend Joe Paterno will not remain in his position for much longer. The Jerry Sandusky scandal and cover-up is simply going to be too much for anyone connected to the program to survive. Everything must be burned down.

A Tuesday press conference, at which Paterno was supposed to address nothing but football, has been canceled after it became clear absolutely nobody wants to talk about Penn State football right now.

Paterno's exit has been pending for literally decades now. This is not the way anyone ever dreamed he'd go out. From calls for his immediate firing to calls for him to resign at the end of the year, it's the only way the Paterno regime can possibly end.

Typed this through tears. This is a disaster, with at least eight victims plus hundreds of thousands affected in some way, and not a single person has yet offered to take charge of the cleanup or explain what went wrong.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow along here for updates on the Jerry Sandusky case.

'This Must Be His Last Season'

Joe Paterno Won't Answer Questions About Jerry Sandusky At Tuesday Press Conference

Joe Paterno will not address questions about the ongoing Jerry Sandusky sex crimes scandal during his weekly press conference Tuesday, according to a release issued by Penn State's sports information department. The Scranton Times-Tribune was among the media outlets who received the release, posting it online: 

Media planning to attend Tuesday's Penn State Football weekly teleconference are advised that the primary focus of the teleconference is to answer questions related to Penn State's Senior Day game with Nebraska this Saturday. Head coach Joe Paterno and any Penn State Football student-athletes in attendance will be answering questions about the Nebraska game, Penn State's season thus far and other topics related to the current college football season.

Despite the school's best efforts to keep the focus on football, it's unrealistic to think the media will acquiesce. As Cory Giger, a writer for the Altoona Mirror, noted on Twitter (@CoryGiger), "Paterno wants to keep burying his head in the sand and hope this all goes away. ... But it's our job to ask the questions, and we will ask." 

Paterno released a prepared statement Sunday about the investigation, but that statement has created more questions than answers. In his statement, Paterno claims that he was never told specific details about what Mike McQueary saw. But that contradicts the report issued by Pennsylvania's Attorney General on Saturday, which states that Paterno told Curley that McQueary "had reported seeing Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a young boy." 

Is Paterno suggesting the Attorney General's report is wrong? Or was his statement deliberately misleading to deflect blame? These are just some of the questions Paterno will likely be asked so long as he continues to step in front of a microphone, no matter what guidelines Penn State's communications staff sets forth.

PHOTO: 'May No Act Of Ours Bring Shame'

The Penn State Student Reaction, In 13 Words

Tim Curley Arrested On Perjury Charges In Jerry Sandusky Coverup Case

Penn St. Nittany Lions athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz have surrendered to police on charges of perjury and failure to report abuse, the Associated Press has reported. Curley was charged for his failure to notify law enforcement about allegations raised against then-defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

The AD was placed on administrative leave Sunday night after an emergency meeting of the university's board of trustees. There will be another trustees meeting on Friday, which will be attended by Pennsylvania's governor.

Both Curley and Schultz had the chance to make it known that Sandusky had been accused of molesting a child on Penn State's campus. In 1998, an in-house investigation into another allegation against Sandusky didn't make it beyond campus walls.

Football coach Joe Paterno has not been charged and is not a target, the state's attorney general has announced.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow along here for updates on the Jerry Sandusky case.

Jerry Sandusky Worked Out At Penn State Facilities Days Before Arrest

Jerry Sandusky, who's been hit with dozens of charges of child sex abuse, many of them for acts committed while on Penn State's campus and some for acts committed while on the clock, maintained a presence at Penn State up until his arrest, Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel reports.

Wetzel cites multiple sources as saying Sandusky was "working out multiple times" in the Nittany Lions' Lasch Football Building in the days leading up to his arrest.

Penn State banned Sandusky from bringing children on campus after the second allegation was raised against him in 2002. But within five years, he was apparently no longer banned.

Sandusky maintaining such a presence in Happy Valley means he had to have come in rather frequent contact with both coach Joe Paterno and assistant coach Mike McQueary -- the former graduate assistant who reported Sandusky's alleged assault to Paterno in 2002.

This story started out as revolting and has gotten worse by the hour. And it's nowhere near done.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow along here for updates on the Jerry Sandusky case.

Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, And Joe Paterno: The Law Only Covers So Much

Everyone involved in the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case is culpable for not acting upon their moral responsibility to alert the police in 2002. And as a result, they should all be fired, including legendary coach Joe Paterno.

Jerry Sandusky Reportedly Operated Overnight Childrens Camp At Penn State Through 2009

Jerry Sandusky was charged with dozens of counts of child molestation on Friday, following a two-year grand jury investigation. Since the initial report was released, the attention has turned to who knew what, and how these alleged incidents could've been stopped sooner. According to the grand jury report, head coach Joe Paterno was told of an incident in a Penn State locker room shower involving Sandusky and a juvenile in 2002, but the allegations were cast aside when passed up the line to administrators at the school.

Despite concerns being raised in 2002, it appears Sandusky continued to operate an overnight camp for children at Penn State through 2009.

It's unclear if Sandusky was being paid by Penn State for overseeing the camp, which he operated via his Sandusky Associates company located in State College. But multiple schools in the Penn State system hosted and provided facilities for the program, touted Sandusky's Penn State affiliation, and featured other instructors from the Penn State family in an implicit endorsement of the camp.

A copy of a pamphlet advertising from the camp in 2009 can be found over at Deadspin.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn St. blog Black Shoe Diaries.

Jerry Sandusky Case: Joe Paterno Releases Statement Denying Knowledge Of Specifics

Statements from those involved in the allegations levied against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky continue to trickle out, and Joe Paterno is the latest to tell his side of the story. Sandusky was charged with dozens of counts of child molestation for incidents allegedly involving eight different young males over a 10-year span in the 90s and 2000s.

Paterno was told of an incident involving Sandusky and a young male in 2002, and forwarded the case to his superiors at Penn State. But since the allegations came to light, Paterno has come under fire for failing to do more to prevent further abuse.

In addition to expressing shock and surprise about the allegations levied against Sandusky, Paterno admitted being told of an incident in the Penn State locker room shower, but denied knowing specifics in a statement on Sunday.

As my grand jury testimony stated, I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility. It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report. Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As Coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators.

The full statement can be read here.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries.

Jerry Sandusky Case: Mike McQueary, Current Penn State Assistant, Identified As Eyewitness

Current Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary has been identified as the unnamed 28-year-old graduate assistant the Pennsylvania Attorney General described witnessing former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in the showers of Penn State's athletic facility, according to PennLive.com. 

McQueary told Joe Paterno what he witnessed, and Paterno informed athletic director Tim Curley and university vice president Gary Schultz.  Curley and Schultz then waited 10 days to speak with McQueary, ultimately deciding not to report the incident to the police.

When Curley and Schultz were questioned about the meeting by a grand jury, their accounts of the conversation differed greatly from those of Paterno and McQueary. From PennLive.com:

Their testimony of what happened in 2002 -- when now-assistant coach Mike McQueary said he witnessed Sandusky in a sex act with a boy in a shower -- contradicts that of Paterno and McQueary.

In the presentment, jurors wrote that McQueary -- identified in the presentment only as a 28-year-old graduate assistant -- was credible but Schultz and Curley were not.

Several sources have identified that witness as McQueary.

Curley and Schultz deny they were told that McQueary witnessed a sex act, instead claiming they were told Sandusky was "horsing around," and that the incident was "not that serious." They have been charged with perjury and failure to report. Sandusky, meanwhile, faces dozens of sex crime charges, and if convicted will face life in prison.

Jerry Sandusky Case: Joe Paterno Reported Incident To Tim Curley

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office has released documents relating to former Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant Jerry Sandusky's charges of committing sex crimes against young boys. Sandusky was charged with a couple dozen felonies and a number of misdemeanors, while athletic director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz were hit with a count of perjury each, with Curley telling the grand jury that he felt the allegations against Sandusky were "not that serious."

These documents are detailed, extensive and recount many alleged incidents involving Sandusky and eight different victims. It's nothing anybody wants to read, but it's there.

From another document, the gist of how the relationship began:

Kelly said the victim first encountered Sandusky through the Second Mile program, when he was 11 or 12 years old, attending a Second Mile camp on the Penn State University campus. Sandusky also allegedly used expensive gifts to maintain contact with the boy, including trips to professional and college sporting events, golf clubs, a computer, clothing and money.

It's also alleged that on March 1, 2002, a graduate assistant caught Sandusky and a young male showering together in the football locker room. The GA reportedly notified head coach Joe Paterno the next day, and Paterno notified athletic director Tim Curley shortly after. There's no mention of Paterno notifying law enforcement.

Kelly said the assistant, who was extremely upset about what he had seen, immediately called his father to relate what he had discovered.  Together, the two decided that the assistant should promptly report the incident to head football coach Joe Paterno.

The next morning, the assistant telephoned Paterno and then went to Paterno's home to explain what he had seen. Paterno testified that he then called Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and met with Curley the following day, explaining that a graduate assistant had reported seeing Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a young boy in the showers at the Lasch Building.

Almost two weeks later, the graduate assistant met with Curley and Schultz.

"Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law," Kelly said. "Additionally, there is no indication that anyone from the university ever attempted to learn the identity of the child who was sexually assaulted on their campus or made any follow-up effort to obtain more information from the person who witnessed the attack first-hand."

Instead, Sandusky was told he couldn't bring any of his Second Mile kids on campus.

Schultz told the grand jury he was aware of a similar, alleged incident in 1998, but didn't follow up on it either then or when the second incident came to light. Wendell Courtney, Penn State's university counsel to this day, reviewed the 1998 event.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries.

Tim Curley, Penn State's Athletic Director, Charged With Perjury In Sex Crimes Case Against Jerry Sandusky

Penn State athletic director Tim Curley was charged with perjury and failure to report as part of an investigation into Jerry Sandusky, the school's former defensive coordinator who was indicted Friday on felony sex abuse charges, according to the Associated Press:

State prosecutors said Sandusky, 67, of State College, was arrested Saturday. Curley, 57, and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, both of Boalsburg, were expected to turn themselves in Monday in Harrisburg, according to the attorney general's office. Schultz's position includes oversight of the university's police department.

Sandusky's indictment includes 40 counts, with allegations of incidents starting in 1996 and ending in 2005. Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, devoting his time to The Second Mile, a charity he founded in 1977. A grand jury investigating Sandusky heard testimony in March from Curley and Schultz, among others.   

According to the charity's official site, The Second Mile is "a statewide non-profit organization for children who need additional support and who would benefit from positive human contact. The Second Mile plans, organizes, and offers activities and programs for children - and adults who work with them - to promote self-confidence as well as physical, academic, and personal success."

A spokesman for Penn State's athletic department had no immediate comment, the AP reports.

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn St. blog Black Shoe Diaries.

Jerry Sandusky Indicted On Sex Crimes Against Minors Charges

Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted on multiple charges of sex crimes against minors on Friday.