Freeh Report: A Cover Up at Penn StateSTATE COLLEGE, P.A. - Who, what, where, when: the focus of a 267 page internal report into Penn State's handling of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. Four men - former university president Graham Spanier, former vice president Gary Shultz, former head football coach Joe Paterno and former athletic director Tim Curley - all singled out in the $6.5 million, eight month investigation, accused of covering up abuse allegations for fear of bad publicity. Freeh says, "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized. Mr. Spanier, Shultz, Paterno and Curley never demonstrated through actions or words any concern for the safety and well being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest." Scott Paterno, the late coach's son, responded to the report saying that his father reported the allegations against Sandusky to the right people and that there was "no intent to conceal" (anything). Sandusky victim attorney Tom Kline says, "It's a shame that we're talking about Mr. Paterno when he's no longer with us. But the facts are the facts. And Mr. Paterno did nothing to protect young men." Along with identifying where the university went wrong, the Freeh report makes more than 100 recommendations on how the school can prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. The Penn State community is looking forward to moving beyond the scandal. Penn State University president Rodney Erickson says, "While in no way lessening our focus on our failings, we are also committed to building greater awareness of the societal issue of child abuse." Curley and Schultz are awaiting trial on charges of failing to report abuse and lying to a grand jury. Spanier's lawyers denied he took part in a cover-up and say Freeh's conclusion "is simply not supported by the facts." The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office is still investigating; others could be charged. |
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