STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Just because Joe Paterno is gone doesn’t mean the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State is over. Many questions remain unanswered — from how much Paterno actually knew to whether there will be any repercussions for assistant coach Mike McQueary, who told Paterno but not police about seeing former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in a shower with a young boy in 2002.
Gov. Tom Corbett told reporters that he supported the board of trustees’ decision Wednesday to oust college football’s winningest coach and university president Graham Spanier because they didn’t do enough to alert law enforcement authorities.
“Their actions caused me to not have confidence in their ability to continue to lead,” said Corbett, who is on the board.
Sandusky, Paterno’s former assistant, has been charged with molesting eight boys in a 15-year span. In the week since the grand jury released its report, Paterno and Spanier have been fired and two other top university officials also are out.
McQueary, who is Penn State’s wide receivers coach, told a state grand jury that in March 2002, he saw Sandusky sodomizing a boy of about 10 in the showers at the Penn State football building. McQueary later told Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley and a university vice president, Gary Schultz, about the incident, although it is not clear how detailed his description was. Schultz, in turn, notified Spanier.
Curley and Schultz — as well as Paterno — testified that they were told that Sandusky behaved inappropriately in that 2002 incident but not to the extent of McQueary’s graphic account to the grand jury.
Curley and Schultz have been charged with perjury and failure to report the incident to authorities. Curley is on temporary leave, and Schultz has retired. Through his attorney, Sandusky has denied the charges.
Paterno is not a target of the criminal investigation, having fulfilled his legal duties by reporting the incident to Curley and Schultz. But the state police commissioner called Paterno’s failure to contact police or follow up on the incident a lapse in “moral responsibility.”
Paterno has not said why he didn’t inform law enforcement authorities, nor has he said whether he was aware of any earlier alleged assaults. Aside from a few brief comments outside his house and two statements, Paterno has not spoken publicly since Sandusky was indicted.
“A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed,” Paterno said after he was fired.
Paterno might lose a shot at the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of the scandal.
Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, said Thursday they are rescinding their support for Paterno’s nomination for the nation’s highest civilian honor, citing recent events at the school. Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson also nominated Paterno this year but wouldn’t say Thursday whether he would also withdraw Paterno’s name.
The trio submitted Paterno’s name in September, citing his contributions to athletics and higher education.
Also Thursday, San Antonio police Sgt. Chris Benavides said his department is “looking into the possibility that an offense may have happened” while the Penn State football team was in town for the 1999 Alamo Bowl.
The grand jury report says Sandusky took one boy he allegedly molested to the game and threatened to send him home when the victim resisted his advances.
The Alamo Bowl was Sandusky’s last game at Penn State.
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