Blue White Illustrated

ADMINISTRATION University responds to allegations in Sandusky case The past four years have done little to diminish the polarizing effect of the Sandusky scandal, as was made evident in May following the dis- closure of details from the depositions in a law- suit involving Penn State and its former insurance company. The lawsuit alleged that former head coach Joe Paterno had been made aware of inappro- priate behavior by Jerry Sandusky in the 1970s and that a number of Penn State assistant coaches had witnessed such behavior during their tenures at the school. The initial report was published by Pennlive.com, and it led to additional reporting by national news outlets. Re- ports from CNN and NBC News alleged that two incidents of sexual misconduct by Sandusky had been reported to Pa- terno in the 1970s, while NBC alleged that "as many as six assistant coaches at Penn State witnessed 'inappropriate be- havior' " dating back to the 1970s. Those stories sparked a strong re- sponse from the Paterno family, and from the university, including a letter by president Eric Barron in which he said he was "appalled by the rumor, innuendo and rush to judgment that have accom- panied the media stories surrounding these allegations." "All too often in our society, people are convicted in the court of public opinion, only to find a different outcome when all the facts are presented," Barron wrote. Reiterating the university community's commitment to fighting child sexual abuse, Barron cited two key points of contention regarding the latest allega- tions. First, he wrote, "the two allegations related to knowledge by Coach Paterno are unsubstantiated and unsupported by any evidence other than a claim by an alleged victim. They date from the 1970s. Coach Paterno is not alive to re- fute them. His family has denied them." Second, he added, no evidence exists to support the claim that the allegations had been communicated to Paterno. "This raises considerable credibility is- sues as to this press report," Barron wrote. Barron concluded with an assessment of the media's impact on public opinion. "Unfortunately, we can't control the 24/7 news cycle, and the tendency of some individuals in social media and the blogosphere to rush to judgment," he wrote. "But I have had enough of the continued trial of the institution in vari- ous media. We have all had enough. And while Penn State cannot always com- ment on allegations that emanate from legal proceedings, I thought it was im- portant to let you know my reaction to the media frenzy that has ensued over the past few days. I am appalled." Additionally, Sue Paterno provided her own statement via a letter to the board of trustees in which she said she was "deeply saddened" by the new allega- tions and denounced what she called "this endless process of character assas- sination by accusation." "The seriousness of this matter de- mands that we all insist on facts and due process," she wrote. "My family and I have no knowledge of the allegation re- leased yesterday. No party has shared any information with us, and yet it is now taken by many as a confirmed fact. From the first day, Joe and I have called for the full record to be made public. I do not fear the facts, and I know that every- one will be better served if the complete story is made available for all to review. "My family, Penn State, the victims, and everyone who hopes to prevent fu- ture Jerry Sanduskys have to come to- gether to demand a more transparent and complete process for reviewing alle- gations. To deny this right is to guaran- tee that the full truth will never be known. I call on the Board of Trustees to open Penn State's records, lift your ob- jections to transparency, give everyone a chance to see the truth about what you know. I'm confident there is a way to do this while still protecting the rights of the victims. I also call on the NCAA to do the same, and anyone else who has information critical to this matter." In other news, the Pennsylvania attor- ney general's office may be interested in scrutinizing Sandusky's now-defunct charitable organization, the Second Mile. According to a report in the Pitts- burgh Tribune-Review last month, So- licitor General Bruce Castor has asked for a memo from his staff outlining "what an investigation into the Second Mile would look like." Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano said he was encouraged by Castor's inter- est in examining the Second Mile, which shut down following the investigation of Sandusky. "I'm pleased someone is actu- ally looking at this," he said. ■ PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSE Barron said he was "ap- palled" by the por- trayal of allega- tions in a lawsuit in- volving PSU. Photo by Curtis Chan

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