Uni officials hid coach's child abuse to avoid publicity
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
REVERED US college football coach Joe Paterno and other senior officials "concealed critical facts" about an assistant coach's child abuse because they were worried about bad publicity, according to an internal investigation into a scandal that shocked America.
The 267-page report released yesterday was the result of an eight-month inquiry by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who was hired by Penn State trustees weeks after Jerry Sandusky was arrested on charges of child abuse to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals.
The charges which resulted in Sandusky's conviction on 45 criminal counts quickly became one of the biggest scandals in the US, rocking the much-beloved institution of college football and the reputation of Penn State. The scandal led to the ouster of Paterno and the school's president.
The report concluded Paterno, president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."
"In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university - Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley - repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse," the report said.
Sexual abuse might have been prevented if university officials had banned him from bringing children onto campus after a 1998 inquiry, the report said. Despite their knowledge of the police probe into Sandusky showering with a boy in a football locker room, Spanier, Paterno, Curley and Schultz took no action to limit his access to campus, the report said.
The May 1998 complaint by a woman whose son came home with wet hair after showering with Sandusky didn't result in charges at the time. The report says Schultz was worried the matter could be opening "Pandora's box."
Officials later did bar him from bringing children to campus.
Freeh called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
"Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," Freeh said. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Some of the most powerful men at the school "empowered Sandusky to attract potential victims to the campus and football events by allowing him to have continued, unrestricted and unsupervised access" to campus and his affiliation with the football program, the report said. The access, the report states, "provided Sandusky with the very currency that enabled him to attract his victims."
Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after a trial that included gut-wrenching and lurid testimony from eight young men who said he abused them as boys.
The 267-page report released yesterday was the result of an eight-month inquiry by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who was hired by Penn State trustees weeks after Jerry Sandusky was arrested on charges of child abuse to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals.
The charges which resulted in Sandusky's conviction on 45 criminal counts quickly became one of the biggest scandals in the US, rocking the much-beloved institution of college football and the reputation of Penn State. The scandal led to the ouster of Paterno and the school's president.
The report concluded Paterno, president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."
"In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university - Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley - repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse," the report said.
Sexual abuse might have been prevented if university officials had banned him from bringing children onto campus after a 1998 inquiry, the report said. Despite their knowledge of the police probe into Sandusky showering with a boy in a football locker room, Spanier, Paterno, Curley and Schultz took no action to limit his access to campus, the report said.
The May 1998 complaint by a woman whose son came home with wet hair after showering with Sandusky didn't result in charges at the time. The report says Schultz was worried the matter could be opening "Pandora's box."
Officials later did bar him from bringing children to campus.
Freeh called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
"Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," Freeh said. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Some of the most powerful men at the school "empowered Sandusky to attract potential victims to the campus and football events by allowing him to have continued, unrestricted and unsupervised access" to campus and his affiliation with the football program, the report said. The access, the report states, "provided Sandusky with the very currency that enabled him to attract his victims."
Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after a trial that included gut-wrenching and lurid testimony from eight young men who said he abused them as boys.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
