A newly-released report on the findings surrounding the sex scandals at Penn State University says officials close to the team demonstrated “total disregard” for the victims of Jerry Sandusky.
At the request of Penn State University (PSU) board of trustees, an independent investigation into the sex scandals surrounding the university was conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh to determine what role the university played in the cover-up of sexual abuse by university employees.
The special investigative counsel’s report concluded that not only were former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and other athletics department officials aware of previous investigations of child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky, “nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity,” Freeh said during a 10 a.m. EST press conference this morning.
The report goes on to say that Paterno, former PSU president Graham Spanier, former athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz were aware of allegations of inappropriate behavior in 1998 and “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.”
“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. The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, 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.”
At this morning’s conference, Freeh lamented the fact that Sandusky, upon retiring in 1999, received a “very large, unprecedented” retirement package and remained employed at Penn State. Freeh concluded that the 1999 retirement was related to 1998 reports of sexual abuse, which went undisciplined when first reported, out of consideration for ‘people’s weekend plans.’
The report condemed the “striking lack of empathy shown for Sandusky’s victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to identify the child who Sandusky assaulted … in 2001. Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity.”
