Penn State scandal far from over

Although Joe Paterno has been fired, it doesn’t mean the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State is over. Many questions remain — from how much Paterno actually knew to whether there will be 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. Sportsbook

Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, Paterno’s lead assistant on the field for the last 11 seasons, was introduced Thursday as the interim coach. Paterno coached for PSU for 64 seasons. A few hours after the announcement of Paterno’s firing, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett told reporters that he supported the board of trustees’ decision to oust college football’s winningest coach and President Graham Spanier because they didn’t do enough to alert authorities about the 2002 incident. Online Sportsbook

Sandusky, Paterno’s former assistant, has been charged with molesting eight boys in a 15-year span. “Certainly every Pennsylvanian who has any knowledge of this case, who has read the grand jury report, feels a sense of regret and a sorrow to also see careers end,” Corbett said. “But we must keep in mind that when it comes to the safety of children, there can be no margin of error, no hesitation to act.”

McQueary, who is Penn State’s wide receivers coach, testified before 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, Curley and a university vice president, Gary Schultz about the incident, although it is unclear how detailed his description was. Schultz then 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 that surfaced in last weeks’ report. Curley and Schultz have been charged with perjury and failure to report the incident to law enforcement authorities, as required by state law. 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.” He has not said why he didn’t contact law enforcement authorities and has said little publicly since Sandusky was indicted. McQueary also has not spoken publicly.

According to the indictment, McQueary was “distraught” after witnessing the alleged 2002 assault. It appears, however, that he may have continued to participate in fundraising events with Sandusky.

Sandusky, a former Penn State player and assistant for 30 years, had long been considered the likely successor to Paterno. But Paterno told Sandusky around May 1999 that the assistant wouldn’t be getting the top job.

Also stated in the indictment, one of the alleged victims testified that Sandusky was “emotionally upset” after that meeting with Paterno, and announced his retirement shortly afterward.

Sandusky cited as reasons for his retirement a desire to spend more time with his charity work, and taking advantage of a generous retirement package that included continued use of an office and access to the Penn State athletic facilities. Several of the alleged assaults took place on Penn State property.