On Thursday, former FBI director Louis Freeh said that investigation shows senior leaders at the Penn State University were fully aware of Sandusky’s activities but concealed them to protect the university’s reputation and fund flow. Freeh said, “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.”
On Thursday’s news conference, the FBI director revealed that Pennsylvania State University officials had been aware of allegations that Sandusky was a sexual predator for at least the last 14 years. Freeh said, “In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State University … repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse.”
The 267-page report details how Paterno and other Penn State officials conspired to cover up allegations against Sandusky as far back as 1998.
Thomas Kline, a lawyer who represents Victim 5 in the Sandusky case said, referring to Penn State officials, “They were morally bankrupt, and wrong legally.”
Freeh drew damning attention to former university President Graham Spanier, Paterno, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former university Vice President Gary Schultz for working in concert to cover up Sandusky’s child abuse.
Freeh told the assembled journalists, “Even though they all knew about the 1998 incident, the best they could muster to protect Sandusky’s victims was to ask Sandusky not to bring his ‘guests’ into the Penn State facilities.”
Kline, the lawyer for Victim 5 said, “Sandusky paraded children around, like trophies, he paraded children through the locker room, he was naked with children in the locker room, he was seen by the janitor, he was seen by an assistant coach, it was known by Coach Paterno, by Mr. Spanier, by Mr. Curley, by Mr. Schultz … and they did nothing.”