By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Family and supporters of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno were saddened and stunned by the findings of an independent investigation on the child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the university and led to his firing.

The 267-page report by Louis Freeh, a former federal judge and director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, revealed that Paterno and three other senior university officials deliberately hid facts about former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's abuse of several children inside the school's facilities.

''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.

Freeh said Paterno, then-university President Graham Spanier, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and retired senior vice president Gary Schultz allowed Sandusky to prey on other boys for years

"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized," added Freeh.

While he said the findings would further damage Paterno's reputation, Freeh said the coach was an integral part of this active decision to conceal and his firing was justified.

Paterno died of lung cancer in January at age 85, months after he was fired by the school's trustees while Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted last month of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years.

Paterno's family, in a statement, criticized Freeh's report, saying "the idea that any sane, responsible adult would knowingly cover up for a child predator is impossible to accept."

"The far more realistic conclusion is that many people didn't fully understand what was happening and underestimated or misinterpreted events,'' the family added. ''Sandusky was a great deceiver. He fooled everyone.''

But Paterno's ardent supporters and fan base in the university expressed sadness over the report.

Katie Wismer, a freshman from Easton, Pa., said she had expected bad news from the Freeh report although she held out hope for something else. What she found most disappointing, she said, was "that Joe didn't do more," adding, "That Joe aspect just kind of broke my heart a little."

"I was just really upset for the victims. That really got me, how the children — I'm an education major — had to suffer when they didn't have to because of Paterno. I loved him so much, just the fact that he didn't do more really hurt me," Jessica Knoll, an 18-year-old incoming freshman, said.

Lou Prato, who has written several books about Penn State football, called the Freeh report "devastating."

"It's even worse than the grand jury report," Prato said. "My heart goes out to the victims and it will affect Paterno's legacy. All of the good things he did will remain part of his reputation but we all make mistakes and this is a big one.

 

A scathing report resulting from a Penn State internal investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh says coach Joe Paterno and other university official covered up reports of sex abuse by Jerry Sandusky. Armen Keteyian has the details

 

In an interview with Scott Pelley, late Penn State coach Joe Paterno's son Jay says his father reported the 1998 shower incident to authorities and did not know of anything else until 2001

 

 

Paterno Family and Supporters 'Shocked, Saddened' by Freeh Report