The claim that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was informed about an allegation of sexual abuse by assistant Jerry Sandusky 40 years ago has drawn swift condemnation from the late coach’s family.
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A single line from a court document from Penn State’s suit with its insurer, Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association Insurance (PMA), said that PMA had claimed that in 1976 a child allegedly told Paterno he had been molested by Sandusky.
In 2002, Paterno received a report claiming Sandusky had abused a boy in the shower of Penn State’s Lasch Football Building. He said the events are described “in a number of the victims’ depositions”. However, in 2012 the Freeh Report, an independent investigation into the scandal, concluded that Paterno was involved in the university’s decision not to bring the matter to authorities.
[I] n 1976, a child allegedly reported to PSU’s Head Coach Joseph Paterno that he (the child) was sexually molested by Sandusky.
The order also mentioned several claims in the nineties that would not be covered-meaning Penn State will not be reimbursed by the carrier-because the policy at the time had a specific provision exempting claims of molestation.
Scott Paterno, Joe Paterno’s son, says the allegations are exactly that: allegations that have not been proven as facts. “No party has shared any information with us”, Mrs. Paterno wrote in her letter, later calling for an end to “this endless process of character assassination” through accusations.
Sports Illustrated sports-law expert Brian McCann wrote Thursday that it’s unlikely the new claims ever will be anything more than allegations.
One of Sandusky’s victims spoke to CNN about an incident in 1971, in which Sandusky sexually assaulted him in a Penn State bathroom. The university has paid more than $90 million to settle 32 civil claims involving Sandusky. “It’s just degrading – that I was raped”, he said.
Moments earlier, Mr. Lubrano, a Paterno ally, argued that releasing details of the 1976 allegation should help people “evaluate and understand the context of this claim”. “Believe me, I’m the last person to defend the guy, but I am the first person to believe in our justice system”.
The case shocked the nation and divided the Penn State community over how much Paterno, the university’s legendary football coach, may have known about Sandusky’s conduct.
The new allegations came to light late Thursday, the same day that Sandusky was granted a hearing later this month to press his case for a new criminal trial.
There is also a section about cases like the Sandusky scandal in general.
University officials maintain they were unaware of Sandusky’s behavior until some period after 2001.
It emerged in a line from a court order in an insurance case related to the incident, according to Penn Live, which broke the news.
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Though a bronze statue of Paterno has not been returned to campus after its controversial removal in 2012, some trustees and Paterno loyalists have started discussions about finding a way to honor the coach, but not until the charges against Spanier and the others are resolved.
