Freeh Report Centers Blame on Penn State Administrators, Paterno

The Freeh Report was released Thursday morning, with the focus being on four of the most powerful people at Penn State. 

The report says, "Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University -- President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President-Finance and Business Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley and Head Football Coach Joseph V. Paterno - failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.  These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities.  They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being..."

The report looks closely at the handling of the reports of abuse in 1998 and 2001.  The mother of Victim 6 (in the Grand Jury report) reported to University Police that Jerry Sandusky showered with her son in the Lasch Building on Penn State's campus.  Schultz's confidential notes from May 4, 1998 state that the behavior was "at best inappropriate @ worse sexual improprieties."  Schultz also noted, "Is this the opening of pandora's box? Other children?"  The commission found that Schultz, Spanier, Curley and Paterno knew about the 1998 incident.  The District Attorney declined to bring charges against Sandusky for that incident.

In November 2000, a janitor observed Sandusky assaulting another boy in a Lasch Building shower, saying that "I just witnessed something in there that I'll never forget."  He did not the report the assault for fear that "they'll get rid of all of us."  Another janitor told the committee that reporting the incident "would have been like going against the President of the United States in my eyes," and said that "the University would have closed ranks to protect the football program at all costs."

Assistant Football Coach Mike McQueary testified to the Grand Jury in 2011 that he witnessed an incident of a "sexual nature" that took place in the Lasch Building shower in 2002.  The committee turned up evidence which showed that the incident actually took place on February 9th, 2001.  McQueary, a graduate assistant for the football team at the time, testified that he called Joe Paterno at his home the next day and met with the coach to discuss the incident.  Paterno notified Curley the week after.  Curley, Schultz and Spanier met on more than one occasion in the weeks that followed to discuss the incident.  Notes from a February 12th meeting between the three men showed that they "reviewed 1998 history," and that they agreed that Curley would talk with Joe Paterno, with Curley meeting with Sandusky that week. 

After the meeting between Curley and Sandusky, the note says that "Unless [Sandusky] confesses to having a problem," Curley would indicate whether they would have the Department of Public Welfare review the matter as an independent agency concerned with child welfare.  The report states that, "Without ever speaking to McQueary, Schultz and Curley had already decided that not reporting Sandusky's conduct to authorities may be an option." 

A series of e-mails that followed were written in unusually cryptic tones, without the use of proper names and titles.  On February 27th, Curley e-mailed Spanier and Schultz stating that after discussing the matter with Paterno the day before, they would offer Sandusky "professional help" and assist him in informing the Second Mile.  If Sandusky cooperated, they would not inform the Department of Public Welfare.  The Second Mile was informed of the 2001 incident, but it was never reported to authorities.

According to the report, the four men (Spanier, Curley, Schultz and Paterno) concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees in both 1998 and 2001, citing records from board meetings and interviews with trustees.  The report did, however, note that the Board "failed to exercise its oversight functions in 1998 and 2001 by not having regular reporting procedures or committee structures in place to ensure disclosure to the Board of major risks to the University."

In addition to the committee's findings, the report also includes numerous e-mails from Gary Schultz, Tim Curley and Graham Spanier as well as handwritten notes and interpretations of handwritten notes from Gary Schultz and Joe Paterno.  The report says that the counsel had "unfettered access" to University staff, as well as to data and documents maintained throughout the university.  The University staff provided a "large volume of raw data from computer systems, individual computers and communications devices."

Click Here to read the Full Freeh Report