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In early 2011, news regarding the Penn State scandal and Jerry Sandusky's crimes first came to light, involving accusations and subsequent convictions of s*xual abuse of minors.
The scandal made headlines in November 2011 after Sandusky, an assistant football coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions, was charged with 52 counts of child molesting that took place between 1994 and 2009.
Three other Penn State officials, including athletic director Tim Curley, vice president Gary Schultz, and school president Graham Spanier, were convicted and jailed on accusations of perjury, obstruction of justice, and other related offenses.
It was discovered that Spanier, Curley, and Schultz, along with head football coach Joe Paterno, were aware of Sandusky's crimes, but chose not to disclose them.
ID's Murder Under the Friday Night Lights recently revisited the Penn State scandal in an episode titled When Rules Don't Apply, which aired on December 28, 2022.
Abuse of minors for over a decade, charges on 52 counts, and 3 other facts about the Penn State scandal
1) Jerry Sandusky s*xually abused minor for over a decade, resulting in the Penn State scandal
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who retired from his position in 1999 after serving for nearly 30 years, was accused of s*xually abusing at least eight minors between the 1994 and 2009 period.
Some of the alleged events took place on the university's main campus and in the locker room showers. But the news was only made public in 2011.
2) Multiple other Penn State officials were released from their positions and convicted for their roles
Around the same time frame, multiple other Penn State officials failed to inform the appropriate authorities about the specifics of these crimes, allowing the long-running and troubling pattern of conduct to persist even after being aware of them as early as 1998. A probe into Penn State scandal surrounding Sandusky revealed that other officials had "total and consistent disregard" for the victims.
Long-reigning head coach Joe Paterno, university president Graham Spanier, senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, and athletic director Tim Curley were also mentioned in the report.
One of Sandusky's victims testified in a separate 2016 lawsuit against Penn State that Paterno was aware of the abuse since 1976.
3) The Penn State scandal resulted in the vacation of all of their victories between 1998 to 2011
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) penalized the Penn State football program as a consequence of the scandal with a $60 million fine, a four-year playoff suspension, scholarship cutbacks, and the forfeiture of every victory from 1998 to 2011.
These penalties were regarded as some of the harshest ever levied on an NCAA member institution.
4) Jerry Sandusky was eventually found guilty on multiple counts of s*xual abuse
On November 5, 2011, Jerry Sandusky was taken into custody and charged with numerous crimes, including seven counts of involuntary deviant s*xual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and many more. He was arrested for a second time two days later and charged with 12 further counts of s*xual abuse.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses who were victimized by him over the years during his 2012 trial. A jury found Jerry guilty of eight counts of involuntary aberrant s*xual contact, and 10 counts of endangering the welfare of minors, among others.
5) Three other officials were charged and jailed as part of the Penn State scandal
For covering up Jerry Sandusky's crimes, University President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz, and athletic director Tim Curley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of child endangerment in March 2017. All three received prison sentences, fines, and probation for the offenses in June of that year.
Head coach Joe Paterno, however, was never charged with a crime but died of lung cancer in January 2012, 74 days after Penn State fired him for his role in Sandusky's crimes.
