July 12–The 267-page report released Thursday on the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State reveals some disturbing details, and shows how a university can be taken over by its football program.
In one part of the report, a janitor says he witnessed Sandusky performing oral sex on a young boy in the showers at Penn State, but eventually decided not to report it because “they’ll get rid of all of us.”
A second janitor also said he witnessed Sandusky and a young boy in the showers, but didn’t say anything because reporting the incident “would have been like going against the president of the United States in my opinion. I know Paterno has so much power, if he wanted to get rid of someone, I would have been gone.” He also said that “football runs the university,” and that the school would have closed ranks to protect the football program at all costs.
And it looks like the janitor’s fears may have been justified.
In a letter accompanying the release of the report, former FBI Director Louis Freeh had harsh words for the university’s top officials for failing to act on reports that Sandusky had molested children on the school campus.
“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.”
