By Anne Danahy, McClatchy Newspapers –
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno said the cases surrounding Jerry Sandusky that unfolded at Penn State weren’t a reflection on football or academics at the university and shouldn’t harm those program’s reputations.
Those thoughts were part of a letter Paterno, now deceased, wrote that was posted online Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Paterno family said his understanding is that Paterno worked on the statement in December, and that the piece had been shared with football players.
“Regardless of anyone’s opinion of my actions or the actions of the handful of administration officials in this matter, nothing alleged is an indictment of football or evidence that the spectacular collections of accomplishments by dedicated student athletes should be in any way tarnished,” Paterno wrote.
Paterno died from cancer in January. In November, Penn State trustees had terminated him as football coach, a move that sparked a torrent of backlash from students, alumni and other faithful fans.
Since then, questions about how much Paterno knew about the allegations against Sandusky — who was convicted on 45 charges related to sexual abuse of boys — have been continuing to build. In particular, Mike McQueary testified he told Paterno that he walked into an athletic facility shower to find Sandusky naked with a boy of about 10 in a sexual situation.
In his piece, Paterno said he was honoring the Attorney General’s request and not discussing the specifics of his testimony. Instead, he wrote about not treating the situation as “a football scandal” or “academic scandal.”
“Whatever failings that may have happened at Penn State, whatever conclusions about my or others’ conduct you may wish to draw from a fair view of the allegations, it is inarguable that these actions had nothing to do with this last team or any of the hundreds of prior graduates of the ‘Grand Experiment,’” he wrote.