As the Penn State sexual scandal continues to dominate your news feed, you might find it difficult to keep track of who the major figures in the Jerry Sandusky case are and what the future might hold for them. This guide is intended to simplify the wave of information you've received. We are aware that there are more nuanced and detailed reports on the men below, but that can hinder your ability to understand the full scope of this case. The information came largely from the 23-page grand jury report, with other sources linked as necessary. To view a larger version of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's image above, click here.
Timeline Of The Jerry Sandusky Story
You can read the rest of our Scandal In Happy Valley coverage here.
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Jerry Sandusky, Former Defensive Coordinator
Involvement: Sandusky is the cause of this mess. He is the alleged sexual predator who spent approximately 15 years abusing children, thanks in large part to his charity for at-risk children, Second Mile. Sandusky also served as a volunteer assistant coach for a public high school, which gave him further access to children. Eyewitnesses saw him abusing children on multiple occasions, but he faced no repercussions until his arrest this weekend.
Status: Sandusky faces 40 counts related to his alleged abuse. He is free on $100,000 bail and has a hearing scheduled for Dec. 7.
Prognosis: Sandusky likely will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Joe Paterno, Former Head Football Coach
Involvement: Paterno has been a coach on Penn State’s staff since 1950 and is an icon who symbolizes the university and the entire Nittany Lion community. In 2002, then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary told Paterno that he witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in Penn State showers. Paterno reported the incident to athletic director Tim Curley but never alerted police.
Status: While Paterno released a statement on Nov. 9 saying he would retire at the end of the season so that Penn State’s Board of Trustees would not have to deal with him, the Board fired him that night.
Prognosis: This is the end of the line for the 84-year-old Paterno. It’s a sad finish to what had been the most successful career college football had ever witnessed.
Mike McQueary, Wide Receivers Coach; Recruiting Coordinator
Involvement: McQueary, who played quarterback for Penn State, became a member of the coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2000. He was still a graduate assistant in 2002 when he walked in on Jerry Sandusky anally raping a boy in Penn State showers. McQueary reported what he saw to Joe Paterno, but he never called police.
Status: As of 3:00 pm ET on Nov. 10, McQueary is still a coach at Penn State and will be on the sidelines for this weekend’s game against Nebraska. The Board of Trustees has recommended that he not be on the sidelines out of concern for his safety, so we’ll have to wait on interim coach Tom Bradley’s final decision to see whether or not McQueary will be on the field this Saturday. Bradley said that McQueary would remain an assistant, but he did not say whether McQueary would be on the sidelines or in a booth.
Prognosis: The above will almost certainly change, and it likely will happen today or tomorrow. The Board of Trustees needed to act quickly to remove President Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno from their positions, but eventually other complicit parties will have to leave. McQueary is next on the chopping block at Penn State.
John J. McQueary, Mike McQueary’s Father
Picture not available.
Involvement: The elder McQueary is the first person Mike told about what he witnessed in the Penn State showers. John McQueary helped Mike decide to inform Paterno about the rape, but he also never informed police.
Status: John McQueary is off the radar for now.
Prognosis: We believe that John McQueary will face more public criticism in the days and weeks ahead. The sheer amount of information in this case has meant that the target of public outcry shifts slowly; Mike McQueary has only recently become a focal point for outraged observers. Mike’s father clearly knew about the rape and played a large role in his son’s decision to tell Paterno and not police, so he likely will have to answer serious questions soon.
Tim Curley, Athletic Director
Involvement: Joe Paterno told Curley about the Sandusky incident that occurred in the shower. Curley responded by banning Sandusky from having children on campus and by telling McQueary that Sandusky’s keys to the locker room had been taken away. Curley later testified under oath that he had no reason to believe a crime had been committed.
Status: Curley faces perjury charges for lying about his knowledge of the shower incident. He is on administrative leave but is still technically employed by the university.
Prognosis: The Board of Trustees had trouble identifying whether or not Curley was entitled to have his legal fees paid for by the university, but you can be sure that Curley will receive his marching orders soon. He won’t be employed by PSU for long.
Graham Spanier, Former President
Involvement: Spanier oversaw Penn State during the entirety of the alleged sexual abuse. While it’s unclear whether or not Spanier was aware of the accusations against Sandusky, he knew and approved of the ban that forbade Sandusky from bringing children to campus.
Status: Spanier was fired by the Board of Trustees on Nov. 9.
Prognosis: Spanier will lie low for a long time – as long as possible – but eventually he’ll have to explain himself.
Gary Schultz, Vice President of Finance and Business
Involvement: Schultz, along with Curley, knew about Mike McQueary’s report in 2002, and he is accused of lying to investigators about the extent of his knowledge. Schultz oversees Penn State Police, who investigated allegations against Sandusky of sexual abuse in 1998. No charges were filed.
Status: Like Curley, Schultz has not officially been fired but is no longer serving at his post.
Prognosis: Like Curley, Schultz probably will be fired soon.
Tom Bradley, Interim Football Coach
Involvement: Bradley is not implicated directly in this scandal, but he has been a part of the Penn State football program for over 30 years and is as intertwined with the community as any of the other figures (JoePa excepted) involved. Bradley is a part of the Penn State family, and from the Board’s point of view he is the only person equipped to finish out the Nittany Lions’ season.
Status: Bradley faces the impossible task of coaching Penn State against Nebraska this Saturday.
Prognosis: Bradley’s career after this season is over, along with every coach on the current Penn State team. The university will purge their entire football program after this season is over.
Penn State University Board of Trustees
Involvement: The BoT must wade through all of the allegations and is responsible for firing any and all they deem too involved in this scandal
Status: The previous chairman, Steve Garban, played for Joe Paterno, which gives you an idea of Paterno’s reach in the Penn State community. Garban likely will not run for reelection, meaning John Surma (the man who handled the press last night) likely will be the chairman.
Prognosis: The BoT members have a lot of work ahead of them.
Ray Gricar, Former Centre County District Attorney
Involvement: Ray Gricar is the former Centre County district attorney who inexplicably did not file charges against Sandusky in 1998. After Penn State Police conducted an investigation that included an officer hearing Sandusky admit to a victim’s mother that he had inappropriately touched his son, Gricar inexplicably kept quiet.
Status: Legally dead. Seriously! Gricar went missing in 2005, and his laptop was later found in a river with the hard drive destroyed. Since then investigators have found no substantive evidence that he is alive or dead.
Prognosis: Gricar adds a serious level of intrigue to an already horrific story. Questions abound: Why did he disappear? Is he really dead? Why did he decline to prosecute Sandusky? Expect to see a lot of investigative work on Gricar in the months ahead.
We mentioned in the intro that this is by no means an exhaustive report. It merely serves as one way to help us wrap our minds around a mind-blowing story.
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