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Penn State Sex Scandal
- Penn State University
- Football
- 2012
- Fines and Sanctions, Numerous High Level Dismissals
The Penn State University child sex abuse scandal:
This was a two part tragedy. The first part included the events that triggered the school's scandal: the molestation of at least eight underage boys by longtime former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on school grounds.
The broader problem was the cover up.
Legendary head football coach Joe Paterno was fired for not doing more to notify the authorities when news of Sandusky's behavior came to his attention.
Paterno, who died a few months after his dismissal of cancer, had reported it to school higher ups but hadn't gone to the police.
After a grand jury indicted Sandusky on 52 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009, several high level school officials were either charged with perjury, suspended, fired for covering up facts or for failing to notify authorities.
University president Graham Spanier was forced to resign.
Athletic director Tim Curley…
…like Paterno, was fired.
Sandusky, always maintained his innocence, was sentenced to at least thirty and as many as 60 years in prison.
The institution suffered too.
An investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh said senior school leaders showed a disregard for what Sandusky was doing and allowed it to continue.
In July 2012, the NCAA imposed sweeping fines and sanctions on Penn State's football program, including a fine of sixty million dollars, vacating all victories from 1998 to 2011 and a four year post season ban.
The ban was lifted in September 2014 and football scholarships were restored in 2015.
