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Fallout from a scandal: Penn State saga faces to know
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It has been two weeks since a child sex abuse scandal erupted on the campus of Penn State University and shook it to its core.
Jerry Sandusky, a revered and respected former defensive coordinator for Joe Paterno, was charged with sexually assaulting eight boys over a 15-year period.
A grand jury report released Nov. 5 provided graphic details on the assaults but also implicated two senior officials for failing to report one of the assaults after being told about it by Mr. Paterno.
Day after day, there have been new revelations and developments in an ever-widening scandal that is arguably the worst in the history of college athletics.
More than half-dozen investigating agencies have been involved or have said they plan to investigate the criminal charges or the university's handling of the allegations.
Among them are the state Attorney General's office, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice, an investigative panel appointed by Penn State's board of trustees, and the state Legislature, which may form a bipartisan panel to review the state's child abuse laws.
And on Friday, the NCAA informed Penn State it was launching an investigation.
As the scandal has widened, so too has fallout from it. Below are some of the main figures whose lives have been forever changed by the still-unfolding events.
Fired Nov. 9 as head coach of one of the country's most well-known and respected collegiate football programs after 45 years as head coach.
Resigned under pressure the same day Joe Paterno was fired, five days after he and Mr. Paterno faced mounting criticism over the university's failure to report to police the allegations regarding Jerry Sandusky.
Resigned Nov. 6 as athletic director. Mr. Curley was arraigned the next day on charges of perjury and failure to report a crime.
Like Tim Curley, he is charged with perjury and failing to report the alleged assault on campus after being told about it by Joe Paterno, who heard about it from then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary in 2002. He re-retired Nov. 6.
The assistant coach was placed on paid administrative leave. Mr. McQueary told the grand jury he saw Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room shower and reported the information to Joe Paterno.
Announced the firing of Coach Joe Paterno and the departure of Graham Spanier as president Nov. 6 at a late-night news conference. The U.S. Steel chairman and CEO is vice chairman of the Penn State Board of Trustees and has become the public face of the board.
Fallout from the criminal charges and accusations was making some advertisers and sponsors reconsider their commitments. Cars.com, an online car shopping site, withdrew from the telecast of Penn State's games against Nebraska and Ohio State. And sales of Penn State merchandise decreased.
Named interim Penn State football coach Nov. 9 after Joe Paterno was fired by Board of Trustees. The former defensive coordinator had long been considered the leading candidate to replace Mr. Paterno.
Named interim Penn State president Nov. 9 after Graham Spanier stepped down. The former longtime university provost lost the "interim" two days later; university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the trustees "wanted to show that their full support was behind him," though they still intended to do a national search for a new president. On Friday, the university said Mr. Erickson is its 17th president and there are no plans for now to conduct a nationwide search for a new leader.
Named interim athletic director Wednesday. He replaces Tim Curley, who resigned Nov. 6 after being charged with perjury and failure to report a crime.
Initially said the Penn State Board of Trustees had no plans to ask Graham Spanier to step down following the revelations that university officials had been told of allegations against Jerry Sandusky. The president of the board, a former vice president at the university whose 33-year tenure as an administrator ended in 1993, later presided over the Nov. 6 decision to fire Joe Paterno and have Mr. Spanier step down.
The president and CEO of The Second Mile, resigned Monday from the nonprofit that works with troubled children and which was founded by Jerry Sandusky. Mr. Raykovitz testified before a grand jury that he had knowledge of allegations against Mr. Sandusky going back to 2002, but it wasn't until 2008 that the organization took steps to keep Mr. Sandusky away from children. On Friday, the organization said it was considering options, including disbanding.
Was criticized for what was termed the slow pace of the investigation into the allegations against Jerry Sandusky that he led as state attorney general, and for approving $3 million in state funding for a planned Second Mile facility as governor, when he was aware of the investigation of Mr. Sandusky.
Went on hiatus as spokesman for the Meadows Racetrack and Casino and temporarily stepped aside as chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Promise after he was criticized for saying he thought Joe Paterno had been treated unfairly. The former Penn State star and Steelers Hall of Fame running back said he thought Penn State was wrong to fire Mr. Paterno because the coach did what he was legally required to do in 2002 by informing a superior about allegations concerning Jerry Sandusky.
First Published November 20, 2011 12:00 am
