Monday, July 23, 2012

Spanier Wants To Be Heard, Paterno Family Gets Themselves Heard

And, apparently, he's not a fan of the Freeh Report...

Graham Spanier wrote a letter to the Board of Trustees Sunday obtained by ESPN's "Outside The Lines" program that outlines, in his perspective the idea that he only had limited interaction in the Sandusky investigation and how much he, head coach Joe Paterno, former Athletic Director Tim Curley, and vice president Gary Schultz actually knew in the first place.

After the 2001 incident, Spanier admits that "I never heard a word about abusive or sexual behavior, nor were there any other details presented that would have led me to think along those lines."

Spanier points out, in his defense, that he has undergone background checks and has received top security clearances from the federal government in his new job -- clearance that required a review once the Sandusky matter became public last fall...

And, surprising on one, the Paterno family has released their own statement on the decision today that says, in part:

"The release of the Freeh report has triggered an avalanche of vitriol, condemnation and posthumous punishment on Joe Paterno. The NCAA has now become the latest party to accept the report as the final word on the Sandusky scandal. The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best.

"That the President, the Athletic Director and the Board of Trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the Committee on Infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the University and the 500,000 alumni. Punishing past, present and future students of the University because of Sandusky's crimes does not serve justice. This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did."


More when we know more...

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