Louis Freeh Report: 5 Things You Must Know from Findings on Penn State Scandal

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The highly anticipated Louis Freeh Report has been released. 

Freeh is a former FBI director who was hired by the Penn State Board of Trustees in November of last year when former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting several young boys. The university was accused of not doing enough to prevent it.

The report is 267 pages long and includes a lot of critical information.

Here are the key things you need to know about this lengthy report.

This Was a Thorough Investigation

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Louis Freeh and his team must have not gotten much sleep over the past several months. There were over 430 interviews that took place, such as those with several different members of the university, including athletes, members of the coaching staff and of the Board of Trustees.

There were also over 3.5 million documents and emails through which they searched, according to the report.

In addition, there was also a forensic investigation, which revealed that assistant coach Mike McQueary witnessed a sexual assault in 2001, not 2002, contrary to what he said in his testimony. 

Assaults Could Have Been Prevented

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Despite many knowing about the criminal activity that was going on since 1998, Sandusky was still allowed access to Penn State facilities. The university didn't take any measures to prevent him from coming on campus, according to the report.

If the former assistant coach had been prevented, Freeh says that some of these assaults may not have happened at all.

Sandusky Retirement

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Jerry Sandusky retired from coaching at Penn State in 1999, but he requested a retirement plan that included an extra $20,000 yearly annuity along with his pension. He wanted to remain a part of Penn State athletics in some way, so he could continue to work with young people, according to the report.

Former president Graham Spanier had given Sandusky a payment of $168,000—a sum the university had never before given to a retired employee. Ex-athletic director Tim Curley also received authorization to re-hire Sandusky as an "emergency hire" during the 1999 season. 

Along with the large lump of cash, Sandusky was awarded "emeritus" rank, which allowed for special privileges, including access to the campus and locker rooms on the university's East Area.

The Board of Trustees Didn't Do Their Job

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Despite the Penn State board being made aware of the allegations earlier this year, they failed to act on the matter or demand any action from the school president, according to the report. The general counsel, senior vice president and school president also failed to bring the 1998 and 2001 allegations to the board.

The board did not have committee structures or reporting procedures on how to deal with such a major risk to the university. The board also had too much confidence in former president Graham Spanier's ability to handle these issues, and did not know how to go about filing criminal charges or firing former head coach Joe Paterno. 

Everybody Turned a Blind Eye to the Whole Thing

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Probably the most upsetting thing about this whole case is the fact that nobody tried to step up and stop it. According to the Freeh report: 

The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky’s victims until after Sandusky’s arrest. 

You can take it for what it is, but this prestigious university's reputation, along with that of one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, may forever have a black eye.