Jerry Sandusky: Emails May Show What Penn State Officials Knew About Abuse

In the wake of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky being found guilty on 45 of the 48 counts of child sexual abuse he faced, new details continue to emerge regarding the university's role in the crimes.

According to Susan Candiotti of CNN, emails between Penn State officials have been recovered that seem to indicate exactly what Penn State officials knew about Sandusky's pattern of abuse and when they first became aware of it.

Former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and former Penn State vice president Gary Schultz are currently facing charges for allegedly lying to the grand jury about their knowledge of Sandusky's crimes, as well as failing to report them to the authorities.

If the alleged emails indeed provide a timeline of what and when Curley, Schultz and perhaps other officials knew about the Sandusky situation, they will certainly play a huge role in any of the charges that are currently pending.

Sandusky was initially indicted by a grand jury on 40 counts of sexual abuse against children on Nov. 4, 2011. The ensuing days were among the darkest in Penn State's history, as longtime head football coach Joe Paterno was forced to step down and numerous other officials were removed from positions as well.

Former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary allegedly witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in a locker-room shower, and that information is ultimately what caused the case to come to the forefront. McQueary reportedly informed Paterno of the abuse, who then told Curley and Schultz.

There has been a ton of outcry since then regarding the handling of McQueary's account, but the emails that have surfaced may be able to shed some light on precisely how the entire situation developed.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter