Penn State Football: Freeh Report Sheds Darker Light on Joe Paterno, Justly

Joe Paterno was aware of a 1998 investigation in to former assistant coach and now convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, according to the Freeh Report, commissioned by the Penn State Board of Trustees. Paterno was part of a small group of high-ranking officials who allowed Sandusky to retire from his position on the coaching staff in order to remain a special part of the Penn State football legacy.

"Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University – President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President‐Finance and Business Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley and Head Football Coach Joseph V. Paterno – failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade,"

The report states under its findings. "These men concealed Sandusky’s activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities."

The Paterno family issued their own response following the release of the report, although admitted that it will take time to fully digest the scope of the report and the findings. According to the family statement, though, the retirement of Sandusky was unrelated to the tragic events.

"From what we have been able to assess at this time, it appears that after reviewing 3 million documents and conducting more than 400 interviews, the underlying facts as summarized in the report are almost entirely consistent with what we understood them to be," the Paterno family statement reads.

"The 1998 incident was reported to law enforcement and investigated. Joe Paterno reported what he was told about the 2001 incident to Penn State authorities and he believed it would be fully investigated. The investigation also confirmed that Sandusky’s retirement in 1999 was unrelated to these events."

According to the report, Paterno was informed of the 1998 investigation in to Sandusky, a fact he refuted during the grand jury investigation. The incident occurred in May of 1998, and by June, Schultz emailed Spanier and Curley asking if this was opening a Pandora's box and wondered if there were other victims to know about. We now know there were more victims, and we also know now that there was no action taken by Spanier, Curley, Schultz or Paterno to put an end to the abuse or at least scale back the access Sandusky had on campus. The report states that Paterno, in addition to Spanier, Curley and Schultz, was provided updates on the investigation at times.

As stated in the report, Penn State "essentially granted [Sandusky] license to bring boys to campus facilities for "grooming" as targets for his assaults." Sandusky had unlimited access to University facilities until November 2011, when he was first charged following the release of the grand jury presentment. The report slams Penn State for fostering a culture of reverence for the football program that was "ingrained at all levels of the campus community."

The Freeh Report states that Spanier, Schultz, Curley and Paterno concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse on multiple occasions and left the Board of Trustees in the dark along the way. Those four men and the Board of Trustees as a whole were said to have failed to act appropriately within the report. Penn State issued a formal response on the Freeh Report Thursday morning as well.

"We want to ensure we are giving the report careful scrutiny and consideration before making any announcements or recommendations. We are convening an internal team comprising the Board of Trustees, University administration and our legal counsel to begin analyzing the report and digesting Judge Freeh’s findings."

Nike's Phil Knight, who sternly backed Paterno at his memorial service on Penn State's campus, backtracked on his opinions in light of the new information.

"According to the investigation, it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences," Knight shared through a statement. "I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day. My love for Joe and his family remains."

Nike also has taken down Paterno's name from the childcare center on Nike's campus. Now, the question remains whether or not Penn State will do the same to the Paterno Library and, perhaps, the Paterno statue found outside Beaver Stadium.

The new information also brings new focus to what role the NCAA may have in potential sanctions for a program that has clearly operated under a lack of institutional control. But the NCAA's definition of lack of control does not cover the acts taken by the four men shown to be masterminds behind what looks to be a cover up.

How will Paterno be remembered now that we have more information on his role in the Sandusky scandal? There are still questions to be answered, and some of those may come as the trials of Curley and Schultz (and Spanier?) commence down the road.

In November Paterno said he should have done more.

In truth, he may have done more to harm his own legacy.

Read the Freeh Report here.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast, managing editor of Nittany Lions Den and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.