Bob Costas Sandusky Interview: Why Costas' Questions Will Seal Villain's Fate

If Jerry Sandusky's legal team had any sense, the former Penn State defensive coordinator would not have talked with Bob Costas on NBC News on Monday.

Because Sandusky's legal team clearly doesn't have any sense, Sandusky did indeed talk with Bob Costas. The ensuing interview, which was conducted over the phone, was a disaster for Sandusky from a PR perspective.

Presumably, Sandusky agreed to talk, hoping to make a case for his innocence. What he did was further cement himself as a villain in the eyes of the general public.

If nothing else, that makes Sandusky's interview with Costas a decisive victory for the court of public opinion.

And for that, you have to tip your cap to Mr. Costas. He asked questions that needed to be asked, and he pulled no punches. What he carried out was more of an interrogation than it was an interview, and he was able to get Sandusky to produce answers that I think all of us, deep down, wanted to hear.

Make no mistake, some of those who tuned in to watch the Sandusky interview on Rock Center wanted to hear a man who sounded like he could be guilty of the child sex crimes a grand jury alleges he committed. He obliged. And then some.

The interview contained several highlights. Though Sandusky started the interview by proclaiming his innocence, he went on to admit to taking showers with young boys, and he even admitted to touching them.

"I could say that I have done some of those things," said Sandusky. "I have horsed around with kids, I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them, and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact."

Sandusky then went on to deny that he raped a boy back in 2002, an incident that was witnessed by Penn State assistant Mike McQueary and which was described in detail in the grand jury report. In fact, he denied pretty much all of the allegations that Costas brought up.

The string of denials led to what I thought was the best part of the interview, a point in which Costas paused and said, "It seems that if all of these accusations are false, you are the unluckiest and most persecuted man that any of us have ever heard about."

To that, Sandusky really had no answer.

But Costas kept up the attack, eventually inviting Sandusky to concede that he had done something wrong.

The only answer Sandusky could provide was, "I shouldn't have showered with those kids."

When you put the big picture in perspective, you'll realize just how absurd this answer is. Sandusky has been charged with 40 crimes, 21 of them felonies.

He is at the center of a scandal that has stripped Penn State University of its reputation, and has cost several high-ranking people their jobs, most notably longtime head football coach Joe Paterno.

Apparently, all of this happened because Sandusky made the mistake of showering with little boys.

Not much of an explanation, to say the least.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no way Sandusky could have come out of this interview looking like a good guy. One way or another, Costas' questions were going to come, and I am totally unable to fathom what kind of answers Sandusky could have given that would have made him sound like an innocent man.

Costas at one point stressed that Sandusky is a monster in the eyes of the public, and he sounded like one.

Now, you naturally have to ask the question whether this interview will have any sway when Sandusky's case goes to trial. If it does, I think the sway will be minimal. The trial will be wrapped around evidence, and disastrous interviews fall short in that regard.

But the general perception of Sandusky will play a role in the trial. If he wasn't perceived as a monster before this interview, he certainly is now.

And for that, you can thank Bob Costas.