Report: Jerry Sandusky's Alleged Abuse May Have Stretched Back as Far as 1970s

Following an interview with Bob Costas on Rock Center in which he denied allegations of sexual abuse against children, several new victims may be coming to the forefront, including ones from as far back as the 1970s, to testify against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

In the interview, Sandusky claimed he was innocent of the 40 counts of sexual assault he has been charged with. When asked if he had done anything inappropriate with children, he would only admit to showering with them.

According to reports, among the victims who are considering coming forward is one who was allegedly abused by Sandusky dating back to the 1970s, which is when Sandusky first set up the Second Mile Foundation. Sandusky reportedly met all of his victims through the organization.

While there may be a statute of limitations in terms of whether the alleged victim from the 1970s can press charges, their testimony may still be valued by the prosecution. If it can be proven that Sandusky's alleged actions date back that far, it will difficult for the jury to ignore.

The New York Times estimated that 10 new victims have come forward, but that claim was ruled incorrect by Pennsylvania State Police. Whatever the case, it seems as if an untold amount of alleged victims are now willing to blow the whistle on Sandusky due, in part, to his interview with Costas.

Attorney Andy Shubin claims to have spoken with multiple possible victims, although he was unable to put a number on it. The most important potential victim figures to be the one Penn State assistant Mike McQueary reportedly saw Sandusky sexually abusing in a Penn State locker room shower in 2002.

Additional victims may still play a large role in the case, though, even if they cannot prove that they were sexually assaulted by Sandusky. It is impossible to tell how many possible victims there could be at this point, but if the reports are any indication, the sheer number of alleged victims could be enough to get Sandusky convicted.

The fact that victims may be coming to the forefront based upon Sandusky's interview, calls into question why his legal counsel allowed the interview in the first place. It doesn't seem as though it helped public opinion of Sandusky, and it just may have caused more damning evidence to be revealed against him.