Jerry Sandusky Trial Will Be Biggest in Sports Since O.J. Simpson

After waiving his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, as well as his forthcoming arraignment, accused child molester and former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is going to trial.

The media circus surrounding the March trial will ensure that it is the biggest in sports since O.J. Simpson.

When Simpson, a former Buffalo Bills running back, was tried for the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, the 1995 trial took the nation by storm. There was a great divide among the general public with regards to whether he was guilty or innocent.

That isn't likely to be the case with Sandusky, but it doesn't make the pending trial any less significant. The sheer number of alleged victims testifying against Sandusky promises to be huge, and there is simply no telling what types of accusations or accounts will come to the forefront.

There is no question that the two trials have very different dynamics, but both were or are sports stories that have dominated the news wire. It isn't often that a sports story completely transcends the sports world and becomes part of the public awareness, but that is what happened with Simpson and is already happening with Sandusky.

Large-scale child molestation cases tend to create plenty of public outrage anyway, so when it involves a fairly high-profile public figure, that only exacerbates things. Also, Sandusky's strange actions are comparable to some of those that Simpson displayed.

Perhaps the most iconic image regarding Simpson prior to the trial was the white Ford Bronco he was seen riding in on the day he was supposed to turn himself in to police. Simpson threatened suicide, resulting in a lengthy police chase that eventually ended with Simpson turning himself in.

I'm not sure Sandusky has yet had his "signature moment" heading into the trial, but the main candidate is likely his interview with Bob Costas on Rock Center in November. Sandusky stopped short of indicting himself, but the whole thing was very bizarre.

Perhaps the part that most will remember for a long time was the manner in which he hesitated when asked if he was sexually attracted to young boys. He eventually admitted that he shouldn't have showered with the boys and his overall tone throughout the interview was very strange.

Ultimately, this is the type of trial that has the potential to captivate an entire nation. As a country we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to child molesters, and that is the way it should be. Because of that, there will be a massive rallying cry against Sandusky once the trial commences.

I'm not sure any trial will ever again reach the magnitude of Simpson's, but as far as sports-related trials go, Sandusky will certainly be in the ballpark. Unlike the Simpson trial, I expect this one to be anti-climactic based upon the number of accusers, but there are sure to be tons of interesting revelations along the way.