Since news broke just under two weeks ago of accusations made against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky of sexual abuse, Crystal Ball Run has repeatedly harped that this will continue to be an ever-evolving story. That story took on a new evolution Monday night, when for the Sandusky spoke publicly for the first time about those accusations made in a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report.
On Monday, Sandusky spoke by phone to NBC’s Bob Costas, and with his lawyer Joe Amendola by Costas’ side in NBC’s studios, answered tough questions from the veteran journalist. Sandusky’s responses were at times strange, chilling and to a degree, damning, leaving an already murky situation that much muddier.
Here are a few quotes and notes which caught our attention:
Sandusky maintained his overall innocence throughout the interview, but when asked directly if he was innocent of all charges, he replied:
“I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact.”
When asked of an alleged 2002 incident, in which former Penn State football graduate assistant (and current wide receivers coach) Mike McQueary reportedly walked in on Sandusky showering with a young boy, Sandusky said:
“We were showering and horsing around, and he (the child) actually turned all the showers on and was actually sliding across the floor, and we were, as I recall, possibly like snapping a towel—horseplay.”
But maybe the most chilling, cryptic and confusing comment made by Sandusky was after Costas asked him directly, “are you sexually attracted to small children?”
After repeating the question (“are you sexually attracted to small children”), Sandusky paused, before saying:
“Sexually attracted? No. I enjoy young people, I love to be around them, but, no, I’m not sexually attracted to young boys.”
Again, it was nothing, if not a confusing conversation. And while a court will eventually find Sandusky innocent or guilty of these charges, there is no doubt that in the court of public opinion most of whom saw the interview would have have a hard time arguing his innocence. Given some of the answers Sandusky provided, and the manner in which he provided them, it wasn’t hard for most viewers to blow past “reasonable doubt,” and straight to “guilty.”
Following Sandusky’s interview, his lawyer Amendola answered a few questions from Costas himself. Most importantly, Costas asked the lawyer point blank if he would allow his children to be alone with Sandusky. Amendola responded with an unequivocal “yes.”
However, even Amendola’s own public credibility has come under fire in recent days, when reports leaked late Monday that the lawyer himself isn’t free of controversy. The most damning report revealed that Amendola impregnated a 17-year-old girl when he was 46-years-old, giving this case yet another bizarre twist. In the interest of full-disclosure, it’s important to note that the age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16, and also that the girl he impregnated later went on to become his wife. The two have since divorced.
A few more notes:
– Another interesting piece of information which was revealed in Amendola’s portion of the interview, is that the defense believes they’ve found the child that McQueary allegedly saw in the shower with Sandusky in 2002, and that the child (now in his 20’s) is willing to testify in defense of Sandusky. It was previously reported that the child was unidentified.
– On the opposite end of the case, NBC has reportedly obtained e-mails from McQueary, in which the coach who is now on paid leave told friends that the entire truth to the story hasn’t come out. “I didn’t just turn and run…I made sure it stopped…I had to make quick tough decisions,” he said.
– The New York Times is now reporting that up to 10 more victims have come forward with similar accusations against Sandusky. Pennsylvania authorities are working to confirm the allegations.
– In the wake of the Sandusky fall-out, Connecticut legislators are trying to get their requirements for the reporting of sexual abuse altered.
– A former Penn State graduate assistant (not McQueary) who dealt with sexual abuse himself as a child, told PennLive.com that Sandusky had “boundary issues,” with children.
– And finally, the Jack Raykovitz, the President and CEO of Sandusky’s charity “Second Mile,” stepped down yesterday.
Follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres.
For late-breaking news on this continually evolving case, follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter @CrystalBallRun.
