On Wednesday, lawyers of former Penn State University Graham Spanier, who resigned from the position in 2011 after increasing criticism to his handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, will be disputing the FBI released investigation reports which implicated Spanier in the cover-up scandal.
Although, Spanier has not been charged for either perjury or failure to report suspected child abuse, like two other PSU officials, the accusations cost him his job. He alleges along with other PSU Board of Trustees that the report is "full of factual errors" and "untrue and unwarranted," as reported by Sports Illustrated.
In July, former FBI director Louis Freeh, released a 267 page report, which was formed over seven months of investigation, more than 400 interviews, and a review of over 3.5 million documents. The Freeh report, as it has come to be called implicated top PSU officials for the covering up the abuse of young students perpetrated by former football coach Sandusky, who has been convicted of the crime and awaits sentencing in a county prison and its consequential coverup.
The reports showed the University President Graham Spanier, Vice President Gary Schultz, Athletic Director Tim Curley as well as the deceased head football coach Joe Paterno as actively and consciously trying to hide the events and protect Sandusky.
The F.B.I. reports, better known by the name of its architect Freeh, revealed top university officials having "total disregard" for the victims in the Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State University's football coach convicted of child sex-abuse case,. The reports were drawn after Freeh's seven month investigation, numerous interviews and review of over a couple million documents.
"Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State...The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized" Said Freeh in his report as posted by The New York Times.
The most powerful PSU officials "repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the board of trustees, the Penn State community and the public at large," according the New York Times.
Sandusky, 68, is currently in Centre County prison awaiting his sentencing, which is scheduled to be held in about 90 days. He could face a maximum sentence of 373 years.
Earlier this month , Steve Garban, Chairman of Penn State University Board of Trustees officially resigned from the position in wake of the investigation reports, which also revealed that Garban withheld information regarding the Sandusky scandal.
In a letter, Garban says that his presence on the board was becoming "a distraction and an impediment," (Associated Press) for trustees and the university.Currently Rodney Erickson serves as President of PSU.
