BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Defiant and unrepentant, Jerry Sandusky accused his victims of lodging "false allegations" against him in a taped jailhouse statement aired by a radio station late Monday, one day before he was to be sentenced on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.
The former Penn State University assistant football coach blamed his conviction on a conspiracy by aggressive investigators, lying accusers and the media.
His three-minute statement was aired by Penn State's student-run radio station and posted on the station's website.
"They can take away my life. They can make me out as a monster. They can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart," he said. "In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts."
Sandusky, 68, awaits sentencing in the Centre County Jail, where he is in protective custody. His attorneys, Joe Amendola and Karl Rominger, confirmed to the Centre Daily Times that the statement was Sandusky's, but Amendola said they didn't know how the radio station obtained it.
The statement coincided with signals from Sandusky's defense team that it had abandoned plans to plead for leniency and had shifted focus to appealing his June conviction.
"The bottom line is this," Amendola said, emerging Monday from a conference with Judge John M. Cleland. "How can he be remorseful if he maintains his innocence?"
Under state sentencing guidelines, Cleland could impose anywhere from 10 years to more than 400 years.
Lead prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III said Monday that as many as six of the 10 victims would take the stand Tuesday in hopes of persuading Cleland that Sandusky should get the harshest punishment possible.
Sandusky has denied the charges since his November 2011 arrest and continues to regret not testifying in his own defense, his attorneys said.
He has conceded he often showered with boys after workouts but suggested that their stories of abuse originated with one publicity-hungry accuser whose version of events shaded the testimony of the others.
"A young man who is dramatic and a veteran accuser and always sought attention started everything," he said in the taped statement. "He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers."
The scandal cost legendary football coach Joe Paterno his job, along with that of university President Graham Spanier. Two other university officials are charged with failing to report the suspected abuse and with perjury related to their testimony before a grand jury.
In addition, the NCAA imposed stiff penalties on Penn State's football team, including a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also vacated 111 wins from 1998 to 2011, meaning Paterno no longer has the most coaching victories in major college football.
Paterno, 85, died of cancer within months of his dismissal. In July, Penn State removed a Paterno statue that had stood outside the football stadium.
The former Penn State University assistant football coach blamed his conviction on a conspiracy by aggressive investigators, lying accusers and the media.
His three-minute statement was aired by Penn State's student-run radio station and posted on the station's website.
"They can take away my life. They can make me out as a monster. They can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart," he said. "In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts."
Sandusky, 68, awaits sentencing in the Centre County Jail, where he is in protective custody. His attorneys, Joe Amendola and Karl Rominger, confirmed to the Centre Daily Times that the statement was Sandusky's, but Amendola said they didn't know how the radio station obtained it.
The statement coincided with signals from Sandusky's defense team that it had abandoned plans to plead for leniency and had shifted focus to appealing his June conviction.
"The bottom line is this," Amendola said, emerging Monday from a conference with Judge John M. Cleland. "How can he be remorseful if he maintains his innocence?"
Under state sentencing guidelines, Cleland could impose anywhere from 10 years to more than 400 years.
Lead prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III said Monday that as many as six of the 10 victims would take the stand Tuesday in hopes of persuading Cleland that Sandusky should get the harshest punishment possible.
Sandusky has denied the charges since his November 2011 arrest and continues to regret not testifying in his own defense, his attorneys said.
He has conceded he often showered with boys after workouts but suggested that their stories of abuse originated with one publicity-hungry accuser whose version of events shaded the testimony of the others.
"A young man who is dramatic and a veteran accuser and always sought attention started everything," he said in the taped statement. "He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers."
The scandal cost legendary football coach Joe Paterno his job, along with that of university President Graham Spanier. Two other university officials are charged with failing to report the suspected abuse and with perjury related to their testimony before a grand jury.
In addition, the NCAA imposed stiff penalties on Penn State's football team, including a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also vacated 111 wins from 1998 to 2011, meaning Paterno no longer has the most coaching victories in major college football.
Paterno, 85, died of cancer within months of his dismissal. In July, Penn State removed a Paterno statue that had stood outside the football stadium.