[h=3]By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY[/h]Updated
Attorneys for former Penn State University president Graham Spanier said Tuesday that their client was never told about an on-campus incident of child sexual abuse involving former university football coach Jerry Sandusky.
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
Attorneys for former Penn State University President Graham Spanier say he wasn't informed about the on-campus incident with Sandusky.
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Attorneys Peter Vaira and Elizabeth Ainslie said Spanier was interviewed Friday "at length" by investigators for former FBI director Louis Freeh, who on Thursday will release findings of his nearly eight-month-long investigation into Penn State's dealings with Sandusky and the university's response to a 2001 report of sexual abuse involving Sandusky witnessed by football assistant Mike McQueary.
Freeh was hired by Penn State to conduct the internal investigation following Sandusky's November arrest.
Last month, a Pennsylvania jury convicted Sandusky on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, including four charges related to the 2001 incident involving Sandusky and a young boy in a university locker-room shower.
In a handwritten note from his Bellefonte jail cell, Sandusky declined to elaborate about the trial's outcome, citing "pending appeals." He is awaiting sentencing.
"At no time in the more than 16 years of his presidency at Penn State was Dr. Spanier told of an incident involving Jerry Sandusky that described child abuse, sexual misconduct or criminality of any kind, and he reiterated that during his interview with Louis Freeh and his colleagues," Spanier's attorneys said in a written statement.
Through a spokesman, Freeh declined to comment on the statement by Spanier's attorneys.
Citing university e-mails obtained by Freeh's investigation, a CNN report last week suggested that Spanier was made aware of suspicious activity involving Sandusky and that no report of the incident was made to authorities after university officials reportedly consulted with then-head football coach Joe Paterno.
[h=2]More on the Sandusky case[/h]
"Selected leaks, without the full context, are distorting the public record and creating a false picture," the former university president's attorneys said. Last week, a Paterno family attorney asked that all correspondence about the matter be released.
Spanier, who has not been charged with any crime, was ousted from the university last fall along with Paterno, after the charges against Sandusky were made public. Paterno, who died in January, also was not charged.
Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, currently on leave, and retired university vice president Gary Schultz face trial on perjury charges related to their testimony before a state grand jury that was investigating Sandusky's abuse. The administrators, who have denied any wrongdoing, told the panel that McQueary did not report that Sandusky was involved in sexual activity with the child.
Spokesmen for the former FBI director said the report's findings would not be shared in advance with university officials and that Thursday's publication will mark "the first time anyone outside of … Freeh's investigative team will in any way receive the report."
Penn State spokesman David La Torre said university officials "look forward" to reviewing the report and would respond Thursday.
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Attorneys for former Penn State University president Graham Spanier said Tuesday that their client was never told about an on-campus incident of child sexual abuse involving former university football coach Jerry Sandusky.
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
Attorneys for former Penn State University President Graham Spanier say he wasn't informed about the on-campus incident with Sandusky.
[h=2]Sponsored Links[/h]
Attorneys Peter Vaira and Elizabeth Ainslie said Spanier was interviewed Friday "at length" by investigators for former FBI director Louis Freeh, who on Thursday will release findings of his nearly eight-month-long investigation into Penn State's dealings with Sandusky and the university's response to a 2001 report of sexual abuse involving Sandusky witnessed by football assistant Mike McQueary.
Freeh was hired by Penn State to conduct the internal investigation following Sandusky's November arrest.
Last month, a Pennsylvania jury convicted Sandusky on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, including four charges related to the 2001 incident involving Sandusky and a young boy in a university locker-room shower.
In a handwritten note from his Bellefonte jail cell, Sandusky declined to elaborate about the trial's outcome, citing "pending appeals." He is awaiting sentencing.
"At no time in the more than 16 years of his presidency at Penn State was Dr. Spanier told of an incident involving Jerry Sandusky that described child abuse, sexual misconduct or criminality of any kind, and he reiterated that during his interview with Louis Freeh and his colleagues," Spanier's attorneys said in a written statement.
Through a spokesman, Freeh declined to comment on the statement by Spanier's attorneys.
Citing university e-mails obtained by Freeh's investigation, a CNN report last week suggested that Spanier was made aware of suspicious activity involving Sandusky and that no report of the incident was made to authorities after university officials reportedly consulted with then-head football coach Joe Paterno.
[h=2]More on the Sandusky case[/h]
"Selected leaks, without the full context, are distorting the public record and creating a false picture," the former university president's attorneys said. Last week, a Paterno family attorney asked that all correspondence about the matter be released.
Spanier, who has not been charged with any crime, was ousted from the university last fall along with Paterno, after the charges against Sandusky were made public. Paterno, who died in January, also was not charged.
Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, currently on leave, and retired university vice president Gary Schultz face trial on perjury charges related to their testimony before a state grand jury that was investigating Sandusky's abuse. The administrators, who have denied any wrongdoing, told the panel that McQueary did not report that Sandusky was involved in sexual activity with the child.
Spokesmen for the former FBI director said the report's findings would not be shared in advance with university officials and that Thursday's publication will mark "the first time anyone outside of … Freeh's investigative team will in any way receive the report."
Penn State spokesman David La Torre said university officials "look forward" to reviewing the report and would respond Thursday.
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.