Penn State University is reaching settlements in civil cases against the school over the repeated sexual
assault offenses of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Twenty-six cases have been brought forth from
victims of Sandusky, and so far twenty-three have reached final agreements. So far the university has released it will
pay $59.7 million to the victims.
In June of 2012, long time assistant coach Jerry Sandusky
was found guilty on 48 counts of sexual assault against underage boys. The
school received high levels of media scrutiny after it became apparent that
several staff members, including the university president, were told about
Sandusky’s crimes and chose not to alert authorities or take action against the
coach. Jerry Sandusky is currently
serving twenty to thirty years in prison.
He is 69 years old.
The scandal was revealed shortly after the death of
legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, one of the most successful coaches in college
football history. The arrest came at the
end of a three-year investigation starting in 2008. However, allegations against Sandusky began
as early as 1998. Some evidence
suggested that Paterno instructed staff members to keep the scandal covered
up.
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| Joe Paterno legacy was tainted by the Sandusky case. Flickr CC via drocpsu |
The settlements state that the 26 victims will not be able
to sue other parties, including Sandusky’s charity The Second Mile or the
Sandusky family. Thirty-two men have
come forward with allegations, but the remaining accusers were dismissed as
false statements.
Officials from the university are hoping to put the scandal
to rest and rebuild its reputation. The
organization has already paid millions of dollars for public relations
management, and is currently paying a $60 million fine to the NCAA. The football team is also suspended for
several seasons. The case is not
completely buried, however, as former officials will be tried later this spring
for the role in covering for Sandusky’s crimes.
All three accused conspirators maintain their innocence.
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| Penn State Stadium. Flcikr CC via Steve Eng |
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