The Penn State Sex Scandal

March 27, 2012Marie Josee Eustache

Last November, Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State assistant

football coach was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual

activities with eight boys over the course of 11 years. Sandusky

was immediately arrested by law enforcement; he was later

released on $ 100,000 bail. On Dec. 7, two additional victims came

forward and filed more sexual abuse charges on the 67-year-old.

A judge ordered Sandusky to stay overnight and was released the

following day on $250,000 bail.

The story

Sandusky is recognized for his charitable work with at-risk

children. His organization, ‘The Second Mile’ assists thousands

of Pennsylvania teens from troubled and dysfunctional homes.

Many people believe he strategically used this organization to

gain his victims’ trusts and eventually molests them. The

charges include felony charges of involuntary deviate sexual

intercourse of someone under 16, aggravated indecent assault,

indecent assault of someone under 16, indecent assault of

someone under 13, and corruption of minors charges.

The Story Continues

fandaily.info- Frankie

Probes Jerry Sandusky second

mile victim

"Jerry Sandusky Second

Mile". altoonamirror.com

fromtheleft.wordpress.com

Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach

A “MENTOR”

1969 – Jerry Sandusky starts his coaching career at Penn State University as a defensive line coach.

1977 – Jerry Sandusky founds The Second Mile. January 1983 – Associated Press voters select Penn State as

college football's national champion for the 1982 season. January 1987 – Associated Press voters select Penn State as

college football's national champion for the 1986 season. 1994 – Boy known as Victim 7 in the report meets Sandusky

through The Second Mile program at about the age of 10. 1994-95 – Boy known as Victim 6 meets Sandusky at a Second

Mile picnic at Spring Creek Park when he is 7 or 8 years old. 1995-96 – Boy known as Victim 5, meets Sandusky through The

Second Mile when he is 7 or 8, in second or third grade.

Timeline and Media Highlights

1996-97 – Boy known as Victim 4, at the age of 12 or 13, meets

Sandusky while he is in his second year participating in The

Second Mile program.

1996-98 – Victim 5 is taken to the locker rooms and showers at

Penn State by Sandusky when he is 8 to 10 years old.

Jan. 1, 1998 – Victim 4 is listed, along with Sandusky's wife, as a

member of Sandusky's family party for the 1998 Outback Bowl.

1998 – Victim 6 is taken into the locker rooms and showers when

he is 11 years old. When Victim 6 is dropped off at home, his hair

is wet from showering with Sandusky. His mother reports the

incident to the university police, who investigate.HuffingtonPost.com

Timeline Continues

Sandusky was arrested and charged with more than 40 charges relating to sexual assault on minors.

Former Penn

State football

defensive

coordinator

Gerald "Jerry" 

abcnews.go.co

m

Joe Paterno, former

head coach of the

football team was

heavily criticized for

failing to report claims

made by then-graduate

assistant Mike

McQueary stating that

he witnessed Sandusky

allegedly sexually

assaulting a young boy

in the shower while on

campus. As a result,

Paterno was fired.

Paterno died in

January from a form of

lung cancer shortly

after, he was 85 years

old.

JOE PATERNO

What worked Executing an immediate plan of

action worked. Although it took

three days, the board of trustees

fired both Joe Paterno and the

then-school president, Graham

Spanier.

Perhaps it was a hard decision,

nonetheless, it was a necessary

initiative for the proper

consideration of the victims and

their families.

A poll by Quinnipiac Polling

showed that the majority of

Pennsylvania voters support the

board of trustees’ decision.

In the wake of a crisis, it is critical that the

organization instantaneously demonstrate a

sense of transparency and obtain access to a

crisis communication plan to properly

address its constituents.

The communication gap that existed between

Penn State authorities and the public was

very prominent. And because there was a

lack of consistency in updates from the

university, the media took total control of the

story and this sparked more fuel in the

scandal.

PR LESSONS LEARNED

What didn’t

"I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I

was afraid to do something that might

jeopardize what the university procedure

was."

In his Only Interview to The Washington Post