BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - Jerry Sandusky was sentenced
Tuesday to at least 30 years in prison - effectively a life sentence - in the
child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe
Paterno's downfall.
A defiant Sandusky gave a rambling statement in which he
denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being
away from his family.
Three victims spoke, often fighting back tears. One looked
Sandusky in the eyes at times.
The 68-year-old former Penn State assistant coach was
found guilty in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, convicted of molesting
10 boys over a 15-year period. Witnesses said Sandusky used the charitable
organization he founded for troubled children as his personal hunting ground to
find and groom boys to become his victims.
His arrest 11 months ago, and the details that came out
during his trial over the summer, transformed Sandusky's public image from a
college coach who had been widely admired for his work with The Second Mile
charity into that of a reviled pervert who preyed on the very youngsters who
sought his help.
Eight of the boys he was found guilty of molesting
testified at his trial, describing a range of abuse that included fondling, oral
sex and anal intercourse. One of the prosecution's star witnesses, former
graduate assistant Mike McQueary, testified that he saw Sandusky raping a boy in
a locker room shower.
Among the three who spoke Tuesday, a young man who said he
was 11 when Sandusky groped him in a shower in 1998. He said Sandusky is in
denial and should "stop coming up with excuses."
"I've been left with deep painful wounds that you caused
and had been buried in the garden of my heart for many years," he said.
Another man said he was 13 when, in 2001, Sandusky lured
him into a Penn State sauna and then a shower and then forced him to touch the
ex-coach.
"I am troubled with flashbacks of his naked body,
something that will never be erased from my memory," he said. "Jerry has harmed
children, of which I am one of them."
Sandusky has consistently maintained his innocence and
plans to appeal. One element of the appeal is expected to be a claim that the
defense did not have time to adequately prepare for trial. Sandusky was charged
in November, following a lengthy investigation.
In a three-minute monologue aired Monday night by Penn
State Com Radio that used some of the same language as his courtroom statement,
Sandusky said he knows in his heart that he did not do what he called "these
alleged disgusting acts" and described himself as the victim of a coordinated
conspiracy among Penn State, investigators, civil attorneys, the media and
others.
His statement in court lasted 15 minutes and his voice
cracked as he spoke of missing his loved ones.
"I speak today with hope in my heart for a brighter day,
not knowing if that day will come," Sandusky said. "Many moments have been spent
looking for a purpose. Maybe it will help others, some vulnerable children who
might have been abused, might not be, as a result of the publicity."
His statement included numerous sports references: He said
he once told his wife "we're definitely in the fourth quarter" and he referenced
the movie "Seabiscuit."
He also spoke of instances in which he said he helped
children.
"I've forgiven, I've been forgiven. I've comforted others,
I've been comforted. I've been kissed by dogs, I've been bit by dogs," he said.
"I've conformed, I've also been different. I've been me. I've been loved, I've
been hated."
Judge John Cleland sentenced him to 30 to 60 years in
prison. Under Pennsylvania law, Sandusky cannot be released on parole before the
minimum term is up.
"The tragedy of this crime is that it's a story of
betrayal. The most obvious aspect is your betrayal of 10 children," Cleland told
Sandusky. "I'm not going to sentence you to centuries in prison, although the
law will permit that." Still, Cleland said, he expected Sandusky to die in
prison.
Before sentencing, Cleland designated Sandusky as a
sexually violent predator under the state's Megan's Law. The label essentially
has no effect on Sandusky, since its requirement is lifetime registration after
a convict is released from prison.
In sentencing the ex-coach, Cleland called Sandusky
dangerous, saying, "You abused the trust of those who trusted you." He also
called Sandusky's comments about a conspiracy against him "unbelievable."
The scandal brought devastation in State College that will
take years to fully assess, as Sandusky's victims are pressing civil claims and
a January trial is pending for Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, two university
administrators charged with failing to properly report suspicions about Sandusky
and lying to the grand jury that investigated him.
Soon after the three were arrested in November, the board
of trustees fired Paterno, the school's most famous figure and a man who won two
national college football championships in the 1980s. Paterno died of lung
cancer in January.
Over the summer, an investigation commissioned by the
university and led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that Paterno and
other top officials covered up allegations against Sandusky for years to avoid
bad publicity.
The scandal also toppled university President Graham
Spanier and led to crippling NCAA sanctions against the football team that
included a $60 million fine, a ban on postseason play and a reduction in the
number of football scholarships the school can award. The NCAA also erased 14
years of victories for Paterno, stripping him of his standing as major college
football's winningest coach.
At least four young men have sued Penn State over the way
the university responded to disturbing complaints about Sandusky.
Eight legal teams representing at least 20 young men have
surfaced, and the school recently announced an effort to settle as many claims
as possible by the end of the year.
Penn State President Rodney Erickson released a statement
shortly after the sentence was handed down.
"Our thoughts today, as they have been for the last year,
go out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Erickson said. "While today's
sentence cannot erase what has happened, hopefully it will provide comfort to
those affected by these horrible events."
The third victim who spoke had testified that he was raped
over the course of years by Sandusky, including on team trips to bowl games in
Texas and Florida.
"I want you to know I don't forgive you and I don't know
if I will ever forgive you," he said. "My only regret is that I didn't come
forward sooner."
