3 men allege Sandusky abused them in 1970s

7/17/2012

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Three men have come forward to say they were sexually abused as early as the 1970s or 1980s by former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, years before the assaults he was convicted of committing, according to a newspaper report published Monday.

The men are the first alleged victims with complaints dating to the 1970s against Sandusky, who was convicted in June of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period starting in 1994, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported.

Police are aware of the claims, according to the article by reporter Sara Ganim, who won a Pulitzer Prize this year for her coverage of the scandal.

It was not clear if the men had been interviewed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who last week released a report excoriating the late Pennsylvania State University football coach Joe Paterno and other school officials for failing to take steps for 14 years to protect children victimized by Sandusky. Mr. Freeh's report, commissioned by the Penn State Board of Trustees, did not mention any cases prior to the 1990s.

Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, said he could not comment on matters before a grand jury. The grand jury investigation into the case remains open.

Sandusky's attorney, Joseph Amendola, could not be reached for comment.

Sandusky, 68, faces as many as 373 years in prison.

The scandal rocked the world of college sports with Sandusky's arrest in November, and Mr. Freeh's report underscored what it called callous disregard and inaction by Penn State officials. It said they had known about allegations against Sandusky since 1998, when university police investigated a complaint of abuse but let him off with a warning.

Critics have called for Penn State's highly regarded football program to be penalized and for the removal of a campus statue of Mr. Paterno, who won more games than any coach in major college football history.

Mr. Paterno was fired by the board in November and died in January of cancer.