Penn State has ‘reached a resolution’ of all outstanding issues with the Paterno family, Board of Trustees Chair Mark Dambly said on Friday, drawing to a close an uneasy rift that has lingered in the eight years since late football coach Joe Paterno’s ouster in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Dambly, speaking at the start of the board’s regular meeting, and Sue Paterno, in a statement, said the Paternos have dropped all claims against the university and Penn State has agreed to pay some of the family’s expenses.
Specific claims and expenses were not identified and a Penn State spokesman declined further comment.
‘We are pleased that the Paterno family has indicated that they will not support public or private advocacy efforts to revisit the past, through further review or release of investigative materials, or otherwise,’ Dambly said.
‘It is time for my family and for the Penn State community to move forward,’ Sue Paterno said, ‘We will not support any public or private advocacy efforts to revisit the past, through further review or release of the discredited Freeh report, Freeh’s materials, or otherwise. It is time to come together and devote our energies solely to education, research, and the advancement of one of America’s great institutions of higher learning.’
The university-commissioned Freeh Report on the circumstances that led to the Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal has been at the center of the rift. The report resulting from former FBI director Louis Freeh’s investigation pinned blame on Paterno and university administrators for allowing Sandusky’s abuse to continue. Paterno, who died in January 2012, was never charged with or accused by law enforcement of a crime.
Freeh’s report led to the NCAA’s consent decree with Penn State, imposing unprecedented sanctions on the football program that were later repealed following a lawsuit led by state Sen. Jake Corman. The report has been much-criticized not only by the Paternos but by supporters and observers who say it cherry-picked information and wrongly maligned Joe Paterno and others, as well as the university’s culture.
Following the report’s release in July 2012, Penn State removed a statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium
A group of alumni-elected trustees won access to Freeh’s source materials and conducted their own review. The school has never authorized the release of their report, but a copy of it was leaked last year. It builds a case for rejecting the Freeh Report, saying Freeh misrepresented findings, ignored contradictory information and that the investigation was rife with conflicts of interests and biases.
Paterno’s son, Jay, who is now a university trustee, filed a lawsuit against the Penn State claiming he was released from his position as an assistant football coach without basis and that his reputation was tarnished by the university’s acceptance of the Freeh Report and NCAA sanctions.
Over the years, however, university officials have increasingly cast doubt on some of the assertions in the Freeh report and on Friday Dambly further rejected some of its conclusions.
‘Many differing reports and statements have been issued with respect to the events that have unfolded at Penn State over the last decade. Many of those reports and statements, including the Freeh Report, contain opinions about individuals and matters that are not shared by the University,’ Dambly said.
Sue Paterno said the Freeh Report ‘was deeply flawed, reached unsupported conclusions about Joe and unjustly criticized the culture of Penn State.’ The university, she said, has made clear to her family that Freeh’s opinions were not endorsed by Penn State.
‘By confirming this position and reaching this understanding, the leadership of Penn State has acted in the best interests of the University, and for this I am grateful,’ she said. ‘Unfortunately, the Freeh Report served as the basis for the NCAA’s consent decree, which was a major reason why we sued the NCAA. The dissolution of the consent decree between Penn State and the NCAA in 2015, along with the understanding today brings this matter to an end for us.’
Dambly said the university’s ‘single purpose’ in examining and responding to Freeh’s report and others has been to implement changes to university policies and procedures, with more than 100 recommendations put in place to strengthen child protection, safety, compliance and governance.
‘The victims of Jerry Sandusky’s abuse suffered extraordinary harm that cannot be undone. But, as an institution, and as individuals, we can ensure that we never forget the victims of abusive behavior,’ Dambly said. ‘Our commitment to these reforms will never waver.’
‘A mutual resolution seldom satisfies everyone. The multiple wounds from this tragic period will take a long time to heal but we must begin now,’ Paterno said. ‘Victims of abuse suffered extraordinary harm from one individual, and everyone associated with the Penn State community has suffered as well. We can’t undo past crimes, but we can never forget the victims of such abusive behavior.’
Dambly offered praise for the Paternos, saying the university takes ‘pride in the in the many contributions made by Joe Paterno, not just to the football program, but to the academic advancement of this institution and to countless charitable causes in the community as well.’
He also extolled the ‘extraordinary contributions’ of Sue Paterno.
‘Her unwavering devotion to Joe, her family and Penn State remains an inspiration to all of us. As time passed and controversies lingered, she always acted with grace and dignity,’ he said. ‘She also never stopped working on behalf of the greater good for Penn State. Penn State is grateful for their decades of devoted service.’
Paterno said she and her family want to move forward with the university and that she wants ‘to help create a new chapter of opportunity for students and faculty.’
‘My love for the university, and my appreciation for all that it means to the community and the nation, has never wavered,’ she said. ‘With this resolution I look forward to continuing my relationship with the university I love. I call on all Penn Staters everywhere to join me in closing this chapter so that we can help our university better fulfill its mission.’
