Penn State President Graham Spanier and football Coach Joe Paterno are losing support among a number of university trustees, a source with direct knowledge said Tuesday night.
“It’s clear to me that the president is facing diminishing support from the trustees,” said the source, who requested anonymity under the sensitive circumstances. “How diminished that is, how far that will go is, I think, at this point, speculation.”
But those questions should be resolved by Friday, the source said. That’s when the Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet publicly at 9:45 a.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn.
The gathering is expected to be the board’s first public meeting since criminal charges were filed against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky and university administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz.
Sandusky, accused of an extended pattern of child sexual abuse, first appeared in court Saturday. Curley and Schultz, accused of failing to report — and lying about — sex-abuse concerns, were arraigned Monday.
Through his lawyer, Sandusky has claimed innocence. Curley and Schultz’s lawyers have said their clients are innocent, as well.
Paterno and Spanier have not been accused of any wrongdoing. But a grand-jury report mentions both men. Paterno learned of an alleged sexual incident involving Sandusky and a boy in March 2002, then passed the information along to Curley, authorities have indicated.
Spanier, for his part, approved a subsequent internal order that banned Sandusky from bringing Second Mile children into the football building on campus, state Attorney General Linda Kelly has said.
But Spanier did so “without any further inquiry on his part,” Kelly said. (The nonprofit Second Mile, founded by Sandusky in 1977, is a youth-service organization.)
On the Penn State board, some trustees believe that Spanier “should have more aggressively looked into this information when he received it from Curley and Schultz, and that he’s been too concerned about defending Curley and Schultz — and less concerned about the university as a whole,” the informed source said.
In particular, the source noted, some trustees “were quite upset” with Spanier’s public statement Saturday. At that point, in a written release, the president voiced unconditional support for Curley and Schultz.
Likewise, the source told StateCollege.com, trustees losing faith in Paterno think “he should have done more” when he learned of the 2002 allegation.
Paterno did not take questions from reporters Tuesday. Spanier did not respond to a StateCollege.com message seeking comment.
But according to the informed source, this entire situation has “preoccupied the trustees since Saturday,” when they became aware of the charges against Sandusky, Schultz and Curley.
“There’s enormous concern,” the source went on. “Any idea that the board is not dealing with this is incorrect.”
The board had a conference call Saturday within five hours of learning the news, the source said. Members talked on Sunday, too, and may do so again before their meeting Friday, according to the source.
Trustee Paul Silvis told The Daily Collegian that trustees would be talking Tuesday and again on Wednesday, according to a tweet from the newspaper.
“The board takes this very seriously,” trustee Joel Myers told StateCollege.com. “And it’s a sad and extremely serious situation.
“We all recognize that,” Myers went on. “And we will do the right thing.”
News of the trustees’ sentiments capped a dramatic day at Penn State and in State College. Paterno had been scheduled to hold his regular weekly press conference at 12:30 p.m., but it was canceled abruptly.
One of Paterno’s sons, Scott Paterno, said the cancellation was ordered by Spanier.
A New York Times report soon indicated that Paterno was expected to depart shortly as head coach. Scott Paterno, however, dismissed the newspaper report as “premature.”
A short time later, about 2 p.m., the elder Paterno went on to football practice, Scott Paterno said. When Joe Paterno returned home shortly after 6 p.m., he was greeted by several hundred students who cheered and applauded him for more than an hour.
Paterno, addressing the students outside his College Heights home, spoke of praying for “victims,” TV reports show. He also praised the students and said he’s proud of them, as WJAC TV reported.
From the Paternos’ home, many of the student demonstrators relocated to Old Main, where they assembled on the front steps. There, some students played music; others called for moments of silence and contemplation.
Hundreds of students roamed campus and downtown State College for much of the evening, according to students’ tweets. Many assembled in the “Beaver Canyon” area of the downtown, where they were greeted by a significant police presence. Others gathered at the Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium.
At one point, hundreds gathered in front of Old Main and chanted, “Fire Spanier,” students reported. The crowd began dissolving close to 11:30 p.m., the Collegian reported via Twitter.
Overall, the demonstrators in town and on campus late Tuesday showed no unanimity in message. While many showered Paterno with praise and called for his retention, others were sharply critical of the coach. Some said they want both Paterno and Spanier to resign.
In other, related developments Tuesday:
- The university trustees released a statement late Tuesday night. In it, they said they will appoint a special committee to “undertake a full and complete investigation of the circumstances that gave rise to the grand-jury report.” The statement also notes: “We promise you that we are committed to restoring public trust in the university.” More details are available here.
- Another alleged victim of Sandusky’s has stepped forward, according to a Collegian report. WJAC TV reported at 11 p.m. that multiple people who identify themselves as Sandusky victims have stepped forward since an attorney-general press conference Monday. (Eight alleged Sandusky victims are identified in the AG’s initial reports, released Saturday.)
- Penn State has brought in help from several outside firms to assist with communications efforts, university spokesman Bill Mahon told StateCollege.com.
- U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan is calling for a federal investigation into whether Penn State leaders broke the law, The Associated Press reported.
- Sandusky’s next court appearance has been rescheduled from Wednesday to Dec. 7, the Patriot-News reported.
All of StateCollege.com’s earlier — and ongoing — related coverage is available via the page linked below.
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