Penn State Assistant McQueary: 'I Didn't Just Turn and Run', TBO, November 15, 2011

Penn State Assistant McQueary: 'I Didn't Just Turn and Run'

TBO
November 15, 2011

www2.tbo.com/news/college-sports/2011/nov/15/penn-state-assistant-mcqueary-i-didnt-just-turn-an-ar-324807/

Receivers coach Mike McQueary was placed on paid administrative leave Friday after receiving threats.

Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary "didn't just turn and run" after witnessing Jerry Sandusky allegedly sodomize a boy and "made sure it stopped," according to an email McQueary sent to friends and former teammates.

The email, reported by NBC News, would clarify McQueary's actions from the incident in 2002, when he was a graduate assistant on Joe Paterno's staff.

A grand jury report said McQueary witnessed seeing Sandusky, the team's former defensive coordinator, sexually assaulting the boy in a shower on campus, then reported it only to his father and head coach Joe Paterno. According to the report, McQueary did not notify law enforcement or do anything to halt the attack.

Public outrage followed McQueary's implied inaction, and he was placed on paid administrative leave Friday after receiving threats. The school did not provide details on who threatened McQueary.

His email would explain his involvement in what he allegedly witnessed.

"I did the right thing … you guys know me … the truth is not out there fully … I didn't just turn and run … I made sure it stopped … I had to make quick tough decisions," McQueary wrote, according to NBC News.

McQueary, Penn State's receivers coach, testified in the grand jury investigation that led Sandusky's arrest Saturday.

Sandusky, who retired in 1999 but maintained emeritus status and access to facilities, was charged with molesting eight boys over a 15-year period. On Monday, he told NBC News that he was not guilty of the charges, but said he did shower with boys and took part in "horse play."

The ensuing scandal brought down university President Graham Spanier and Paterno, who was fired by trustees amid growing criticism that he should have done more to stop the alleged abuse.

McQueary has endured similar scrutiny. Asked if McQueary was placed on leave for his conduct or to ensure his safety, new university President Rod Erickson said it was "a complicated situation."

McQueary faces no criminal charges but has hired an attorney. He has made no public comments on the case.

Athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz have each been charged with perjury and failing to report an incident of abuse to authorities after McQueary relayed what he had seen. Curley has taken administrative leave, while Schultz -- who was already working on an interim capacity -- has returned to retirement.

Paterno has not been implicated, and prosecutors have said he is not a target of the investigation. Curley and Schultz, through their attorneys, have denied wrongdoing.

The campus leaders faced mounting public criticism for failing to call police and prevent further suspected cases.

Described in court papers as distraught about witnessing the 2002 attack, unrelated local newspaper accounts from the time indicate McQueary appeared in the months and years that followed in charity events that Sandusky also took part in, or were to benefit The Second Mile, the charity started by Sandusky through which he allegedly met victims.