Mother of Victim Allegedly Abused by Jerry Sandusky Says Son Was Afraid to Say 'No'
The mother of one of the boys – referred to as "Victim 1" – allegedly abused by Jerry Sandusky appeared anonymously on ABC's "Good Morning America" Friday, sharing details about her son's ordeal.
Sandusky, a former assistant coach at Penn State University and founder of The Second Mile, a nonprofit organization aiming to keep youth out of trouble, located on the Penn State campus, was arrested Saturday for allegedly sexually assaulting eight underage boys between 1994 and 2009. Sandusky was charged on 40 criminal counts.
The mother's name and face were not revealed on "Good Morning America," and her voice was altered so that she could remain anonymous. She told ABC that her son, whose case triggered the entire investigation, was only 11 years old when he met Sandusky, when he began attending the The Second Mile.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
According to a Grand Jury presentment in the case, "Victim 1 testified that he was 11 or 12 years old when he met Sandusky through the Second Mile Program in 2005 or 2006." Sandusky then started spending time weekly with the boy, including having him overnight at his house in State College, Penn., according to the indictment.
The boy testified that when he was staying in a basement bedroom Sandusky's had apparently set up for sleepovers, the coach would visit the room and get into bed. He would then crawl underneath the boy and run his arms up and down the boy's back. He testified that this led to further inappropriate touching during the summer of 2005 through 2006, when he was in seventh grade. It also led to inappropriate sexual contact.
The boy told his mother he was too afraid to say anything, or to say "no" to the coach, the mother told ABC. She said her son was throwing her threads of clues until she finally realized the truth herself, and notified the university.
"[I] proceeded to ask him if there was something he needed to tell me, if there was something going on," the woman said on the show.
The school's assistant principal reportedly told the Grand Jury that Sandusky was barred from the school district as soon as the mother had expressed concern about the coach's relationship with her son. However, Sandusky was not charged.
The mother said her son is brave to have finally told his story, and that he is concerned that such harassment does not happen to other children.
"He's doing ok, he's handling it. He's kind of relieved that [Sandusky] was charged finally," the woman told ABC.
Police had allegedly ignored a confession by Sandusky himself in the past, when, in May 1998, victim No. 6 informed his mother of a shower he took with Sandusky in the boys' locker room. The victim reportedly described to his mother how Sandusky lathered him and then bear-hugged him. The mother reported the incident to police.
Sandusky's arrest forced many other people who allegedly knew about the abuse to face public criticism, most notably Joe Paterno, the former head football coach who was fired Wednesday over the scandal, causing massive student protests, which continued through Thursday. Paterno is not being charged in the case, as he reportedly did not break any laws, and had informed police of his subordinate's misconduct. However, many still criticize the former coach for not keeping up with a moral responsibility to do more to stop the alleged abuse.
Other top university officials, Tim Curley, the athletic director, and Gary Schultz, vice president for finance and business, are also being charged with perjury and failing to alert police of Sandusky's sexual misdoings. The two stepped down from their posts at Penn State Sunday.
The Second Mile management said in a statement published on the organization's website that the allegations from the Attorney General's office "bring shock, sadness and concern from The Second Mile organization. Our prayers, care and compassion go out to all impacted.
“As The Second Mile’s CEO Jack Raykovitz testified to the Grand Jury, he was informed in 2002 by Pennsylvania State University Athletic Director Tim Curley that an individual had reported to Mr. Curley that he was uncomfortable about seeing Jerry Sandusky in the locker room shower with a youth," the statement reads. "Mr. Curley also shared that the information had been internally reviewed and that there was no finding of wrongdoing. At no time was The Second Mile made aware of the very serious allegations contained in the Grand Jury report."
