Paterno Had Close Ties to Sandusky Charity

And the bad publicity continues for Joe Paterno: The former Penn State football coach had deep ties to Jerry Sandusky's Second Mile charity, writes Sarah Ryley in The Daily. Paterno worked closely with Second Mile board members, including longtime chairman Robert Poole, and right around the time Paterno allegedly learned of Sandusky's shower-room misconduct from Mike McQueary, he and Poole had secured financing for a $125 million luxury retirement community. "It’s no coincidence that they failed to act at the same time that they were working on this project," says a victims’ attorney, who called the project "another layer of motivation, individual financial stakes, in making sure that the stature of The Second Mile and Penn State remained intact."

Paterno and Poole also partnered on developing a golf resort, restaurant, and inn. Paterno partnered with other board members on a bottled water company, a coaching website, and a convenience store chain, and went to dinners and even on a Bahamas vacation with Poole and other board members. According to a Second Mile statement, it first learned of the Sandusky investigation in 2008, but some charity officials wonder if certain people—Poole among them—knew about the allegations earlier than that, considering Paterno's close relationship with the board. "I honestly think there was a conversation. I can’t believe there wasn’t one," says one former board member. "To be honest, I think people were worried about what would happen to Penn State and The Second Mile if Jerry Sandusky was found out." Click for Ryley's full article. (More Joe Paterno stories.)