Paterno Tells His Side of the Story

Joe Paterno recounted his version of the Jerry Sandusky rape case during two interviews this week with the Washington Post. Fragile from chemotherapy and wheelchair-bound with a broken pelvis, Paterno said Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary came to him in 2002 describing a vague scene of Sandusky fondling a boy in the showers. “You know, he didn’t want to get specific,” Paterno said. “And to be frank with you I don’t know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man. So I just did what I thought was best."

Paterno set up a meeting with school officials where McQueary described the sodomy in greater detail. From then on, Paterno let Penn State handle the case. “The courts are taking care of it, the legal system is taking care of it," he said, with his wife, lawyer, and communications director sitting in on the lengthy interview. Despite his late-night firing after 61 years of coaching Penn State football, Paterno has donated $100,000 to the school and said he doesn't want to "walk away from this thing bitter." But he called Sandusky's alleged crimes "sickening. ... I’d get a bunch of guys and say let’s go punch somebody in the nose.” (More Joe Paterno stories.)