Penn State's Spanier: I Was Abused as Kid

The damning report is in and the punishment has been doled out, but former Penn State President Graham Spanier is still trying to salvage a bit of his reputation by revealing himself as a victim of child abuse. In a letter sent yesterday to school trustees, Spanier writes that "it is unfathomable and illogical to think ... someone who experienced massive and persistent abuse as a child would have knowingly turned a blind eye to a report of child abuse."

His lawyer tells the AP that said abuse wasn't sexual in nature; rather, his father regularly beat him, to the point that he had to have his nose straightened several times. The Patriot-News notes that while Spanier hasn't been charged with a crime, emails sent in 2001 indicate that he helped make the decision to hold off on contacting police about Jerry Sandusky. The Patriot-News has the full letter. (More Jerry Sandusky stories.)