At 9 a.m, the Freeh Report will be released to the general public at TheFreehReportonPSU.com. The report has taken 8 months to compile, involved over 400 interviews, and came at an expense of over $4 million. It looks into Penn State’s role following allegations of child abuse committed by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in 1998 and 2001. Onward State reporters Kevin Horne (@KevinHornePSU) and Ryan Beckler (@RBecklerPSU) are on-location in Philadelphia at the Westin for a press conference with Judge Louis Freeh and his team. We will be maintaining a live blog through the day with reactions and commentary on its contents.

Live Blog Updates

8:22 p.m.

Along with a rose placed near the base of the Paterno Statue, a note now rests adjacent to it. The note reads: “Remember: He was a man. Not a God.”

6:21 p.m.

Penn State Acting Athletic Director Dave Joyner and Head Football Coach Bill O’Brien released statements in response to the Freeh Report via www.gopsusports.com. Below are their statements:

Dave Joyner, Penn State Acting Director of Athletics
“Earlier today we received, along with the general public, a first look at Judge Freeh’s final report. I have read the report, and will continue to review it in closer detail in the coming days. The report concludes that individuals entrusted to positions of authority, shunned the basic responsibility to protect children, and innocent children suffered as a result. Moving forward, we must do everything within our capacity to restore trust in Penn State, and the Athletic Department will play a central and leading role in that process. Through these difficult times, we remain committed to the highest ideal and embodiment of the student-athlete, and we will emerge a stronger institution.”

Bill O’Brien, Penn State Head Football Coach
“Today we received the results of the Freeh Group’s investigation into what transpired at Penn State. I am carefully reading the report and recommendations with respect to the football department, including any gaps that may exist, to identify what changes can and should be made. I stand with the University leadership in a shared commitment to driving a culture of honesty, integrity, responsible leadership and accountability at all levels and within all units of our institution. We can and we must do better. Nonetheless, I too remain proud of the accomplishments and character of Penn State’s many generations of student-athletes, and I look forward to doing my part to ensure we emerge stronger than before.”

4:53 p.m.

Attorneys for former Penn State President Graham Spanier issue a statement maintaining that Spanier had no role whatsoever in the cover-up described in the Freeh report.

4:17 p.m.

Penn State releases a statement in response to the release of the Louis Freeh report from this morning. Full report here.

Jay Paterno appears on SportsCenter defending his father’s name. Our writer, Ryan Kristobak, thinks that wasn’t such a good idea.

3:30 p.m.

The Board of Trustees holds a press conferenceresponding to the Freeh report in Scranton.

1:52 p.m.

The attorneys for Victims 3, 7, 10, Matt Sandusky and other Sandusky victims have released a statement regarding this morning’s release of the Freeh Report. Full statement here.

1:22 p.m.

Nike has decided to remove Joe Paterno’s name from their Childcare Center in Oregon. Statements and story here.

1:16 p.m.

Nike has announced that they are removing Joe Paterno’s name from their childcare center. Nike Chairman and adement Joe Paterno supporter Phil Knight issued a statement:

Other than my parents, my college coach, Bill Bowerman, was the biggest influence in my life. Bill Bowerman and Joe Paterno shared some great qualities. Throughout Joe Paterno’s career, he strived to put young athletes in a position to succeed and win in sport but most importantly in life. Joe influenced thousands of young men to become better leaders, fathers and husbands.

According to the investigation, it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day. My love for Joe and his family remains.

12:50 p.m.

Louis Freeh concluded that the culture at Penn State contributed to the concealment of facts. Full story here.

12:48 p.m.

Here’s a small collection of photos taken at this morning’s press conference.

12:34 p.m.

The Freeh report depicts an institutional failure in Penn State to implement the Clery Act. As of November 2011, the University’s Clery Act policy was “still in draft form and had not been implemented.” Full story here.

12:15 p.m.

The findings of today’s Freeh Report explain Paterno’s knowledge of a 1998 investigation. Read our coverage here.

11:45 a.m.

The Paterno family has released a statement following the release of this morning’s Freeh report. Read the full statement here.

10:27 a.m.

The Penn State Board of Trustees have released an initial statement. They are having their regular meeting in Scranton today and tomorrow.

9:52 a.m.

The NCAA released the following statement:

Like everyone else, we are reviewing the final report for the first time today.  As President Emmert wrote in his November 17^th letter to Penn State President Rodney Erickson and reiterated this week, the university has four key questions, concerning compliance with institutional control and ethics policies, to which it now needs to respond. Penn State’s response to the letter will inform our next steps, including whether or not to take further action. We expect Penn State’s continued cooperation in our examination of these issues.

9:10 a.m.

We have embedded the full Freeh Report on Penn State below. We have also mirrored the Freeh Report on Penn State here.

9:07 a.m.

The University has issued a brief statementin response to the release of the Freeh Report. Included in it was an announcement that today’s official response will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Scranton. The release is quoted in full below.

Today with the report released by Judge Louis Freeh, the Penn State Board of Trustees delivered on the commitment we made last November when we engaged Judge Freeh to conduct an independent investigation into the University’s actions regarding former Penn State employee, Jerry Sandusky, and the handling of allegations of the child abuse crimes of which he has since been found guilty.

Judge Freeh and his team conducted a rigorous eight-month investigation into all aspects of the University’s actions to determine where breakdowns occurred and what changes should be made for the future. We, like many others, have eagerly anticipated Judge Freeh’s Report of the findings of his investigation.

His 267-page report has just been released at http://www.TheFreehReportonPSU.com/ and we are currently reviewing his findings and recommendations. We expect a comprehensive analysis of our policies, procedures and controls related to identifying and reporting crimes and misconduct, including failures or gaps that may have allowed alleged misconduct to go undetected or unreported. We will provide our initial response later today.

We want to ensure we are giving the report careful scrutiny and consideration before making any announcements or recommendations. We are convening an internal team comprising the Board of Trustees, University administration and our legal counsel to begin analyzing the report and digesting Judge Freeh’s findings.

As we anticipate the review and approval process will take some time, our initial response and immediate next steps will be presented at 3:30 p.m. at the Dayton/Taylor Conference Room at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center.

These top-line reactions will provide an overview of our process for developing and implementing a plan once we have studied the report and have a better understanding of what it means and how we can implement findings to strengthen Penn State’s role as a leading academic institution and ensure that what occurred will never be allowed to happen again.

8:57 a.m.

Louis Freeh has issued a press release. We have linked to it below. Louis Freeh Press Release

Freeh Report Philadelphia Press Conference Live Stream

This live stream will become active closer to the beginning of the press conference around 10:00 a.m.

Earlier Coverage

New Policy Bans Children From Penn State Facilities Think Before You Act This Arts Fest Weekend Paterno Family Releases Statement on Freeh Report Freeh Report to be Released Thursday Freeh Report to Be Free of BoT Pre-Screening Bonded in Blue, White, and Worry

StateCollege.com Coverage

Jay Paterno: ‘We’ve Never Been Afraid of the Truth’ Regarding Freeh Report Freeh Report: Live Tweets and Reaction From Louis Freeh’s News Conference on Penn State Scandal Penn State Board of Trustees: Meetings Set to Begin as Freeh Report Hits