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Ziegler Releases Paterno Interview With Police

John Ziegler is at it again, this time with the release of a free 114-page book, three and a half hours of Jerry Sandusky interview audio, and the exclusive transcript of an interview Joe Paterno did with investigators just days before Sandusky was charged on October 24, 2011.

From what I’ve read so far, there’s no real bombshell piece of evidence that either incriminates or exonerates Paterno, but that’s to be expected. Instead, the book called “The Betrayal of Joe Paterno: How It All Probably Happened” tried to poke holes in many of the incorrect theories adopted by the national audience and theorizes just how the anti-Paterno media narrative came to be.

Of note is the interview Paterno did with investigator Anthony Sassano a mere two weeks before he was fired from Penn State. It is clear that Paterno was aware charges were likely coming against Jerry Sandusky but had no idea that his reputation was in jeopardy.

“Jerry had retired from the coaching staff two or three years earlier. So I didn’t feel it was my responsibility to make any kind of a decision as to what to do with him,” Paterno said in the interview.

McQueary has testified that he saw Jerry Sandusky in a position behind a young boy that would indicate anal rape. He was acquitted on this charge at trial, and Paterno’s interview seems to back up the fact that McQueary was not as explicit in their conversation.

Sassano asked Paterno if McQueary told him that an “actual sex act” occurred, aside from just inappropriate touching. Paterno responded, “He never said that.” Paterno did testify that McQueary told him that he saw “some inappropriate sexual activity going on.”

Interestingly, Zielger ends the book with what he believes is the probability each event occurred in relation to the Sandusky scandal. There are some interesting guesses, especially with the NCAA.

  • Chances Joe Paterno knew Jerry Sandusky was a pedophile and proactively led a cover-up to protect him: 0%
  • Chances Joe Paterno thought Jerry Sandusky might have been a pedophile and purposely did nothing to stop him because he feared bad publicity: 5%
  • Chances Joe Paterno thought that the Jerry Sandusky issue had been investigated and taken care of by others better suited to do so and got extremely unlucky: 80%
  • Chances that Mike McQueary actually saw the “anal rape” of a child in the shower: 5%
  • Chances that Mike McQueary thought, in the years after the incident, that he had seen the “anal rape” of a child: 10%
  • Chances that Mike McQueary changed his mind about what he saw/heard nine years later when approached by investigators: 70%
  • Chances that an overt sexual assault occurred the night of the McQueary incident: 15%
  • Chances that Jerry Sandusky ever “anally raped” a child: 20%
  • Chances that Jerry Sandusky ever forced boys into overt sex acts: 40%
  • Chances that Jerry Sandusky is a pedophile who acted in a criminal manner with boys: 99%
  • Chances that Jerry Sandusky went around “raping” boys as frequently as the perception created by the media: 10%
  • Chances that Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, or Graham Spanier will ever be convicted of perjury: 2%
  • Chances that the case against Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, and Graham Spanier ever actually goes to trial: 40%
  • Chances that Gary Schultz did a one-man “hide and hope” soft “cover up”: 35%
  • Chances that the NCAA sanctions are, in some way, reversed/amended before they are over: 50%
  • Chances that the Paterno statue is returned in the next 20 years: 20%
  • Chances that Joe Paterno’s record of 409 wins is restored in the next 20 years: 60%
  • Chances that the news media ever fully admits the injustice they have created here: 0%

We’re still sifting through all of the information. We’ll be sure to write an update if we find anything particularly illuminating.

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About the Author

Kevin Horne

Kevin Horne was the editor of Onward State from 2012-2014 and currently holds the position of Managing Editor Emeritus, which is a fake title he made up. He graduated from Penn State with degrees journalism and political science in 2014 and is currently seeking his J.D. at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. A third generation Penn Stater from Williamsport, Pa., Kevin is also the president of the graduate student government. Email: [email protected]

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