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Sandusky Prosecutor to CBS: No Evidence Paterno Participated in Coverup

Another day, another network special on the Jerry Sandusky scandal. This time, CBS Sports is getting in the mix with a Penn State feature on “60 Minute Sports” on Showtime at 10 p.m. tonight. The episode focuses on Frank Fina and Joe McGettigan, the two prosecutors who helped put Sandusky behind bars.

CBS released a clip of the interview yesterday (seen above) and once you get past the “college football’s darkest episode” rhetoric, there is actually some interesting material.

Notably, Fina was asked if he thought Joe Paterno participated in a coverup of Sandusky’s actions as he believes former administrators Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, and Gary Schultz did.

“I do not,” Fina said straight up when asked if Paterno participated in a coverup.

“And I’m viewing this strictly on the evidence, not any kind of fealty to anybody. I did not find that evidence.”

Interviewer Armen Keteyian, perhaps a bit taken back, continued to press, using the typical “Paterno was the most powerful man at Penn State” argument and saying “He knew what was going on at that university. The argument is he should have put a stop to it. He should have done more.”

“That’s right. And I don’t see any need to judge him beyond his own words,” Fina said. “He said it best: ‘I didn’t do enough. I should have done more.’”

Fina, who helped investigate Curley, Schultz, and Spanier, was not so easy on the university itself, however.

“We’ve got a massive, multibillion dollar entity that — at the time we don’t realize, although we would come to realize it — may not be fully committed to disclosing what the reality is,” Fina said. “Of course, we come to realize that they’re actively obstructing our investigation. And they had been for many years.”

Both men left the AG’s office after Kathleen Kane was elected. Fina is currently with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and McGettigan is in private practice in Chester County, PA.

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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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