USA Today reports on Friday that an interview with Jerry Sandusky is reportedly set to air this week on NBC’s “Today” show. Monday the morning show plans to air excerpts of jailhouse interviews which his lawyer said were given to a documentary filmmaker working on a defense of Joe Paterno.
Sandusky is in the process of serving what might seem to be a pretty hefty prison sentence due to a conviction of child sexual abuse. However, since he was found guilty of 45 counts, the 30 year sentence doesn’t exactly seem to measure up according to a majority of the population.
Sandusky is appealing his sentence and maintains his innocence. In an interview from 2011, he told Bob Costas, “I enjoy young people.” He went on to say, “I love to be around them, but no, I’m not sexually attracted to young boys.”
The former Penn State defensive coordinator’s case has tarnished the reputation of the college and led to the demise of the school’s most cherished treasure, Joe Paterno. The head football coach of 46 years was the face of Penn State and had always been highly respected.
Paterno was known for insisting that his program emphasize to players that college should be about education, not just football. Early in his career, he introduced the “Grand Experiment” which was his plan to build a program that would excel both in the classroom and on the field.
His leadership on and off the football field was more than commendable. He not only ended up with a 409-136-3 overall record on the field but, his teams routinely posted some of the best graduation rates in all of college football.
Joe Paterno got dragged through the mud with the Sandusky case and was accused of not doing enough. Joe’s family has conducted an investigation of their own to clear his name and show that he did not act irresponsibly in regards to the Sandusky case. The report is titled, “The Rush to Injustice Regarding Joe Paterno.”
Unfortunately, Paterno’s career did not end with a ticker-tape parade with all the trimmings. Instead, he was sadly dismissed from Penn State and his statue removed from Beaver Stadium because of the child abuse scandal. Two months later, he died due to complications from lung cancer.
NBC states that the segment will include Sandusky giving “his account of the encounters that landed him in prison” and he will “discuss former boss Joe Paterno."
As tasteless as this appearance seems, many will tune in because people just can’t help themselves. It’s kind of like checking out road kill by the side of the highway; no matter how much you don’t really want to look, you feel an uncontrollable urge to do so anyway.
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