STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) ? Criminal charges for sexually abusing boys filed against a longtime assistant to legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno jolted students, fans and alumni across Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Former defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, 67, of State College, where Penn State is located, faces an array of charges involving eight boys, assaulting at least one in the college team's facilities, according to state prosecutors.
When a witness to one of the assaults reported it to Paterno, he alerted Athletic Director Timothy Curley, a grand jury statement said.
"As my grand jury testimony stated, I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility," Paterno said in a statement.
"It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report."
Paterno added, however, that "it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky."
Paterno said he referred the matter to university administrators.
The charges reach into the top echelons of the college's sports program as Curley, 57, and Gary Schultz, 62, senior vice president for finance and business, were charged with failing to report the alleged crimes, and with perjury.
No charges have been made against Paterno, 84, the winningest coach in the highest division of collegiate sports whose players have gone on to star in the National Football League.
Doug Gamber, 51, of Rossville, Pennsylvania, a 1982 Penn State graduate, said he was "shocked, appalled."
Asked if the charges would reverberate across the state, he told Reuters: "Without a doubt. Penn State has kind of a pristine reputation."
Gamber said of Paterno: "He's an impeccable sort of figure, a grandfather figure."
"I am so impressed with the man," said Marjorie Scholtz, 71, of Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, of Paterno.
"We call him St. Joe, and we don't do that lightly," said Scholtz, who identified herself as a 1962 Penn State graduate. She said prospective students may be negatively impacted.
"ALL FOOLED"
Sandusky, who was defensive coordinator for 23 years and was once considered a likely successor to Paterno, allegedly targeted boys from 1994 to 2009, a grand jury report said.
Paterno said the fact that someone he and his wife "thought we knew might have harmed young people to this extent is deeply troubling. If this is true we were all fooled, along with scores of professionals trained in such things."
Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola said his client, who left Penn State coaching in 1999, is innocent.
Given the charges, the university is acting to bar Sandusky from campus facilities, a spokeswoman for the school said.
Attorneys for Curley and Schultz issued statements on the college's website on Saturday saying the two men were innocent and that they would fight the charges.
Penn State President Graham Spanier also issued a statement on Saturday saying Curley and Schultz had his "unconditional support," and allegations against both would prove groundless.
Because the allegations relate to their responsibilities as university employees, Penn State is paying for the two men's legal counsel, said school spokeswoman Lisa Powers.
Sandusky was arraigned on Saturday and released after posting $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set November 9.
The charges include seven counts of first-degree involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to Pennsylvania State Attorney General Linda Kelly.
One victim, a boy of about 11 years old when he met Sandusky in 2005 or 2006, testified that Sandusky performed oral sex on him more than 20 times through early 2008, and forced the victim to perform oral sex on him, the report said.
"This is a case about a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys," Kelly said.
"I understand that people are upset and angry, but let's be fair and let the legal process unfold," Paterno said in his statement. "In the meantime I would ask all Penn Staters to continue to trust in what that name represents, continue to pursue their lives every day with high ideals and not let these events shake their beliefs nor who they are."
Richard Coleman, 23, a 2010 Penn State graduate and former columnist on the student paper, said he is expecting a clean sweep of the entire football staff, including Paterno.
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