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Hannah Rappleye/NBC News
The vacant big white house on Bernel Road in State College, Pa., shown here in November 2011, was the first home of The Second Mile charity founded by Jerry Sandusky to help disadvantaged kids.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Those who know the house on Bernel Road will tell you it’s behind Beaver Stadium, near the airport on the outskirts of town -- a town still trying to piece itself together in the wake of one of the biggest scandals in college football history.
The two-story white colonial home represents the past, and future, of The Second Mile, a charity founded by Jerry Sandusky. It was on this land that Sandusky first realized his dream to create an organization for disadvantaged children. Until last November, it was also to be the home of The Second Mile’s most ambitious project to date — a multimillion-dollar “Center for Excellence” intended to help those kids pursue big dreams.
Instead, it now sits quiet and empty on the edge of about 60 acres of overturned earth, a reminder of the crushed aspirations attributable to a criminal case unfolding less than a dozen miles to the north.
The fate of The Second Mile is inextricably linked to that of Sandusky, the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach now on trial on 51 counts of sexually abusing 10 young boys over a15-year period.
And the existence of the well-respected charity cuts to the heart of the central question in the criminal case: Was it the life’s work of a man who genuinely cared about the well-being of disadvantaged kids, or merely a cover for his illicit appetites?
As Jerry Sandusky's lawyers plan to argue that alleged victims are motivated by money from civil lawsuits, they are also weighing the possibility of taking the biggest risk of all – putting their client on the witness stand. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports from Bellefonte, Pa.
Last week, eight of the alleged victims -- two remain unknown to prosecutors -- offered tearful testimony in a small-town courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., about the sexual abuse they say they endured at the hands of Sandusky.
Sandusky’s defense began presenting its case on Monday, calling several former coaching colleagues and others as character witnesses.
'He's a saint'
Sandusky’s reputation as a man devoted to helping kids served as protection when questions about his character arose.
During the first week of his trial, one of Sandusky’s alleged victims testified that school authorities did not believe him when he first reported the sexual abuse in 2008. Known as “Victim 1” in the indictment against Sandusky, the 18-year-old recent high school graduate testified that a school official told him and his mother, “Jerry wouldn’t do something like that,” and that they needed to “think about it” before they reported it to Children and Youth Services.
“They didn’t believe me,” the teenager said tearfully.
Legal expert John Q. Kelly and psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz weigh in on whether defense plans to highlight Jerry Sandusky's alleged histrionic personality disorder can persuade jurors to acquit the former Penn. State coach on numerous counts of sex abuse.
Joe Miller, a former wrestling coach at Central Mountain High School, which “Victim 1” attended, said in court that he didn’t think twice about seeing Jerry Sandusky lying next to the young boy on the floor of an athletic room one day after school in 2006 or 2007. “I thought, ‘It's Jerry Sandusky,’” Miller testified. “’He's a saint. What he's doing with these kids, it's fantastic,’ so I didn’t think anything of it.”
That faith in Sandusky’s character came from his work with The Second Mile, which he founded in 1977. In his autobiography, “Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story” -- a book which helped prosecutors find some of his alleged victims -- he wrote that he initially envisioned the charity as a home for foster children. Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, who were unable to have children themselves, had been foster parents to at least three children and adopted five others -- including a girl, Kara -- during the 1970s.
Does it matter if Sandusky has a personality disorder?
As their expanding brood made it impossible to foster more children, Sandusky has said, he decided instead to start a foster home. He gathered powerful friends and acquaintances from Penn State and the surrounding community to help him.
Sales from his football book, “Developing Linebackers,” provided the seed money, along with donations and celebrity golf tournaments that would soon become an annual affair. In 1981, The Second Mile bought a 20-acre plot on Bernel Road for $64,000. The next year, the state licensed The Second Mile to serve as a private foster care agency.
The Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse trial heads into the homestretch, as the defense begins presenting its case. NBC's John Yang reports.
By October 1982, at least three foster children – all boys, ages 10 to 18 -- lived in the house. An article in The Daily Collegian, the Penn State newspaper, described a typical day: Doing chores, playing games and going on picnics with the house parents, a couple chosen by Sandusky and The Second Mile. Each resident had a member of the Penn State football team as a mentor.
In 1983, The Second Mile hired Jack Raykovitz, who had recently finished his Ph.D. in school psychology at Penn State. In its early days, Raykovitz ran the day-to-day operations of the charity, which included week-long camps -- first for boys, then also for girls -- on the Penn State campus. He signed off on licensing documents for the foster care agency. For a short time, state records show, he also provided psychological counseling to some of the foster children.
Analysis: Prosecution presented strong case against Jerry Sandusky
Raykovitz would continue to head the program for almost 30 years. By the time he stepped down in November, he and his wife, Katherine Genovese -- who served as executive vice president -- were earning a combined salary of over $230,000 a year.
Raykovitz did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News, but in a statement issued at the time of his resignation, he said, "I hope that my resignation brings with it the beginning of that restoration of faith in the community of volunteers and staff that, along with the children and families we serve, are The Second Mile.”
In 1988, records show the charity stopped actively operating as a foster care agency, but it kept its license active through 2011.
The Second Mile Grows
During the late 1980s, The Second Mile grew from an organization focused on a few foster children to a large network of programs offering services to thousands of children annually.
Each year, more than a thousand families attended picnics and events at local amusement parks and farms hosted by The Second Mile for foster children and parents. Several hundred families a year received counseling, assistance and money for “personal items.” Schools received Second Mile trading cards with facts about Penn State football players and tips on how to handle bullying, achieve in school -- even practice good hygiene.
By the late 1990s, The Second Mile children had become known simply as “Jerry’s kids.” He appeared at fundraisers, football games and other events, usually accompanied by one or more children.
Second Mile’s week-long Summer Challenge Camp had by that time become the centerpiece of the organization, serving more than 500 children each year. Attendance was usually recommended by school counselors, who singled out children that had trouble in school or came from single-parent homes or other disadvantaged backgrounds. Teenage boys and girls from high schools near Second Mile Chapters volunteered as counselors and mentors.
It was through the camps, many alleged victims testified last week, that they first met Sandusky.
At the camps, usually held on the Penn State campus, young Second Mile participants swam, played games, and practiced football drills. They stayed in Penn State housing.
“Victim 4,” according to the indictment, now 28, testified that he met Sandusky in 1997 in a Penn State dorm during the camp. “The roommate I was staying with knew Jerry Sandusky somehow, and he had come to the room to talk to him,” he said. Later, he testified, Sandusky told him he was a coach for Penn State and invited him to a family picnic.
“Probably a week or two” later, he said, “He called me again.”
The connection to football – both the charity’s and Sandusky’s -- was a particular draw for young Penn State fans. “I went up to him,” testified “Victim 6,” a 25-year-old man who recently graduated from Bible college. “Anything to do with Penn State I just wanted to be a part of it. I was a huge football fan.”
Sizing up boys?
Prosecutors introduced evidence they said showed that Sandusky was sizing up the boys who attended the camp as well. Among the exhibits: Rosters of male participants in the summer camps, with phone numbers and addresses. Next to the names of some of the alleged victims, which were marked with one or two asterisks, were handwritten notes about clothing and shoe sizes. A handful of other names, not among the alleged victims in the case, also were asterisked. A few others had question marks.
Of the hundreds of kids who attended the camp over the years, many left happy.
“It was a very good experience for me, and it actually did help build my esteem and self-confidence,” said Douglas Spengler, now 30, who went to the camps in State College in the mid-’90s. Spengler said Sandusky would show up once a session, usually for a group activity. “I never saw anything that made me uncomfortable in any way,” he added.
Spengler later received scholarships from The Second Mile that helped cover his two years at Pennsylvania College of Technology. News of the Sandusky investigation made him think of the impact on an organization that had done right by him. “Honestly, I thought it was a shame for the program,” he said. “You can’t judge a program based on one person.”
Mark Makela / Reuters
The Second Mile, the charity founded by Jerry Sandusky, is moving to dissolve itself and transfer its assets to a Texas-based nonprofit.
Several of the alleged victims described getting a call from Sandusky after meeting him through The Second Mile. He would pick them up at home. Seven out of eight testified that Sandusky first put his hand on their knee or thigh when they got into his car to go to a Penn State football game, to Holuba Hall on the Penn State Campus to work out, or to Sandusky’s house.
In 1998, “Victim 6,” then 11, came home with his hair wet. According to his testimony, he told his mother that had showered with Sandusky. That sparked an investigation by campus police, Children and Youth Services, the Centre County agency that investigates child abuse, and the state Welfare Department.
The investigation was closed, but NBC News reported in March that one psychologist warned investigators that Sandusky was a “likely pedophile.” But a second psychologist who had worked with the local Centre County Child and Youth Services, which had licensed Sandusky as a foster parent, concluded after an hour-long meeting with the alleged victim, concluded that no sexual offense had taken place nor was there “grooming” or “inappropriate sexual behavior” by Sandusky.
That same year, at least six children -- three boys and three girls -- in their early teens were living at the house on Bernel Road.
Todd Keith spent about two years as the resident director at the house in the late 1990s. “Sandusky would come to the house probably once a month,” Keith told NBC News last fall. “Sometimes for photo ops, other times it would be just to interact with the kids and stuff.”
Though he thought little of it at the time, Keith remembered the boys tended to shy away from Sandusky, retreating to their basement bedrooms when he stopped in. “At the time I truly just thought it was adolescent boys not wanting to be around adults,” he said. After hearing the initial allegations, Keith wondered if he hadn’t missed something.
None of the alleged victims who testified against Sandusky lived in the house on Bernel Road.
After the Nittany Lions
In July 1999, Sandusky announced that the upcoming season would be his last. That September, he incorporated Sandusky Associates, Inc. with his son Jon, who had just graduated from Penn State.
In the summer of 2000, they started a series of four-day, three-night football camp for boys at Albright College in Reading, Penn, where Sandusky’s son E.J. was head football coach.
The camps continued until about 2009 and were held at various sites, including Penn State satellite campuses.
Sandusky’s last game as Penn State defensive coordinator came in the December 1999 Alamo Bowl in Texas. According to testimony, he took one of the boys – a 15-year-old “fixture in the Sandusky household” identified in the indictment as “Victim 4” -- with him to that game.
At the trial, “Victim 4” described some of the most serious sexual abuse of any of the alleged victims, which he said occurred before he began to distance himself from Sandusky around 2001 or 2002.
To support his testimony, the prosecution presented "contracts" obtained in searches of the Sanduskys' home and his office. Some of the contracts asked “Victim 4” to agree to attend Second Mile programs, sports and workouts in exchange for money and other favors.
Other witnesses called by the prosecution raised questions about some of the programs. Mark McCann, who directed programming for The Second Mile, testified that several of the contracts, including one that asked “Victim 4 to commit to The Second Mile's "Positive Action Program," were for programs that never existed.
The defense later called a witness who said that at least one program not associated with The Second Mile, called “GOLF for L.I.F.E,” did exist for a short time, but she remembered few details about how children might have been enrolled.
After retiring, Sandusky’s involvement with The Second Mile grew. So did the organization’s coffers. Sandusky was paid at least $399,000 since 2001 as a consultant, tax records from the organization show. Assets grew from $2.5 million in 2001 to nearly $9.2 million by August 2009.
Over the years, powerful men and women in Centre County, and beyond, volunteered for the charity or joined its board of directors, helping to launch programs and raise money. The charity became nearly synonymous with Penn State. It held fundraisers across the state, including golf tournaments at the Toftrees Hotel, attended by star athletes, university officials and Centre County power brokers.
In September 2001, seven months after Mike McQueary testified that he told Penn State officials he saw Sandusky abusing a boy in a Penn State locker room, the university’s Board of Trustees approved the sale of university land to Sandusky’s charity. In April 2002, the $168,500 sale went through, and The Second Mile had 40 acres of land adjacent to the house on Bernel Road to fulfill one of Sandusky’s dreams.
Center for Excellence
In November 2008, as investigators were looking into the allegations made by “Victim 1,” Sandusky informed The Second Mile that he was under investigation, according to a statement from the organization.
From that point forward, Second Mile said Sandusky had “no involvement with Second Mile programs involving children.” But he remained active at Second Mile events. According to a local newspaper, he was still slated to speak at a Second Mile fundraising banquet in February 2009 geared toward local families. Sandusky formally stepped down in 2010, saying he wanted to spend more time with family.
By that time, The Second Mile was focused on raising money to fund the $11.5 million dollar “Center for Excellence.” Sandusky envisioned it as a “permanent home” for Second Mile children, with an athletic and recreation center featuring two basketball courts, a pool, football fields, classrooms and dormitories for the summer camp. It was to be both privately and publicly funded. In the summer of 2011, the organization received a $3 million dollar state grant for construction from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. His administration rescinded the funding after charges against Sandusky became public.
Robert Poole, chairman of The Second Mile board for 17 years and president and CEO of Poole Anderson Construction, was awarded the contract to serve as construction manager of the project. His firm had previously overseen the construction of many Penn State projects, including renovations of the university's Beaver Stadium.
In November, allegations of sexual abuse by Sandusky rocked the world of sports, and Centre County. The Second Mile found itself embroiled in scandal and facing multiple lawsuits. Its future unclear, the organization halted construction on the Center for Excellence.
Then, this spring, The Second Mile announced it would transfer its programs to the Arrow Child & Family Ministries Inc., a Texas-based nonprofit, and begin the process to eventually dissolve itself.
Hannah Rappleye/NBC News
The basketball hoop at the first Second Mile house on Bernel Road in State College, Pa. The area behind the house was cleared for construction on Jerry Sandusky's $11.5 million, 60-acre
As the trial of Jerry Sandusky nears its conclusion it’s unclear what will happen to the land on Bernel Road.
Acres of overturned earth still surround the white house. A sign advertises the sale of the 60 acres. But remnants of the children who once lived there are visible to this day: a sheaf of colored construction paper in the garage, a set of monkey bars, and two white hands painted on the blacktop driveway, fingers bent to form the sign language message, “I love you.”
Michael Isikoff, NBC News national investigative correspondent, contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
“’He's a saint. What he's doing with these kids, it's fantastic,’ so I didn’t think anything of it.”
He will be one of the first "saints" to make it to hell.
Nah, he can get in line behind all those Catholic priests.
The far reaching aspects of a sex scandal ...
Once such scandal gave us Bush ... you see how that worked out!!!!!!
I do not understand why the media must now celebrate a pedophiles accomplishments, especially since it seems there was a hidden agenda, that of scoping out little boys to boff, behind this "good deed".
"Joe Miller, a former wrestling coach at Central Mountain High School, which “Victim 1” attended, said in court that he didn’t think twice about seeing Jerry Sandusky lying next to the young boy on the floor of an athletic room one day after school in 2006 or 2007. “I thought, ‘It's Jerry Sandusky,’” Miller testified. “’He's a saint. What he's doing with these kids, it's fantastic,’ so I didn’t think anything of it.”
It boggles the mind that anyone could really be that stupid.
Jkatze -- You said it. Why would anyone be lying on the floor of an athletic room with anyone? I'm always suspicious of these so-called "saints." The most outwardly saintly often turn out to be the biggest scoundrels. This guy needs to be locked up for life.
newscover, what does this have to do with President Bush ( or President Clinton for that matter)?
A house of horrors...
There's some big money in "charity."
As to the 'big money in 'charity' and 'six figure salaries' comments, folks need to keep in mind that, especially in this economy, charities are in fierce competition for every dollar. Non-profit managers with proven track records of high-dollar fundraising are very much sought after and paid well. If they weren't paid well by non-profits, they would work at for-profit companies and the non-profits would have no one to help them get funds. It isn't really a question of how much non-profit directors are making, it is more a question of what percentage of funds they raise actually go to the work of the charity. If a director is making a large salary but is so successful at fundraising that the operating costs of the charity only represent a small percentage of the money coming through the doors, what's the problem?
Sandusky's Charity Home for young boys should be demolished.
Those victims do not have to suffer looking at the Media's pictures of this once Saintly house, where he repeately ruined their lives.
Personality Disorder? Far-fetched. He is Evil, and the worst kind of Sociopathic Pedophile walking on this earth.
Penn State Staff, Faculty should also take FULL responsibility for turning a "blind eye" to what was happening late at night in the Locker rooms, and Showers. Everyone knew about it--Disgusting.
Isn't a wonder how Colleges put their Sports Teams/Coaches/Assistant Coaches/Heads of Sports Teams first above the Law, before the students who accomplish great Academic Degrees in important Professions?
Sandusky is proud of his accomplishments with no regret. He smiles while he watches the witnesses tell their ugly stories. He is a Sicko with a Life Sentence of Misery when his Verdict is read. Send him to Iran.
kris' is wrong.
Many (most?) non-profits receive substantial gov't subsidies and pay few if any taxes.
I worked for a non-profit that bled the taxpayers for over $70,000.00 a month. They paid minimal taxes and claimed 'non-profit' for all their personal expenses.
Huge non-profits tend to be scrutinized. Smaller ones ~ in the case I noted, groups homes ~ fly under the radar.
Marchant... why should the home be destroyed? The person is evil, not the house. Donate to a charity, open a half-way house, create another foster home or whatever. The house could provide so much to people who need it the most. People create evil, not objects. If nothing else, sell the house and land and donate the money to a worthy cause.
One of the worst things about this story is that it will inevitable lead to tarring all good people who work with children with the brush of suspicion, making it even more difficult to inspire good people to help. A clever sociopath's reach extends far far beyond the evil he does personally. This case almost makes one long for the public pillory and flogging post.
artsylady:
Yes, the house should be destroyed. What Sandusky did to those kids in this house, and in Penn State Univ. Showers will forever be marked in everyones mind. The House was a cover for his "Charity". Some Charity! It is a constant reminder to those who were accosted by Sandusky. Obviously, Penn State Univ. cannot be torn down---maybe the showers replaced.
Would you want to own a house where someone was murdered in your bed, or murdered in the house?
What is your first thought when someone mentions, "Penn State University"--
O.K. I think we all agree something rotten was/is going on at Penn State and the "so called" charity. Now I am wondering what his adopted son who now says, after the trial, that he too was molested by Jerry must think.
The Penn State officials, one now deceased but one living, VP Graham Spanier, knew about this and did nothing. The man is a social scientist...did he not know the proper procedure for investigating these things?
I feel that Mr. Sandusky has much to answer for but don't you think those who aided and covertly abetted his behavior should answer too?
The fact that humans treat other humans in such a manner of molestation, disrespect, disregard and generally using them for self gratification, is despicable. The fact that the perpetrators are doing this to persons that are young and/or vulnerable is, or should be, criminal. I and many people believe also that the physical place where acts happen hold a memory either within the surrounding physical elements of that place and/or in the spiritual structure in and around that place. I think the structure of the building should be razed. The land should be re shaped and occupied anew with something that promotes the opposite of the evil that took place there. Great minds with healthy aspirations will be able to accomplish the task. I believe the site of the World Trade Center is getting such a makeover.
Very creative. Most poor predators are stuck having to search out, engage and join an organization that revolves around kids to satisfy their need for prey. Scumdusky started his very own and all for "troubled" boys. After all, who would believe any accusations from them, just like Victim #1. There was a constant parade of fresh meat to satisy his needs and he answered to no one along with pulling down a hefty salary. He's not only a filthy, child destructive monster but he's taken the conning and cunning that goes along with being a predator to new heights.
Saint Jerry's title was rather appropriate. He'll have plenty of time to write more chapters to fill his book or maybe how about a new book. He can call it "Caught Like A Rat". Too bad someone hadn't poisoned him like a rat a long time ago.
Maybe some of his victims can reuse the title when telling their own stories....
Sexual abuse, lies, cover-ups, six-figure salaries: all in a charity for children. Perhaps some of the dumber players on the American political scene will take the hint: There are things in this nation that require far more regulation, not far less.
I am sorry, I don't know why you are trying to drag politics into this? You seriously think a disgusting individual like this man Sandusky wouldn't have done anything if there was "far more regulation" of children's charities? Like he would have said, "ohh man, guess I can't diddle kids, the government is regulating my charity." What does that even mean? The government should have done what exactly, what should they be doing in the future? Don't be reduculous, the man was a livelong disgusting pervert, one of many in this world, and would have found another way to be a disgusting pervert if this one hadn't worked. We are actually fortunate he seems to have left such a huge trail of evidence that unlike many of those other perverts, he will go down to the fullest extent of the law.
Sadly, I think the govenor already dragged politics into it when Cobertt was ready to call Paterno out (after he was dead), and follow it up with "I know, this wasn't the first time I encountered this case...." And brought up his time as attorney general when Sandusky was doing all of this at Penn State. Which naturally brings up a couple logical conclusions here:
1. If no one ever repoted it, then how did the attorney general ever learn about it all these many years ago?
2. If Cobertt knew, where was he? And why didn't HE do anything about it?
Cobertt is probably trying some damage control in all of this, but it would be no less fair to question his own involvement or lack thereof, if the same questions could be asked of Paterno after someone informed him.... Because the AG (if he had been informed along the way) would have a lot more power (legally speaking) then the head coach would....
hiap, you are the one who is 'reduculous' (sic)
The non-profit I worked for ran group homes for teens. Those kids were routinely victimized sexually, psychologically, materially et.al.
Here's a plan : the government should stop wasting money killing kids in the Middle East and start spending in the U.S. on prevention and rehab for kids already in trouble. Social services run on such skinny budgets no one is checking up on the predators and monitoring the kids.
jkatze, people don't care about disadvantaged children. Believe me when I tell you disadvantaged children know any act of kindness comes with a price tag. It has been going on for decades all across America. There are Jerry's EVERYWHERE! They are not pursued because nothing profitable comes from pursuing them for anyone but there is profit to be made in this case which makes it worth the trouble!
jkatze, I bet you a million dollars if you went to any school or facility and asked any disadvantaged child if he or she experienced abuse from an adult in someway they would provide you with a name...it is beyond pitiful what is taking place in this country.
Things will grow progressively worse until children and the most vulnerable become number 1 priority in America!
It is inconceivable that many people around
sandusky did not suspect something was not right.
It took a strong mother to push back against
the "system" until someine decided to investigate
rather than coverup.
Actually, from reading these articles, it would seem that there had been suspicions and accusations for quite a while but the information was squelched, unfortunately. A lot of grief could have / should have been avoided a long time ago.
Pedophiles rely on their standing in the community to avert any suspicions. They work very hard at their public image. The counselor stating that he's a saint, the coach not thinking a thing about it because it was Jer...ignored the children.
The latest e-mail from the big boys at PS wanted to be 'humane' to Jer...
NOT ONE of these supposed intelligent people thought about the children. NOT ONE. Pedophiles rely on those reactions and continue their assault on children.
When people take legal actions against those who SHOULD have done something, perhaps pedophiles will no longer have the upper hand.
Actually, from reading this article, its very apparent that the *aura* and *allure* of St Jerry, Penn State football, and finally $$ is what caused most people to look aside and make excuses to justify behaviors they witnessed or heard about.
Everyone from parents to the Attorney General's Office should be put on notice about falling for supposed 'stars'.
A lot of more people knew about Sandusky, they just kept quiet. I bet a lot of other coaches knew of Jerry but said nothing. There are a lot more victims but they won't come forward. No man wants the world the know that he was sexually abused by another man. There is less stigma for male/female victimization or vice versa but there is so much shame for a man. Despite the fact that they were children, they feel that they could have done something to stop the abuse in the first place. It is baffling how Sandusky's wife is still living in denial even after her adopted son came forward also. She must be trying to protect the money but the victims will probably sue the university since their insurance companies will offer big settlements. These victims deserve every penny they get and I hope they do something good with their settlements.
Dreams shattered? All of Sandusky's dreams were fulfilled, probably beyond his wildest, vilest fancies.
A supply of "fresh meat" to choose from daily. It is obvious what his purpose was in founding that
organization. It should not be allowed to transfer its funds. Every penny should be distributed to
the victims and their families as should all of Sandusky's assets and pensions.
Very interesting to see that you believe that everything can be cured with a big fat check. We are asked to believe that these people are scarred for life, based upon the accusations of abuse, but if we give them all enough money, then they will go away and live happily ever after? And if we start awarding huge financial boons, then how do we ever distinguish, as a society, whether the allegations are true or false, whether somebody was truly harmed or whether they just came forward needing and seeking a big cash fix. It should be sufficient that somebody be tried and penalized in the legal system, effectively making them ineligibile to enjoy or profit from things outside of prison.
Sorry, Sue....but I believe that Sandusky and everyone involved in the coverup should be whacked, and whacked hard financially.
No, it will not bring 'normalcy' to those affected, but you sure can buy a whole lot of counseling with it...plus, it might just act as a deterrent for others who might want to mask their illicit behaviors under the cloak of 'charity'.
Nobody does anything for free or out of the goodness of their heart....especially Jerry Sandusky.
@ Sue
So, if Sandusky is found guilty...the victims should just walk off happily into the sunset? They should be content knowing that Sandusky can't enjoy life outside of prison?
You've never been assaulted...have you. You probably don't even know anyone who was assaulted. Nobody is asking you to believe that these victims and ALL victims of sexual assault have had their lives forever changed. Their assaults will haunt them forever...hardly a 'happily ever after' scenario.
All of Sanduskys money should be put into a trust fund just counseling for those poor boys/men that were abused by that slimeball and his wife should be made to pay into it.
No Sue, no amount of money in the world would make these young men walk off happily into the sunset. I am still haunted by the molestation that was done to me over 30 years ago!!!! I will tell you that $ will help buy therapy to help them get past this dark evil in their minds and try to move forward. Unfortunately, unless there is a $$ award given to these men, from the perpetrator (Jerry S.) and those that turned a blind eye to what they KNEW was going on, then it will be business as usual once this whole thing blows over and Jerry is in a cell. That's the disturbing part.....money talks honey....you have to hit 'em where it hurts and sadly that is the place that hurts the most for places like Penn State. Get a grip.
Michael Jackson had Coney Island recreated in his back yard & topped it Oz. Live lions, tigers & bears. Walked around with little boys on his shoulder (Macaulay Culkin) until questions arose. He then switched to midget boys(Gary Coleman,Emmanuel Lewis). After nearly bankrupting his corporation to escape conviction(1 out of court settlement alone cost him over $20Million plus lawyers etc), he relocated to Bahrain/Dubai & showed up surrounded by entire crowds of little boys. When Jackson publicly started dressing as an Arab woman, he was asked to leave. Jerry Sandusky used different method but same ultimate goals. Found nest where he hid behind Penn State lore. Hid behind Coach Joe. Hid behind the very authorities set up to protect endangered children. Big difference? Jerry Sandusky doesn't have $500 Million for lawyers. He is toast.
Get off Michael Jackson, the man is dead and references to him do not accomplish your point.
Public has to fight this class of
deviates. Clemons,Simpson,Jackson. All get very expensive "get out of jail card".
So you defend one serial child molester over another based on what positive attribute?
Michael Jackson naming his store bought little boy "blanket"? His song
"pretty young thing"?
Public has to fight this class of
deviates. Clemons,Simpson,Jackson. All get very expensive "get out of jail card".
So you defend one serial child molester over another based on what positive attribute?
Michael Jackson naming his store bought little boy "blanket"? His song
"pretty young thing"?
Public has to fight this class of
deviates. Clemons,Simpson,Jackson. All get very expensive "get out of jail card".
So you defend one serial child molester over another based on what positive attribute?
Michael Jackson naming his store bought little boy "blanket"? His song
"pretty young thing"?
My Dad asked my nephew, (12 years old) what college would he like to attend? he replied, "Penn State, but I am not going to take any showers in the locker room!" That is one smart kid!
This is a sick, sick man, and I personally hope this trial ends this week. Trust me when and if he makes it to Prison, he will know what the depths of hell feel like when he is on the receiving end of the sexual abuse he instilled on this unfortunate children. He better be in protected custody of I don't see him making it a week in the big house. You will get what's come Jerry...you sick, sick bastard.
Bubba will make sure of it... And yes, the lady prisoners especially will want his head for doing this to kids... People who are in prison, who also happen to be mothers, will no doubt see "but if it was my kid this bastard was doing it to...."
It won't be "sexual abuse" he'll be on the receiving end of, more like the end of a shiv . . . and prisoners everywhere should be extremely offended that you would suggest such a thing . . . even prisoners have "standards".
Bubba's gonna ask him on his fisrt day if he wants to be the momma or the poppa.....he'll think for a second and say the poppa, then Bubba will tell him to get over here suck your momma's d*ck.
stop with the sick **f___ck'd up** freakin "bubba" jokes - it's pathetic - and you sound as stupid as this entire fiasco
prisoners who kill pedophile's in prison don't !!!!!!!!!!! care about these sickies, like sandusky - they just kill them after taunting them long enough !
so stop the a___hole "bubba" jokes: sick of seeing them !
Rampant --
I'm sure your stern reprimand will get everybody to stop writing opinions that you don't find suitable to read . . . and since when did you become the guardian of First Amendment rights? . . . YOU stop with your "I'm sick of seeing them" posts -- I'm sick of seeing THEM. . . . now go take a tranquilizer and a shot of Jagermeister, put your spectacles away and calm down . . . in case you haven't heard, everyone has the right to free speech . . . even you.
In his sick twisted thought process he must believe that the more he does to benefit kids out weighs the sexual abuse he performed on a few. He made them sign contracts to continue to keep coming to his programs, that could be why some continued to have contact with him. I guess the big money some employees were getting helped them overlook the abuse in front of their eyes. Penn State knew for a decade there were accusations and yet they refused to act, all the country clubbers that still supported him even after the accusations, you all should be ashamed that you let him continue to abuse kids because you didn't want to treat him inhumanely and one even kept notes on the accusations. I'll bet none ever let their own children alone with him to shower with him.
Yep, as long as the money kept rolling in, no one cared that a few childrens' lives were being crushed. I wonder if any children in his programs committed suicide? If so, that too may have been due to the agony he cause that child.
Please get on the stand and testify.
That would be nice. He has supplied the lumber and all that is left is a few more nails to finish the coffin.
Being a typical sociopath, he will think that all of his words will be taken as he meant them to be and that he will be vindicated.
Looking forward to reading his obit, probably penned it himself so that the 'real' truth can be told.
Far from "histrionic personality disorder", of which his many sexual deviances were more secret in nature, he seems more like "the pillar of the community, who has dark skelatons in his closet", that either isn't suspected, isn't believed by those seeing it, or somehow denied on account that it seems contradictory to his perceived public image.
Still, others who have been of the same sort, were people like this one judge on Unsolved Mysteries, who did a favor for elderly of doing their accounting/finances, and had maneaged to steal large sums of money before the authorities figured it out and got involved.... A financial crime, as bad as it is, isn't as bad as sexual assault on minors.... This sickophant is seriously whacked if he honestly believes that it is even OK to go around showering with minors, on account "he's a couch", and obviously not their coach (they weren't even old enough to be in college at 12 and 13, short of being mega geniuses that could complete high school at 11, kinda doubt it, or large enough to be tackling adults on a college football team). His own account of his acctions (with a "but there was nothing sexual, was just showering") is sar far beyond the realm of acceptable behavior, it's not even funny....
Wow the private sector is showing job growth? Always easier to grow from close to zero. In fact if one person has a job and another person gets a job, you have 100% job growth rate according those who support the bumbling, arrogant fool named Obama.
If I might ask, what does this comment have to do with Sam Sandusky's trial? I think you must have replied to the wrong topic ;) Perhaps you hit the thing to navigate to the next/previous article by mistake? You might want to try getting back on whatever thread you were reading, and place your reply there? :o
Jeff... moron
Jeff-1570172
I can only ask, WTF???
Sandusky will get to experience putting his hands up on the wall of the showers in jail.
Well, one thing will be different for Sandusky in jail, he'll be a receiver of the "gift" not the giver.
Unfortunately, he'll most likely be separated from the rest of the folks in jail. He's a child molester and in the criminal world, even they have a code of conduct that puts Sandusky's kind in extreme danger.
Here's hoping he has some freedom in jail!
I find it ironic...and more than a little creepy that his autobiography is entitled..."Touched:The Jerry Sandusky Story", and that his football book was titled "developing Linebackers".
Just switch some of the words around,and that would probably be a better description of ole Jer.
More like...."Touched Developing Linebackers: The Jerry Sandusky Story".
Don't call Second Mile a charity. It was obviously nothing but a sex trafficking outfit founded by a predatory pedophile for the latent purpose of recruiting, grooming and raping powerless boys and adolescents with impunity and protection by this powerful monster's friends and associates, all of whom should be brought to justice.
What these people are saying isn't so uncommon - people in visible positions who are sexually abusing children are pretty much walking on eggshells, so to the outside world, they appear to be better than human just so no one would ever suspect they would do such a thing. "He's a saint!" "I never thought twice about him lying next to some 12 or 13 year old!" Too many kids have come forward and it's not like they suddenly made this up. They tried to tell people when they were 14 or so and no one believed them. "Aw, you're just another kid making something up about this nice guy - what are you the 5th or 6th kid to do so in the past 6 years? Just think about it kid, what YOU are doing and what YOUR allegations against this fine man will mean to his life and his career!"
Nothing short of Sandusky's rectum turned inside out and dragging in the dirt will even begin to make up for his crimes against children. Here's hoping the prison "staff" tears him a new one.
To: Jeff1570172: You are a frickin dumbazz...what the heck does any of your BS have to do with this story??? Are you HIGH? Just say no to drugs..you be somewhat okay. The idiot is a CHILD PREDATOR.....you get moron? A CHILD RAPIST. Unless you were one of those that enjoyed it and loves him??
I can't help wonder about certain things.
I am curious, have Sandusky's foster and adopted kids spoken out at all, either supporting or condemning him, or describing life in the Sandusky home?
And I also wonder about the hundreds (maybe more) kids who partook in the programs run by Second Mile. Have any of them (besides those who are Sandusky's accusers) talked about their experiences (good or bad) with the organization?
How could those at the charity NOT have suspected something about Sandusky? Were they really that blind as to not? Were there no suspicions or rumors circulating among the staff?
Get off him already! You ghouls need to leave this poor man alone. He has been convicted of absolutely nothing and is actually having charges against him dropped. You have no clue of what actually happened or if ANY of the allegations are true. He seems like a nice guy in all the interviews I've seen of him.
I for one am going to wait to see if he is convicted by a Jury of his Peers before I pass judgment on this poor old man. You all should be ashamed!
Yeah well I hope this "poor old man" fries, how you like them apples???
Sounds like some Ignorance I would expect from you PUP1 I went and read some of your previous posts.. (Disgusting and Judgemental)...
NEWSVINER-6126072 wrote: "He seems like a nice guy in all the interviews I've seen of him."
Are you just completely eaten up with the dumbass? "Nice guys" bugger little boys all the time and get a pass from cretins like you because of how they look or sound.
LOL, a "nice guy". Ted Bundy was a "nice guy" too.....
Wow, what's WRONG with you? True, he is "innocent until proven guilty", but really, if you were a grown man, would you shower alone with an 11 year old boy? And then there's the creepy story he wrote. This guy's a pedophile. We're just waiting for the jury to confirm it.
You should have your kids go spend a night at his house!
@Newsviner
Actually, it is a presumption of innocence....not a 'given right' when one faces trial.
He had ONE charge dropped...out of 52. ONE. Why? Prosecutors in Jerry Sandusky's child sex-abuse trial dropped one of the 52 counts against him Monday because the statute he was charged under did not apply at the time of the alleged illegal contact. It certainly wasn't because he is soooo innocent.
I presume that you have failed to read any articles regarding testimony of the victims or witnesses. Even the defense put some questionable people on the stand...the grandfather that showers WITH his young granddaughter at the Y.
You must think that pedophiles who molest children have signs on their foreheads...or that they look like monsters. Think again, it's the upstanding community leader that thinks nothing of inappropriate actions with little boys in facilities that are CLOSED. The parent who segregates his victims from the rest of his family. Sounds like a wonderful man. All of us...yeah, we're the bad guys.
*excuse me while I go toss cookies
DK-2529057. I would send them there WAY before I would let them spend the night at your "HATE FILLED" house...
I'm certian they would come home hating races of people and various religions..
At least they wouldn't have been molested.
Shows what kind of parent you are. Send them to a pedophiles house for free rape, or send them to someone who comments about a man having 52 counts against him. Not 1. 52! I think it's more than a coincidence.
Go ahead and send them over there, parent of the year!
NEWSVINER-6126072, you continue to dig yourself deeper into the rabbit hole of ignorance and equivocation. Please, PLEASE, tell me you're not really a parent or in any way have a guardian or supervisory role over children of any age. Why is it that pusillanimous crotchsniffers like you will give deviants and pedophiles a pass while throwing the innocent ones under the bus, left to spend the rest of their lives trying to process what was done to them?
Sorry, but you make me ill.
Newsviner-6126072 is either a troll or just as sick as Sandusky. Either way, it's comments are there just to stir crap, folks.
Newsviner... life must be really comfortable for you behind your rose colored glasses. Just leave 'em on and continue to make a fool of yourself.
PUP1, Tranquil;
Are you just completely eaten up with the dumbass?
I love you guys!!! Amen!!!!
Dear NEWSVINER. How 'bout that jury of his peers! Now he is convicted and trust me he WILL get what he deserves. God bless those poor kids most of whom are now adults
Anyone who has known a sex ual predator knows that most of them walk among us as "saints". I personally know of a teacher who taught at our tribal school for years and recieved awards along with accolodes among the community for his excellent work with children....that is until a 12 yr old boy accused him of sodemy and rape then his card house came a-tumblin' down and now he's serving 3 life terms for molesting over 30 to 40 young boys ages 8 to 15. You think their lives were ruined, yer da mn straight! This so-called Second Mile was just a front for a pedophile who needed and was provided fresh meat and to me that sickens me.....
Bulldoze the house. Plant trees which will mature in 50 years, and start over in 100. The public really needs to rethink charities and "saints". If I were involved as a taxpayer in the State of Pennsylvania, I'd be interested to know how much money went to Sandusky to establish this charitable property, what property taxes it is currently accountable for, and if not why not. The Catholic Church seems to get away with harboring pedophile priests, and distance themselves from paying property taxes simultaneously, which I personally feel is wrong. If Sandusky got "his plan" to be a saint in the public eye from the likes of the Catholic Church harboring pedophiles, and simultaneously avoid paying property taxes on a charity property, while getting a healthy (tax funded salary which is coming through the State Board of Regents ), the regular person who works, pays one's taxes, and isn't committing crimes against minors, is really getting shafted.
I think that legislatures around the nation, really really need to review Tax Exempt Properties around the nation as a whole. My inkling is that if a priest, or a football coach, or a high standing administrator is found to be abusing minors, or the tax exemption for other fraudulent activity,,, their tax exempt status is either nullified, or seriously curtailed until they get their organization working within the law again.
As an example. The Catholic Church operates many hospitals around the nation. Many are old and in need of repair or replacement. The non Catholic health care consumers may still require the need for hospitalization, and their regional taxes are to go toward this need. If the Catholic Church has huge fines against priests for being pedophiles, it's not spending the funds for maintenance on outdated hospitals, and overall the entire community with a Catholic Hospital suffers. My solution is, the Catholic Church looses it's hospital, which goes into the public domain to be demolished, repaired, or replaced, and the taxpayer doesn't loose out. When the Catholic Church looses enough hospitals and similar tax exempt properties, maybe it will clean up its act and quit harboring criminals. Institutions like Penn State can then look at the Catholic Church losses of property, the "frauds of charity ", etc, and clean up their acts as well.
Jerry and his wife will meet the DEVIL soon enough,the maggots are eating their brains already.They are sick pigs and should be dealt with swiftly.If someone blew Jerry,s head off i would say justice served.
Does this question really need to be asked in this case?!? . . . the only purpose in founding Second Mile was to have it be nothing more than a hunting ground for the pedophile Jerry Sandusky to stalk his prey. He kept it stocked much the same way you would stock a trout pond -- all for the purpose of getting into kids' pants and molesting and scarring them for life. Pedophiles know the "businesses" to get into to get broad access to children; i.e., Catholic church, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, pediatric medicine -- just to name a few . . . it's our job, as protectors of future generations, to more closely, carefully and deliberately scrutinize the people in these organizations primarily geared toward children. Because that's where the pedophiles lurk and have been lurking and "hunting" for hundreds and hundreds of years with impunity.
Good post. We need to look at some youth care givers a little more closely.