Former Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary has filed a lawsuit against Penn State for defamation and for misleading him and retaliating against him regarding his part in testifying against Jerry Sandusky on allegations that Sandusky sexually abused boys in the Penn State football program.
McQueary testified that he saw Sandusky abusing a boy in a team shower in 2001 and that he reported what he saw to then-head coach Joe Paterno and administrators Gary Schultz and Tim Curley. Sandusky was not arrested until nearly a decade later, after investigators got a tip that led them to McQueary.
According to The Associated Press, the lawsuit stems from McQueary’s allegations that he has been unable to find another coaching job since Penn State declined to renew his contract in 2012. The suit states that he was defamed by then-university president Graham Spanier when Spanier expressed full support for Schultz and Curley after Sandusky was arrested.
McQueary also claims the school issued a statement in November 2011 that he was placed on leave because of safety concerns, and that Schultz and Curley misled him when they said they would take his concerns seriously after he reported Sandusky in 2001.
McQueary reports that Penn State’s actions made it look like he was involved in a cover-up of Sandusky’s abuse, which has made it impossible for him to get another coaching job, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Sandusky maintains his innocence, but was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He is currently serving 30 to 60 years in Greene State Prison while appealing the verdict.
Spanier, Curley, and Schultz are all awaiting trial for failing to properly report suspected child abuse and child endangerment.
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