CENTRE CO, Pa (WJAC) — Former Penn State president Graham Spanier is now speaking out against what he terms elements of a false narrative in the Jerry Sandusky scandal that cost him his job.
In the period of the past decade, Graham Spanier, Penn State’s 16th president, went from Old Main to the Centre County Jail but says he’s doing well.
“I’ve had a tremendous amount of support, and thousands of emails and letters. If I ever get depressed, I go to the grocery store and it’s a receiving line of people and alumni who are very supportive.”
Spanier, who was in trouble almost immediately after Jerry Sandusky was charged in November of 2011 on child abuse accusations.
Also indicted were two university administrators: Gary Schultz and Tim Curley.
Spanier’s press release expressed confidence in the two at the time but was not well received.
Spanier maintains his statement was supported by then chairman and vice chair of the university trustees, and others.
“So this idea that I went off halfcocked and said something about Tim and Gary was the appropriate thing to do. I said to my cabinet, ‘I could get fired for this,’ but I knew and worked with Tim and Gary for 16 years.”
Spanier himself was eventually charged with a misdemeanor count which he fought for years and at one point, was dismissed in federal court.
He eventually went to trial and refused to take a plea bargain.
“I was offered a plea bargain 5 times, 3 times before the trial, once during, and once during jury deliberation.”
Some may say he's in denial about the Sandusky scandal, but Spanier strongly disagrees.
“There has been a false negative. I don’t think any of the university administrators were guilty. We didn’t know about sex abuse or those reports. The climate became so polluted there wasn’t much of an opportunity for a fair trial.”
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