A central figure in the allegations of sexual abuse against children against longtime Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is Nittany Lions assistant coach Mike McQueary.
First, here’s what we know from the Grand Jury summary involving eight alleged victims of Sandusky:
McQueary, a 28-year-old graduate assistant at the time, was witness to an alleged incident of sexual abuse by Sandusky to “Victim 2" in March, 2002. The report states that McQueary heard “rhythmic, slapping sounds. He believed those sounds to be of sexual activity.” The report also states that McQueary witnessed the alleged sexual abuse between Sandusky and Victim 2, and that both saw McQueary. McQueary then “left immediately, distraught.”
The Grand Jury summary goes on to say that McQueary told his father about the incident, and that his father told him to report what he had seen to then-Penn State coach Joe Paterno. McQueary did so the following day, and the conversation between McQueary and Paterno remains a point of interest (Paterno states McQueary did not give explicit or graphic detail of the alleged incident).
As does McQueary’s ever-changing story.
According to the Harrisburg Patriot-News, there was another person who sat in on the conversation between McQueary and his father -- Dr. Jonathan Dranov, a family friend and colleague of McQueary’s father. A source with knowledge of Dranov’s testimony before the grand jury said that first account of the incident by McQueary in his father’s home went as follows:McQueary heard “sex sounds” and the shower running, and a young boy stuck his head around the corner of the shower stall, peering at McQueary as an adult arm reached around his waist and pulled him back out of view.
Seconds later, Sandusky left the shower in a towel.
In the time since the Grand Jury summary was released, McQueary has given a different explanation of what allegedly happened that evening. NBC News’ Peter Alexander obtained a copy of an email last month sent by McQueary to former teammates that stated he “didn’t just turn and run... I made sure it stopped.”
A day later, the Allentown Morning Call obtained yet another email from McQueary to a former classmate that stated “I did stop it, not physically ... but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room. I did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police .... no one can imagine my thoughts or wants to be in my shoes for those 30-45 seconds ... trust me.”
The Grand Jury summary, however, states “The graduate assistant [McQueary] was never questioned by University Police and no other entity conducted an investigation until he testified in Grand Jury in December, 2010.”
A statement to police by McQueary dated from 2010 obtained by the Patriot-News, claims McQueary saw Victim 2 with his hands against the shower wall while being subjected to sexual abuse by Sandusky. That statement, not the aforementioned emails, lines up with the Grand Jury summary, although it should be noted that summary is not a verbatim account of McQueary’s testimony.
Now, there’s yet another account of what happened by McQueary when the alleged incident was fresh in his mind.
The Patriot-News breaks it down:- His grand jury testimony says he heard slapping noises and saw a boy being sodomized by Sandusky.
- His hand-written statement to police says, “I did not see insertion. I am certain that sexual acts/the young boy being sodomized was occurring.” He says the whole incident lasted about a minute.
- In an email he sent to friends following the firing of Joe Paterno, he says “I made sure it stopped,” something not mentioned in the grand jury testimony or police statement.
- And now Dranov’s testimony describes a new scenario.
About two months after the incident McQueary describes in March 2002, Dranov and McQueary’s father, John, both physicians, had an unrelated meeting scheduled at Penn State with Gary Schultz, Dranov told the grand jury, according to the source.
Curious about how the story ended, Dranov inquired about what ever happened to Sandusky.
According to a source with knowledge of his testimony, Schultz told him then-university President Graham Spanier had met with Sandusky.
That’s something that isn’t mentioned in the grand jury presentment.
McQueary has been placed on administrative leave in the weeks following the scandal. McQueary was not on the sidelines for PSU’s final home game of the season against Nebraska after the school cited “multiple threats” against the assistant coach.
McQueary is just part of a line of individuals who are connected to the Sandusky scandal. In addition to the alleged crimes committed by Sandusky, McQueary, Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley, PSU VP for Business and Finance Gary Schultz and president Graham Spanier have all received heavy criticism -- some have lost their jobs -- for their apparent inaction in the wake of child-sex allegations that span over a decade.
In an interview with Bob Costas on Rock Center, Sandusky admitted showering with Victim 2, but that no sexual activity took place.
“We were showering and horsing around and he [the boy] actually turned all the showers on and was actually sliding across the floor and we were, as I recall, possibly like snapping a towel,” Sandusky said.
Sandusky also stated in an interview with the New York Times that he was never contacted by then-head coach Joe Paterno about the alleged incident. Paterno was fired just days after the scandal broke.
However, Sandusky was arrested last week on nine new sex abuse charges, bringing his count total to over 50, after two more alleged victims came forward. Sandusky posted $250,000 bail the following day.
