PA--Victims urge Penn State fans to “dial it back”

For immediate release: Monday, May 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])

Two individuals say they reported child sex crimes by Jerry Sandusky to Joe Paterno decades earlier than has been suspended or documented. We hope this news will cause many in the Penn State community to show some sensitivity and common sense by ending their loud, reflexive and hurtful backing of a once-popular and powerful coach who, like all of us, was just a man with flaws.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/us/jerry-sandusky-victims-paterno-penn-state/index.html

We deeply admire and appreciate the courage of these victims (and Bernie McCue, a friend of one of them, who has also spoken publicly). It’s heartbreaking that they have been betrayed three times: once by a Penn State coach, again by Penn State officials and a third time by Penn State fans who continue to heap scorn on adults who were sexually violated as kids by Jerry Sandusky.

One of the victims says he was first molested by a priest, then later raped by Sandusky.

Paterno backers say these “allegations” are “unsubstantiated.” But one was made in a sworn deposition. Another was made by a man with whom PSU has already settled, so it’s hard to imagine he has any axe to grind or hidden agenda. And this news is consistent with everything we know about child sex crimes and cover ups: Most adults, when confronted with suspicions or reports of possible abuse by a charming, charismatic and evidently successful colleague, supervisor, neighbor or friend usually side with the accused and ignore or rebuff the accuser.

Joe Paterno is dead. Nothing anyone can say or do now can ease any pain he once felt. Many in the Penn State community can, however, ease the pain of Jerry Sandusky’s victims and child sex abuse victims everywhere. They can start by stopping – or at least dialing back - their public diatribes against proven and suspected child sex abuse victims and those who are trying to shed light on the disgraceful actions and inactions by Penn State officials.

No matter what university officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups at Penn State to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])

Sandusky victim: Joe Paterno told me to drop abuse accusation

By Sara Ganim, CNN - Updated 12:32 PM ET, Sun May 8, 2016

After four years of feuding over the legacy of Joe Paterno, with a few vague details about what he may have known about allegations of sexual abuse by one of his coaches, it is becoming clear there may be much more.

There are now two allegations by men who say they were sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky, who also say they reported their abuse to the legendary coach in the 1970s.

One of those allegations was made public in a court order related to  . . .

Read full articled here