Jerry Sandusky New York Times interview: “I am attracted to young people”

In the most recent filmed interview with The New York Times, former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky revealed several new disturbing details in regards to his 40 charges of sexual assault against young boys.

Jerry Sandusky did little to discredit the claims of his inappropriately close relationship with young boys, admitting to showering and sleeping in the same bed as them, yet denying that anything further happened.

This is the second interview of Jerry Sandusky since the scandal broke, and in the first he fumbled when asked if he was sexually attracted to young boys, repeating the question and issuing a shallow denial.

In the latest interview with The New York Times, Jerry Sandusky did not improve his answer, only making it worse.

“What in the world was that question,” Jerry Sandusky said referring to the first interview.

“If I say <<No, I’m not attracted to boys>> that’s not the truth because I’m attracted to young people- boys, girls.”

Joe Amendola, his lawyer, who was present for the interview, then jumped in and clarified that Jerry Sandusky did not mean he was sexually attracted to children.

“I enjoy spending time with young people, I enjoy spending time with people,” Jerry Sandusky then said.

 

 

There were more surprises in store as well, as Jerry Sandusky discussed the role that other coaches and school officials played.

Legendary head coach Joe Paterno was fired by the school in the wake of the scandal, along with three other university officials. Two of those officials, including athletic director Tim Curley, were arrested for perjury.

Of the eight alleged victims that Jerry Sandusky reportedly abused over the course of 15 years, one incident stands above the rest because it relates to the chain of command at Penn State which is now under review.

In 2002, graduate assistant coach Mike McQueary claims that he saw Jerry Sandusky raping a young boy in the team showers. He then told Joe Paterno, and Joe Paterno told Tim Curley.

This was not the first time that concerns about Jerry Sandusky had been brought to the attention of university officials- there was a complaint filed by the mother of another boy in 1998 that was investigated by campus police- but little seems to have happened.

In the New York Times interview, Jerry Sandusky said that Joe Paterno never spoke to him about either incident.

“I never talked to him about either one. That’s all I can say. I mean, I don’t know,” Jerry Sandusky said.

Throughout the interview, Jerry Sandusky repeatedly said that his actions and relationships with children were motivated by a pure love of children- in a protective and fatherly way as opposed to that of a paedophile.

“It was, you know, almost an extended family,” the former coach said.

Jerry Sandusky admitted to wrestling, hugging, and, in a strange move, blowing on boys stomachs, all of which are details included in the charges against him.

“I think a lot of the kids really reached out for that,” Jerry Sandusky said referring to the wrestling and rough housing.

“I would call kids on the phone and work with them academically. I tried to reward them sometimes with a little money in hand, just so that they could see something. But more often than not, I tried to set up, maybe get them to save the money, and I put it directly into a savings account established for them.”

As he waits for his preliminary hearing on December 13, Jerry Sandusky is very aware of all that he has lost, both at Penn State, at the children’s charity The Second Mile that he founded and allegedly used as a way to find potential victims.

“I’ll miss coaching, I’ll miss Second Mile, I’ll miss Second Mile kids. I’ll miss the relationships with all kinds of people. I’ll miss my own grandkids, I’ll miss my dog,” Jerry Sandusky said.

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