Sandusky breaks his silence and speaks out - former PSU assistant coach says he's innocent

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2011) — Jerry Sandusky said in an interview with Bob Costas on "Rock Center" last night that he is innocent of sexual abuse charges, and claims he was just "horsing around" with them.

Sandusky broke his silence last night, and decided to give Costas an interview by phone. And Costas didn't hold back on Sandusky.

Since the scandal broke at Penn State University where he played and coached football, Sandusky admitted to Costas that he showered with the children after workouts, touched their legs, hugged them, and "horsed around with them."

However, he denies that any of this was sexual in nature.

Sandusky was indicted on Nov. 5 on 40 counts of sexual abuse going back to the early 1990's, when he was the head of the Second Mile program he created in 1977, as a foster home for troubled children, then became a charity "dedicated to helping children with absent or dysfunctional families."

The indictment stated that Sandusky had access to hundreds of boys, "many of whom were vulnerable due to their social situations." Sandusky retired from the Second Mile program in 2010.

The incident states in 1998, Sandusky was caught showering with children by one of the parents who filed a complaint.

Also in the indictment, in 2002, Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, who was a graduate student back then, allegedly witnessed Sandusky raping a 10-year-old boy in a shower at the university's athletic facilities, and took action and stopped the assault.

McQueary said he heard a rhythmic slapping of flesh against flesh, and when he went into the shower, he saw the child's hands up against the wall, and Sandusky behind the child, who was 10-years-old. McQueary told the grand jury "that was rape." McQueary is on administrative leave, according to PSU officials.

Sandusky said the McQueary is lying, and told Costas that the kid turned all the shower heads on, and was sliding across the floor. Sandusky also admitted there might have been some towel snapping going on as well.

"I should have not showered with those kids," Sandusky said to Costas, after he was asked if he had any regrets.

But when Costas asked Sandusky if he was sexually attracted to young boys, he had some problems answering the question.

"Am I sex sexually attracted to them? Sexually? I enjoy young people, I love being around them, I, I, no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys," Sandusky said in response.

Legal analysts say that because of Sandusky's interview, the prosecutors will no longer have to prove that he showered with children, and that he touched some of them, and that he was naked with them.

Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, asked Ann Curry of NBC's Today's Show to question the motives and alleged statements made by some of those making accusations against his client, and asked her viewers for a "presumption of innocence for Sandusky."

When Curry asked Amendola if some of the victims were lying, his response was; "Isn't that a possibility? In fairness, what we're saying is that we plan to investigate this and find out if that's a possibility. Is it possible that Jerry did all these things? Of course. If he did, they are the most serious types of offenses that anyone could commit upon children, and he should be punished accordingly. But what if he didn't? What if he is innocent and his life will never be the same (nor will) the lives of people at Penn State."

Sandusky's actions caused the firing of Penn State's legendary Head Coach Joe Paterno over this scandal, as the school felt he knew about Sandusky's alleged activities, but did nothing to stop it. Paterno spent 46 years coaching for Penn State Nittany Lions.

"I should have done more," Paterno said after he was fired.

Sandusky told Costas that at no time did Paterno ever speak to him about his behavior, and that he does not feel responsible or guilty about what happened to Paterno.

Tim Curley, who was the athletic director at PSU, and vice president Gary Schultz, where also indicted for perjury and failing to report the incidents.