November 11th, 2011
04:18 PM ET

Penn State puts wide receivers' coach on leave

[Updated at 4:18 p.m. ET] Mike McQueary - the Penn State coach who told head coach Joe Paterno about a child sex abuse allegation involving a former coach in 2002 - has been placed on administrative leave, interim school President Rodney Ericson said Friday.

The leave is "indefinite," Ericson said.

McQueary, who coaches the team's wide receivers, was a 28-year-old graduate assistant when he told Paterno of the allegation in 2002.

The scandal revolves around Jerry Sandusky, the football team's former defensive coordinator who is accused of sexually assaulting children. The scandal has led to the departure of four top university figures, including Paterno, amid widespread outrage over their perceived failure to contact police.

[Updated at 12:19 p.m. ET] Officials on Friday picked the leaders of a special Penn State University panel to investigate allegations that a former assistant football coach sexually abused children.

Kenneth Frazier, a Penn State trustee, will chair the university's special committee looking into the child sex abuse allegations. Frazier told the board of trustees on Friday that the inquiry will be "rigorous, objective and impartial."

State Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis will be the vice chairman and other committee members will be determined later, it was announced at a board meeting.

[Initial post, 10:16 a.m. ET] The interim president of Penn State University said Friday the board of trustees will vote on a proposal "to form a special committee to undertake a full and complete investigation of the circumstances that gave rise to the grand jury report" into child sex abuse allegations against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Rodney Erickson said it has been "truly difficult to comprehend the terrible nature of the allegations" of child sex abuse. He told the board of trustees his "heart aches" for the victims of the abuse.

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Filed under: College football • Crime • Joe Paterno • Penn State • Pennsylvania • Sports
soundoff (436 Responses)
  1. james zeruk, jr.

    what a bunch of clowns. they replace the penn state prez wit a guy who looks EXACTLY like the boy rapist, and then this new prez talks about donations and money coming in to the u? are you effen kidding me? money????!!!!!

    penn state is SICK. EFFEN SICK.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • DAT

      Exactly HOW does what he looks like matter one iota??

      November 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCnoLookAlikes

      With 7 billion people on the planet, I'm relatively sure, each and everyone of us, has at least 7 look-a-likes. Mere (or is it mirror?) Resemblances? Don't get me started.

      November 11, 2011 at 5:00 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Rove Kasparov

    "Placed on administration leave?" That almost sounds like a job promotion.
    Hope this is not a joke!

    November 11, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCash

      with or without pay?

      November 11, 2011 at 4:53 pm | Report abuse |
  3. CmonNow11

    But come on everybody – Paterno is just such a super coach and he makes his team win and he is old and is such a super all around swell guy.... *BARF* Where did all the apologists go??

    November 11, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCSorry

      I'm sorry

      November 11, 2011 at 5:01 pm | Report abuse |
  4. suzangrace

    mc query should have been the 1st to be fired. he witnessed the vile incident and passed it on. he did not call the police. he passed on a d left it there. if he had reported it to the appropiate authorites NONE of this would have ever happened. get rid of him! he saw it and did nothing. he's just as guily as sandusky.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilClose

      Well not quite but close

      November 11, 2011 at 5:04 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Howard Levine

    He should be FIRED!!!! He witnessed it and did nothing to stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At a minimum as a graduate assistant he should know the numbers 911!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    November 11, 2011 at 4:33 pm | Report abuse |
    • SonyaG

      Absolutely

      November 11, 2011 at 4:43 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Spock500

    Why only leave? Mr. McQueary should be FIRED outright! This new interim President, Mr. Ericson, needs to be FIRED! Both are cowards!

    November 11, 2011 at 4:33 pm | Report abuse |
    • rafael

      I agree wholeheartedly.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:53 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Spock500

    Does anyone at Penn State have any sense of decency?

    November 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Joe

    It's about time. At 28 McQueary was old enough–and should have been man enough–to intervene when he saw a little kid being abused. He should be fired along with the rest. I still can't believe no one thought to find that kid the next day and make sure he had not been physically harmed or emotionally traumatized.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm | Report abuse |
    • SonyaG

      You're so right....This baby was only 10 and his well being should have been considered first and not a football program. What a pathetic bunch of people.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCTheory

      I have a theory.
      M McQueary was one of G. Sandusky's first victims.

      November 11, 2011 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Drinker

    Fire him!!! He's in the wrong more than anyone else who has been fired.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm | Report abuse |
  10. billythebigbone

    special committee ??? they going to review the video?

    November 11, 2011 at 4:35 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Joe Paterno

    LEAVE??????? Are you kidding? FIRE HIM like you did everyone else. COWARDS!

    November 11, 2011 at 4:35 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Southerner01

    Pedophile State University

    Home of the Nittany Liars.

    Saturday's game : Cornhuskers vs. Corn Holers.

    Bet PSU loses.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:36 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCofRed

      GO... BIG... RED...

      November 11, 2011 at 5:13 pm | Report abuse |
  13. JG

    Mike McQueary is a gutless wonder. I would have made sure that Jerry Sandusky didn't walk out of that shower. No one in their right mind would walk away from that and expect someone else to "handle it". Anyone involved or knew of Sandusky's raping of children are just as much to blame because they should have stopped it right there. And to all the Penn jocks and trust fund babies that rioted after the firing of Paterno need to enter the real world. They should all have been arrested. But hey Football is college royalty and can do no wrong.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:37 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Brian L

    Come on.... this guy was just a peon graduate student at the time he witnessed the shower incident. He did the right thing by bringing it to the attention of the responsible party- who told McQueary that it would be handled appropriately. Those in a position of authority over Sandusky failed to take appropriate action... don't lay the responsibility for this at the feet of a 28 year old graduate student.

    This is just turning into a witch hunt. Get a good lawyer Mike and stick it to 'em!

    November 11, 2011 at 4:38 pm | Report abuse |
    • choopychups

      Really? Do you really believe this "peon: 28 year old man didn't know that raping a child is something that the police might want to know. He's a coward, and you are a sympathizer. Peeps like you perpetuate this sort of behavior. sad.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:43 pm | Report abuse |
    • Laura

      You're kidding right? He was a 28 year old man, who walked in on a 57 year old man, RAPING a 10 year old boy. Nothing he did was right.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:46 pm | Report abuse |
    • rafael

      Had I witnessed the ordeal, Sandusky would not be alive today.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:55 pm | Report abuse |
    • Drinker

      Are you crazy? He was an adult, 28 years old. I had two children by that age. I sure wouldn't depend on someone else to make sure a child molester was reported to the police.

      November 11, 2011 at 4:58 pm | Report abuse |
    • Libby

      So, Brian. You walk in on a 10-year-old being ripped apart, an*lly by an adult male. Your first rational thought after recovering from the shock is to go to bed after conferring with your DAD and contact someone at the university in the morning? No, man, no. You call the police. Career be damned and your father too.

      November 11, 2011 at 5:40 pm | Report abuse |
  15. cornholio

    So the graduate assistant that reported it is "put on leave". Once again, the immutable law of life and buerocracy asserts itself. And that law is: NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED. If he had looked the other way, he would still have his job. Say what you will, if he had looked the other way he would still have his job. That is a fact. If he had tried to go over or around Joe Paterno to report it, he would have been removed on some pretense. No doubt about it.

    November 11, 2011 at 4:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • jaj1010

      So it was a good deed for him to not stop the raping of a child as it was happening??

      November 11, 2011 at 5:27 pm | Report abuse |
    • evilCDotheRightThing

      yes, maybe? But if he would have done the right thing, intervened, and reported it to the "PROPER AUTHORITIES" he would be a HERO, for STOPPING a perverted pedophile 10 YEARS AGO!

      November 11, 2011 at 5:30 pm | Report abuse |
    • Libby

      He did look the other way. Took many more years for Sandusky to be discovered. He's no hero. He traded his morals and ethics for a job.

      November 11, 2011 at 5:45 pm | Report abuse |
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