PENN STATE

Paterno Gives Exclusive First Interview

Regrets how he dealt with Sandusky allegations.

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was fired over the Penn State sex-abuse scandal, former head coach Joe Paterno expresses regret about the way he dealt with the Sandusky allegations. "In hindsight, I wish i had done more," he told The Washington Post. Paterno said that when McQueary told him he saw Sandusky molest a boy in the shower, he was hesitant to push the issue because he was afraid of jeopardizing university policy. "I didn't know which way to go," he said, so instead he "backed away and turned it over to...people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did." He added that his relationship with Sandusky was strictly "professional, not social" and that he was always frustrated that Sandusky dedicated so much time to his Second Mile Foundation and neglected his coaching duties. He also insisted he was unaware of the 1998 police investigation into allegations of abuse from a Second Mile mother.