There aren't a whole lot of former players stepping forward to comment on the charges against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, but Nittany Lion legend LaVar Arrington offered his perspective on the situation Monday in a blog post for the Washington Post. He opens by speaking fondly of his memories of Sandusky before offering the following.
On one side I want Jerry to be innocent because he was a great man to me, but on the other side, as a responsible parent if he did molest or assault those children, then he needs to be responsible for his actions, as we all have to be.
In the end, regardless of the outcome, it won’t change all of the great things I witnessed from him while I was in school. But the sad reality is, again regardless of the outcome, it has shattered the image of a man who meant so much to me.
Arrington, a WPIAL Hall-of-Famer out of North Hills, won the Butkus, Bednarik and Lambert awards as a linebacker at Penn State and was an All-American in 1998 and 1999, Sandusky's final years on the Lions' coaching staff. Arrington was on the team when Sandusky allegedly assaulted a boy in showering facilities and allegedly hosted and assaulted boys from The Second Mile in his hotel room on bowl trips.