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Freeh Report: Joe Paterno Could Have Faced Criminal Charges, According To Reports

The release of the Freeh Report on Thursday answered many questions as to what role former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno may had played in Jerry Sandusky's reign of terror over the past 15 years in which he sexually abused many young children.

The report was very critical of Paterno, saying that he may have enabled Sandusky to victimize many more children through the inactions of him and other Penn State officials to report Sandusky's actions. A report by Sports Illustratedthat talks with many different legal experts finds that Paterno could have faced legal consequences for his inactions.

"[W]ere he alive, he would probably be scrutinized right now, as we speak, by a grand jury,'' said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer who represents a young man suing Sandusky, Penn State and Sandusky's charity over claims of sexual abuse. "When he did give testimony, now revealed to have been dubious at best and false on its face, that is illegal perjury because it was given under oath. So he is exposed.''

When Paterno passed away in January of 2012, many felt that he had fulfilled his legal duty to report the suspicious activity to higher authorities, however the recent report suggests otherwise. With it impossible to bring charges on a deceased person, we will never know his true story of what he knew.

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Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.