Report: More Sandusky victims to speak
After Jerry Sandusky professed his innocence in a national TV interview, even more potential victims of the former Penn State coach's alleged child sexual abuse have come forward, two attorneys told the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Many have not decided whether they will go to police, said attorney Andy Shubin. Some of the alleged abuse dates back to the 1970s and could be too old for prosecution, Shubin told the paper.
Shubin declined to specify how many potential additional victims he has spoken with, but said some have been living with the secret for years and were prompted to contact him by Sandusky's denials Monday in a phone interview with NBC's Bob Costas.
"They're literally processing it right in front of us," Shubin told the Patriot-News. "They have kept it from their families, moms, brothers and sisters . . . The folks we talked to are largely folks in their 20s, who in a lot of cases have never told their story before."
Shubin said he is working with another attorney, Justine Andronici, along with a team of psychologists to ensure the alleged victims receive counseling.
"I spent about half the day (Tuesday) in kitchens and living rooms, speaking with victims of Sandusky's molestation and processing with them the effects of Jerry Sandusky being on television and Jerry Sandusky denying wrongdoing," Shubin said. "And what I found was that these folks are being re-traumatized."
Shubin and Andronici announced they intend to pursue a civil lawsuit on behalf of alleged victims of Sandusky, who was arrested Nov. 5 for the sexual abuse of eight boys over 15 years.
Sandusky, 67, said in the NBC interview that he never sexually abused any children, but conceded, "I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them, and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact."
The New York Times reported Tuesday that since Sandusky's arrest close to 10 more suspected victims have gone to police to report abuse. Sandusky retired as Penn State defensive coordinator in 1999 after 32 years at the university.
The grand jury's report in the case alleged that Sandusky met his victims through The Second Mile, a children's charity he founded in 1977.