Governor Corbett Weighs in on Penn State Scandal

Governor Tom Corbett says that for more than two years, he’s held back from voicing his disappointment in how Penn State has handled sexual abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Corbett oversaw the investigation while he served as state Attorney General, before becoming governor. He said on one hand, there’s the legal question of how allegations of sexual abuse were handled, and on the other hand, there’s the moral issue.

“I was, I am personally disappointed in the lack of action, and had to contain that for the last two plus years. The board is going to address that,” said Corbett.

Corbett added that a child predator is “the worst type of person in the world,” so he wants to see Penn State’s Board of Trustees act swiftly to form a task force above reproach to address how sex abuse allegations went without a decisive response from school officials.

The governor is a voting member of the PSU board and says that he’ll share his opinion about how to handle the scandal when he meets with trustees on Thursday and Friday.

Joe Paterno has announced that he will retire at the end of the football season. His statement said that it’s so the board wastes not a “single minute” discussing his status.

Meantime, Corbett says that he understands the concerns and emotions of Penn State students, who rallied on campus on Tuesday night and at the home of head coach Joe Paterno.

“It’s important that they know that the world is watching them. The media is there, they will be watching this for quite a while, and I would hope that they would remain [on] their best behavior, show and voice their first amendment freedom, but remain on their best behavior. We are going to work on this for them,” he said.

The governor wouldn’t comment on the job status of Penn State University President Graham Spanier, or head coach Joe Paterno.