Spanier Told PSU Board Members about Sandusky Investigation, Erickson Tells Post-Gazette

Months before Jerry Sandusky was criminally charged, then-Penn State President Graham Spanier informed some university board members about the grand-jury investigation into the former assistant football coach, current President Rodney Erickson has told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Erickson’s comments are included in a Post-Gazette report published Wednesday. It’s accompanied by a video of interview excerpts.

“Mr. Erickson said Tuesday he did not attend the (trustees’) briefing (on Sandusky), which he said took place in May or July while he was still provost, nor was he told it had occurred until after Mr. Sandusky’s November arrest blew up into a national media firestorm and Mr. Spanier resigned,” Post-Gazette reporter Bill Schackner wrote. “The briefing is likely to fuel further questions about what university leaders, including the trustees board, knew and did in the critical months after the investigation came to light last spring.”

The university announced Tuesday that Erickson has signed a contract to extend his presidency through June 2014, at which point he plans to retire.

Board members appointed Erickson, a former Penn State provost, to the presidency effective Nov. 9. Spanier’s departure from the job was announced the same day.

StateCollege.com’s efforts to reach board leadership for comment in recent weeks have been unsuccessful. 

Related coverage

• StateCollege.com’s earlier and ongoing coverage of the Penn State-charges situation