Jerry Sandusky: Joe Paterno Never Questioned Me About Abuse Allegations [Video]

In his first extensive interview since he was accused of sexually abusing children, Jerry Sandusky said that Penn State coach Joe Paterno never questioned him about the allegations. Sandusky also said that he was innocent, and that he is not the monster that the media is making him out to be.

Sandusky says that Paterno, who was recently fired from his position at Penn State, never once confronted him about the allegations.

Sandusky said:

“I never talked to him about either one. That’s all I can say. I mean, I don’t know. He’s the only one who knows whether anybody ever said anything to him.”

Sandusky, who is being charged with 40 counts of molesting young boys, insists that he never sexually abused any children. Sandusky did, however, confirm that he frequently gave money to disadvantaged boys at his charity.

According to the NY Times, prosecutors are arguing that Sandusky used gifts to build trust and loyalty with the boys at his Second Mile Charity. Sandusky says that the media is twisting his good deeds into something awful.

Sandusky said:

“They’ve taken everything that I ever did for any young person and twisted it to say that my motives were sexual or whatever… I had kid after kid after kid who might say I was a father figure. And they just twisted that all.”

Here’s a video of Sandusky’s interview with the New York Times.

Sandusky admits that his relationship with children from his Second Mile charity may not have had normal boundaries between children and adults. Sandusky said that his home in State College, Pa, became a second home for many children, where Sandusky and the Second Mile children wrestled, had sleepovers, and even showered together.

But Sandusky insists that he never sexually assaulted children and that he thought of the Second Mile kids as his own.

What do you think of Jerry Sandusky’s interview? Do you think he’s telling the truth?