Sandusky probe: Penn St. officials face charges

Two high-ranking Penn State administrators have resigned, and will face arraignment Monday on charges they lied to a grand jury investigating suspected child abuse involving the university's former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Athletic director Tim Curley and university vice president Gary Schultz will be arraigned in District Court in Harrisburg today for charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania's child protective services law, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller. The university's board of trustees announced their resignations overnight, as officials try to deal with allegations against a trusted coach that could blemish Happy Valley's storied history.

Video: Ex-Penn State coach charged with sex abuse
Ex-Penn State coach charged in sex case

As defensive coordinator, Sandusky built an unquestioned reputation for Penn State football as "Linebacker U.," helping legendary head coach Joe Paterno score the most wins in Division I history.

In a 40-count indictment, Sandusky is accused of targeting eight boys over a period of 15 years - both before and after his retirement in 1999. The charges range from inappropriate touching to statutory rape.

Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, said his client has been aware of the accusations for about three years and has maintained his innocence.

"Jerry is very, very depressed, he is very upset, he's very distraught about the charges and allegations," Amendola said.

Sandusky "distraught" over sex allegations

According to the indictment, several of the alleged crimes took place on campus, in the Lasch Football Building. In the spring of 2002, a graduate assistant reported he witnessed Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the shower. He later testified that he told coach Joe Paterno the very next day."

Prosecutors say Paterno alerted athletic director Tim Curley. Curley called in Gary Schultz, the university's senior vice president for finance and business. A week and a half later, both met with the graduate assistant, but never contacted police.

Late Sunday, Curley and Schultz resigned. Curley requested to be placed on administrative leave so he could devote time to his defense, and Schultz will be going back into retirement, university President Graham Spanier said.

Both men have maintained they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

Joe Paterno issued a statement clarifying his grand jury testimony, saying, "It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions."

At this point, prosecutors say coach Paterno is a witness and not under investigation. Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office, told The Associated Press on Sunday that whether Paterno might testify was premature and nothing more than rampant speculation.

"That's putting the cart way ahead of the horse," he said. "We're certainly not going to be discussing the lineup of potential witnesses."

As for Sandusky, the university has banned him from the campus. He is out on $100,000 bail, but faces charges that could put him in prison for life.

Nittany Lions fans are in shock.

"It's a shame because we've always taken pride in school being unblemished," said freshman Paul Cassano.

"I followed him as coach. He was doing so many good things with Second Mile," said fan Art Dietz. "If it's true, it's terrible."

The Second Mile is a charity Sandusky started back in 1977 to help troubled children. In a video on YouTube Sandusky said mentoring youth provides them a means to "life excellence."

But Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly says he used the organization to find his victims, calling Sandusky a sexual predator.

The charity said in a statement Sunday that Sandusky has had no involvement with The Second Mile programs involving children since 2008, when Sandusky told the foundation that he was being investigated on child-sex allegations.