Sandusky lawyer blames attorney general for Paterno's fall
One of the laywers for Jerry Sandusky cited "embellished" rhetoric from the attorney general for the public upheaval that led to the firing of
Penn State coach Joe Paterno. Karl Rominger told ABC27 News (Harrisburg, Pa.) Wednesday night that Paterno was the victim of a media furor ignited by the attorney general's office and alleged that prosecutors made November's grand jury revelations against Sandusky so graphic that it caused Paterno's dismissal.
"We believe that the report was embellished, embellished for effect," Rominger told the station. "In other words designed to hurt Mr. Sandusky publicly to whip up public foment against him and that Joe Paterno became collateral damage of that."
Paterno, who won 409 games in 46 seasons with the Nittany Lions, died less than three months after the school's board of trustees fired him Nov. 9 amid child sex abuse charges against Sandusky.
Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator, is accused molesting 10 boys over a 15-year span. He is out on bail and awaiting trial.
"I firmly believe that the attorney general's office owes an apology to the public for throwing Joe Paterno under the bus by trying to trump up the charges against Jerry Sandusky," Rominger told the station.