Of all the angles surrounding the evolving story at Penn State, there’s one (although it’s certainly not the only) that hasn’t quite been tapped to its full potential: where on Earth is Penn State president Graham Spanier and why hasn’t he said a peep since issuing a statement of unconditional support for athletic director Tim Curley and VP of Business and Finance Gary Schultz over the weekend?
Of course, that’s a rhetorical question; you can bet everyone from Spanier on down has been advised not to say anything yet.
But Spanier may not get a chance. The Lehigh Valley Express-Times has reported that Spanier will either resign or be voted out by the end of today, according to a source close to the Penn State Board of Trustees. The Express-Times adds that an interim president, likely Provost Rodney A. Erickson, will be named and a nation-wide search will begin in earnest.
If true, Spanier would be the next person to go in what is already becoming a house-cleaning process by the institution to rid itself of those involved in the indictment of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Earlier this morning, it was announced and confirmed that coach Joe Paterno would retire at the end of the season, although the board could decide to bump that date up to “immediately”.
Curley and Schultz have already stepped down on administrative leave and retirement, respectively, after being hit with perjury charges.
Penn State’s board met last night in an emergency meeting and released a statement promising a “full and complete investigation” of the circumstances surrounding the indictment against Sandusky. That indictment includes an instance in 2002 where a then-graduate assistant allegedly caught Sandusky in the act of sodomizing a young boy in the locker room of a Penn State football facility.
The indictment goes on to say the GA informed Paterno the next day of what he saw, and in turn, Paterno informed Curley. However, no legal action was taken as a direct result of the incident, and Spanier signed off -- according to the indictment -- on an in-house punishment against Sandusky.