STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The NCAA formally launched an investigation of Penn State University on Friday, seeking to determine whether the school committed ethical violations in its handling of child sex abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
The NCAA’s announcement comes as federal authorities reportedly are looking into their own investigation of Sandusky, because some of the abuse was alleged to have occurred outside Pennsylvania.
In a letter Friday, NCAA president Mark Emmert said the investigation will examine whether Penn State exhibited a lack of institutional control over the football program.
“I am writing to notify you that the NCAA will examine Penn State’s exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs, as well as the actions, and inactions, of relevant responsible personnel,” Emmert wrote. “We recognize that there are ongoing federal and state investigations and the NCAA does not intend to interfere with those probes.”
Emmert asked the university to respond to a set of questions by Dec. 16.
The scandal has rocked the university as a whole, sparking questions about whether the university covered up Sandusky’s abuse to protect its image.
Two former university officials (athletic director Tim Curley and VP of finance Gary Schultz) are facing perjury charges for lying to the grand jury about their knowledge of Sandusky’s alleged abuse.
Coach Joe Paterno was fired after he failed to notify police about an alleged incident reported to him in 2002 by assistant coach Mike McQueary.
McQueary was a 28-year-old graduate assistant when he alleges he saw Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the Penn State locker room shower. But Sandusky’s attorney has repeatedly denied McQueary’s allegation, saying he believes he has identified the alleged victim and claims he will testify the assault never happened.
“I think [McQueary] has a credibility issue here,” attorney Joe Amendola told FOX News Channel on Friday.
McQueary said earlier this week he reported the abuse to police, but the grand jury report states police never were notified. So far, no police department has corroborated McQueary’s claim.
A senior law enforcement official said federal investigators are “looking hard” at the possibility of opening their own investigation.
According to the 23-page grand jury report, one of Sandusky’s alleged victims (referred to as “Victim 4”) testified to being sexually abused at various locations, including Penn State bowl games in Florida and Texas during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
“It would be inconceivable that we couldn’t find grounds” to make this a federal case, the official told NBC News on Friday.
Sandusky, 67, is accused in a 40-count indictment of sexually abusing eight boys over a period of 15 years. He denies the charges.
Prosecutors and agents will review Sandusky’s use of the Internet to determine if he violated federal laws by communicating or possibly recruiting alleged victims online, NBC reported.
