Penn State officials in 2001 were on the verge of telling authorities about allegations of football assistant Jerry Sandusky’s inappropriate behavior with young boys — but opted against it after speaking to head coach Joe Paterno, according to a stunning CNN report last night.

“After giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe [Paterno] yesterday, I am uncomfortable with what we agreed were the next steps,” CNN quoted Penn State athletic director Tom Curley saying in an e-mail.

Paterno claimed before his death in January that he had reported defensive coordinator Sandusky’s sick shower session with a young boy to his bosses but that he then had nothing more to do with the issue.