Penn State Alumni-based Group Finds 'Key Failures' in Freeh Report
ByPenn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, a Penn State alumni-based watchdog group has released a report critical of the Louis Freeh report which played a significant role in convicting Sandusky and in levying NCAA sanctions.
The purpose of the PS4RS Critical Analysis & Review is to 'identify the shortcomings, inaccuracies, and the gross incompleteness of the Freeh Report,' says the group.
PS4RS has been repeatedly vocal about the board of trustees' failure in handling the Sandusky scandal. The same is reflected in the report released Thursday.
The group's report says that the Louis Freeh report catered to its clients, board of trustees and not the university on the whole.
The group claims to have more than 12,000 members and says that its Legal and Regulatory Task force comprises of more than 40 legal experts who 'logged thousands of hours in preparation' of the report, to educate 'trustees themselves, the NCAA and the general public as to gross negligence exercised' in using the Louis Freeh report as the basis for many critical decisions which directly affected the future of the university.
The statement issued by PS4RS points out to the fact that the Freeh report is not a 'full and complete report.'
The PS4RS Critical Analysis & Review has outlined 23 key failures of the Freeh Report.
They focus on, as PS4RS statement suggests, conflicts of interest in the hiring of Freeh, failure to consider Sandusky's charity Second Mile's role in everything, among others.
It is also critical of the aftermath of the 2001 incident when graduate assistant Mike McQueary saw a boy being molested by Sandusky in the Penn State locker room showers.
Few of the 23 'key failures' of Freeh report as listed in the PS4RS Critical Analysis & Review report:
- Failure to report on written threat by the brother of an influential member of University of Board of Trustees to publicly disgrace as evidence of bias
- Failure to disclose Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan's (FSS) client was the Board of Trustees and not the University and as such, FSS had a duty to act in the best interests of Board of Trustees relative to the investigation and preparation of the Report
- Failure to acknowledge that there was not a single document that indicated intent to conceal the 2001 incident by anyone at the University
- Failure to acknowledge there was not a single witness interviewed who stated that there was an intent to conceal the 2001 incident by anyone at the university
Meanwhile, the Penn State Board of Trustees are scheduled to hear the update on the state of changes triggered by Sandusky's child sex abuse scandal Friday.