Sue Paterno — the widow of Penn State's former head football coach Joe Paterno — discussed her late husband, the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case and the Freeh Report today on Katie Couric's nationally-syndicated talk show, "Katie".
Not only did Couric visit Paterno's home in State College, but she also had Sue in-studio for the widow's first national interview since the Sandusky sex abuse case broke and since the death of her husband in January 2012.
When asked how she has held up since the death of her husband and the events that followed, Paterno responded with grief, but thanked those who have shown support along the way.
"When you love someone dearly, it's hard to adjust and accept the loss," Paterno said. "This last year has been quite a challenge. I thank God for God, my faith, our family, our friends and all the people that have written letters about what Joe meant to them."
When asked about her relationship with Sandusky during his time as an assistant coach, Paterno said she knew him as a coach and his work at the Second Mile — a nonprofit organization that Sandusky founded for underprivileged youth.
"Jerry was a coach, but we also admired what he did with the Second Mile. We supported it because it helped so many young people and he was so good at it. No one had a clue. We were left speechless," Paterno said. "...He was a colleague of Joe's and Joe saw him at work everyday. We really didn't socialize so I didn't know much about him as a person."
In regards to the charges presented against the former assistant coach, Paterno said it was difficult to accept and she felt physically ill upon reading the first presentment charges.
Sandusky was eventually found guilty on 45 of the 48 counts against him in July 2012.
Couric later brought up that the late head coach said before his death that he wished to have done more in regards to the 2001 incident where former football assistant Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky in the shower with a young boy and followed up by telling the late coach.
But Paterno reflected what Couric had said, pointing out that the statement had been taken out of context.
"Well, you're missing the whole sentence. [The statement was], 'With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.' Hindsight came because of what we learned later," Paterno said. "If he knew in 2001 what he learned in 2011, yes, he would do more. Anyone would, but we didn't have that benefit because we didn't know anything."
Read Tuesday's edition of The Daily Collegian for more details.
