Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky spoke exclusively with NBC’s Bob Costas over the phone Monday night during an interview for “Rock Center with Brian Williams.” It was Sandusky’s first interview since he was arrested and charged with over 40 counts of sexual assault.
Costas didn’t waste any words, getting straight to the explosive allegations against Sandusky.
When asked if he is sexually attracted to underage boys, Sandusky replied, "Sexually attracted? No, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them, um, but no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."
“I am innocent of those charges,” said Sandusky. “I have horsed around with kids, I have showered after workouts, I have hugged them and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact.”
Costas then asked about claims from former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary that he witnessed Sandusky raping an underage boy back in 2002.
“That’s false,” said Sandusky. When Costas asked him what McQueary’s motivation would be to lie, Sandusky replied by saying “you would have to ask him that.”
Sandusky instead said that he and the boy “were showering and horsing around." He went on to claim that the boy turned on all the showers and was sliding across the floor. He also claimed he recalls possibly snapping the towel in horseplay.
Costas then questioned Sandusky about a reported incident in 1998 in which a mother angrily confronted him about taking a shower with her son and inappropriately touching him.
“I can’t exactly recall what was said there,” said Sandusky. “What I did say is that if he felt that way, then I was wrong.”
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Costas reminded Sandusky that he said he was wrong, asked for forgiveness and that he reportedly told the mother he wished he were dead.
“I don’t know, I didn’t say to my recollection that I wish I were dead,” replied Sandusky. “I was hopeful that we could reconcile things.”
Costas then brought up a janitor’s claim that he witnessed Sandusky performing oral sex back on a young boy in the showers of the Penn State locker room in 2000, claims Sandusky also denied. When Costas asked why anyone would fabricate such a story, Sandusky simply said, “you’d have to ask them.”
Sandusky’s attorney Joe Amendola also appeared on the show and insisted that the charges against his client would not hold up.
“We expect we’re going to have a number of kids, now how many of those so-called eight kids? We’re not sure. But we anticipate we’re going to have several of those kids come forward and say ‘this never happened, this is me, the allegation, it never occurred.’”
Amendola then claimed that the alleged victim in the incident McQueary described said himself that it never happened. When Costas told Amendola that the alleged victim could not even be identified by the commonwealth, the attorney said that he “thinks he found him.”
Amendola then told Costas that he “believed in Jerry’s innocence,” and that he would even allow his own children to be alone with him.
Switching back to Sandusky, Costas asked him if former Penn State coach Joe Paterno had any information on activities prior to the 2002 report.
“I can’t totally answer that question,” said Sandusky. “My answer would be no.”
Sandusky also claimed Paterno never spoke to him directly about his behavior or expressed disapproval.
Sandusky was also questioned on how he felt about the effects the scandal had on Penn State University.
“How would you think I would feel about a University that I attended, about people that I worked with, about people that I cared so much about?” replied Sandusky.
Yet while Sandusky claimed he felt horrible, he also said did not feel guilty or culpable.
“No, I don’t think it’s my fault,” said Sandusky. “But I’ve obviously played a part of this. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have showered with those kids. That’s what hits me the most.”
Costas then asked Sandusky about how he felt about his public perception as a monster since the allegations broke.
“I don’t know what I can say or what I could say that would make anybody feel any different now,” said Sandusky. “I would just say that if somehow people could hang on until my attorney has a chance to fight for my innocence, that’s about all I could ask right now.”
The interview then closed with the following from Sandusky:
“Obviously, it’s a huge challenge.”
