Former Penn State president to start prison term for role in Sandusky scandal

Former Penn State President Graham Spanier, who was convicted over his role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal, is slated to start a two-month prison sentence in July.

Spanier, 72, who served as the school’s president from 1995 to 2011, was found guilty in 2017 on a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child in the Sandusky scandal.

Spanier and two other administrators failed to report allegations from 2001 that the former football coach was molesting boys.

The former university president will begin his prison stint on July 9 and will later serve two months of house arrest and 200 hours of community service, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office told CNN. 

The former Penn State president will also serve a two-year probation term if the judge doesn’t add prison or house arrest time to his sentence.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) said in a statement that the start of the prison term marked “the end of a long road towards justice for the children endangered by Mr. Spanier’s inaction.”

“No one is above the law, and my office will continue to pursue anyone who looks the other way in the face of child sexual abuse. There are consequences for failing to protect children in Pennsylvania,” he said.

Spanier’s attorney had argued that his client shouldn’t serve time in prison, citing his poor health, the coronavirus pandemic and his “conviction on a single, non-violent misdemeanor,” according to CNN. 

The Hill has reached out to Penn State for comment.