What is documented?
Sandusky was convicted in 2012. Penn State leaders publicly acknowledged oversight failures when the Freeh report was released. A 2026 prosecutor statement describes a dismissed post-conviction filing.
Limits of this record
The institutional inquiry and its conclusions are attributed to their authors. A commissioned report is not itself a criminal conviction of every person it names.
The dated record
Compare institutions →Earlier allegations enter the oversight record
Penn State’s 2012 account says trustees were unaware of allegations first reported in 1998 until 2011.
Penn State leaders respond to the Freeh report ↗Sandusky convicted on 45 counts
A jury returned 45 guilty verdicts and three not-guilty verdicts, according to contemporaneous ABC reporting.
Sandusky verdict — ABC News ↗Freeh report released; university responds
Penn State announced the commissioned report. Its leaders acknowledged failures in oversight and described planned changes.
Freeh report released — Penn State ↗Sandusky post-conviction filing dismissed
The PA Attorney General says Sandusky withdrew a recantation claim and the court formally dismissed his filing. This was his challenge to a conviction.
Sandusky post-conviction filing dismissed — PA Attorney General ↗Leadership & court roles
Graham Spanier
President, 1995–2011
Term recorded by Penn State Libraries. Individual legal proceedings are outside this brief role record.
Source for this role ↗Source date: Publication date not confirmed · Checked 1 Oct 2026
Rodney Erickson
President, 2011–2014
Led Penn State at the time of the 2012 verdict and institutional response.
Source for this role ↗Source date: Publication date not confirmed · Checked 1 Oct 2026
Louis Freeh
Independent investigative report · 12 July 2012
Led the university-commissioned investigation. This role was investigative, not the presiding judge in Sandusky’s criminal trial.
Source for this role ↗Source date: 12 Jul 2012 · Checked 1 Oct 2026
Centre County court
8 September 2026
Dismissed Sandusky’s filing after he withdrew the recantation claim, according to the PA Attorney General. The release does not identify the judge; this archive does not infer a name.
Source for this role ↗Source date: 8 Sept 2026 · Checked 1 Oct 2026
Sourcebook
Sandusky verdict — ABC News ↗
Page date is June 21; its text reports the June 22 verdict. Both are retained rather than silently reconciled.
Freeh report released — Penn State ↗
Penn State leaders respond to the Freeh report ↗
Article describes July 12, 2012 statements; page shows last updated May 24, 2019.
Penn State Libraries: presidents ↗
Undated institutional archive; checked 1 October 2026.