STATE COLLEGE, PA Nov. 14 (DPI) – Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach charged with pedophilia, may yet come out with claims he himself was sexually abused as a child, whether he has proof or not, criminal defense observers say.
Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period. As of today Sandusky, through his lawyers, has maintained that he is innocent of the charges against him.
But depending on what evidence emerges, Sandusky may pursue a different strategy. In an age in which people facing serious charges can — and are encouraged to – claim victimhood of some kind, Sandusky’s situation seems to invite it, claims of innocence or not.
And since he claims he’s innocent, there’s been no attempt either by Sandusky or his defense team to offer any excuses for his behavior.
For years it’s been common for people charged with serious crimes to elicit sympathy or seek to mitigate the offense by suggesting their illegal behavior was triggered by previous substance or physical abuse.
Now that the charges have been made public, Sandusky’s behavior in a 1980s interview with NBC comes across as especially creepy. His manner in the interview could suggest that his pedophile behavior was going on even longer than the current charges reflect: