Joe Paterno Won’t Answer Questions About Jerry Sandusky At Tuesday Press Conference

Joe Paterno will not address questions about the ongoing Jerry Sandusky sex crimes scandal during his weekly press conference Tuesday, according to a release issued by Penn State’s sports information department. The Scranton Times-Tribune was among the media outlets who received the release, posting it online:

Media planning to attend Tuesday’s Penn State Football weekly teleconference are advised that the primary focus of the teleconference is to answer questions related to Penn State’s Senior Day game with Nebraska this Saturday. Head coach Joe Paterno and any Penn State Football student-athletes in attendance will be answering questions about the Nebraska game, Penn State’s season thus far and other topics related to the current college football season.

Despite the school’s best efforts to keep the focus on football, it’s unrealistic to think the media will acquiesce. As Cory Giger, a writer for the Altoona Mirror, noted on Twitter (@CoryGiger), “Paterno wants to keep burying his head in the sand and hope this all goes away. ... But it’s our job to ask the questions, and we will ask.”

Paterno released a prepared statement Sunday about the investigation, but that statement has created more questions than answers. In his statement, Paterno claims that he was never told specific details about what Mike McQueary saw. But that contradicts the report issued by Pennsylvania’s Attorney General on Saturday, which states that Paterno told Curley that McQueary “had reported seeing Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a young boy.”

Is Paterno suggesting the Attorney General’s report is wrong? Or was his statement deliberately misleading to deflect blame? These are just some of the questions Paterno will likely be asked so long as he continues to step in front of a microphone, no matter what guidelines Penn State’s communications staff sets forth.