A Penn State trustee says a consultant should be asked to return “some or all” of the millions of dollars Penn State University paid for an internal investigation into the handling of sexual abuse allegations.
Trustee Anthony Lubrano, who said the university is “entitled” to a refund, has been a critic of the $6.5 million report by former FBI director Louis Freeh, which concluded that longtime coach Joe Paterno and three former administrators covered up child sexual abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Lubrano, who joined the board last year when drawing support from disgruntled alumni, cited another report commissioned by the Paterno family and released this month. It said Freeh’s investigation resulted in a “rush to injustice.”
“The Freeh report purports to be the result of something that it is not — a full and complete investigation,” Lubrano said in a statement on Sunday. “Putting aside its inaccuracy and unfairness, the Freeh report is far from complete, and as a result, I believe Penn State is entitled to a refund.”
Penn State spokesman David La Torre declined comment.
Several other board members have called for a re-examination of the report in light of the critique in the Paterno family’s report. Freeh has stood by his findings and called the family’s report a “self-serving” effort to shape the legacy of Paterno, who died in January 2012 at 85.
Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison term for his conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 boys. He maintains his innocence.