Official Press Release: PENN STATERS FOR RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP GIVES FREEH REPORT A SOLID “F”

PENN STATERS FOR RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP GIVES FREEH REPORT A SOLID “F”
USING OBJECTIVE 95-POINT CHECKLIST

Alumni watchdog organization cites a failure to obtain facts from critical individuals, coupled with conclusions drawn without sufficient basis in fact.

JULY 26, 2012 —- On the heels of the University’s acceptance of unprecedented NCAA sanctions, members of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship (PS4RS) express serious concern as to why the University – and the NCAA – could rely upon an incomplete and insufficient report as the basis for their decisions, and warn that exploration of legal recourse is underway in full force. Using an objective checklist of critical information necessary to gain a full understanding of the Sandusky case, PS4RS has concluded that the report, created by the law firm of Freeh, Sporkin & Sullivan at the request of the Penn State Board of Trustees, is wholly incomplete, delivering on less than one third of the necessary factual information to deem it credible. This, according to Christian P. Marrone, Esq., a member of the PS4RS Legal and Regulatory Task Force and former Senior Department of Defense official. After an extensive review of the PS4RS checklist, which was published in advance of the report’s release, Marrone said the group determined that only 22 of 95 points had been addressed, with many of them being incomplete or insufficient.

According to Robert Tribeck, Esq. Co-Chair of the PS4RS Legal and Regulatory Task Force, the most glaring omission in the report is that Mr. Freeh and his team did not actually speak to any of the primary witnesses in the case (Joe Paterno, Gary Schultz, Tim Curley, Mike McQueary or Jerry Sandusky). Mr. Freeh indicated that Mr. Paterno had offered to be interviewed, but was not, even though the investigation was in full swing before Paterno’s death. Additionally, former University president Graham Spanier was interviewed within just four business days of the report’s release, calling into question how thoroughly incorporated his contribution could have been. In recent days, Freeh has released errata sheets, correcting important dates, and reversing attribution of quotations in documented conversations, further calling into question the veracity of critical components of the report.

“While we have no doubt that Mr. Freeh and his team sought to follow the directives set by certain members of the Board of Trustees, upon our review of the report, it is clear that it is completely deficient,“ said Tribeck, a labor and employment attorney with Harrisburg-based Rhoads & Sinon. “What the Freeh report provides is a highly flawed, factually insufficient representation of Mr. Freeh’s view about what happened – and not the truth,” said Tribeck. More, just a few days ago, a Swiss court determined that Mr. Freeh’s report against FIFA (International Soccer Association) presidential nominee Qatari Mohammed Bin Hamman was “not complete or comprehensive enough to fill in the gaps in the record,” and as a result, overturned FIFA’s lifetime ban on Bin Hamman and nullified the findings of the investigation.

PS4RS strongly believes that the vast implications of the Freeh report – from the effect on public opinion to the recent reckless NCAA decisions — are far too great to stay silent. The University and the NCAA have taken actions seemingly by reading only the conclusions, and not the full content of the report, and have failed to question the report’s evidentiary basis or lack thereof. “Sadly, in the context of the nation’s discourse, it is quite obvious who has read the report in its entirety, and who has simply read the summary of conclusions contained in the report,” said Marrone. “Those who have read all 267 pages observed similar concerns about its factual content, accuracy and completeness,” he continued. “To this end, PS4RS is compelled to do what the media, the University and the NCAA have failed to do – a complete in-depth analysis of the Freeh report. Using qualified and experienced employment attorneys, the analysis will comprehensively assess the report’s serious deficiencies and focus the debate back it where it belongs – on discovering the fact-based truth of what occurred, without rushing to judgment.”

The Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship “Guide to the Freeh Report” is accessible to the public using the following link: http://www.ps4rs.org/docs/press-release_07-26-12%20questions1.pdf

To learn more about the Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship Critical Review and Analysis of the Freeh Report visit this link: http://www.ps4rs.org/freeh.html

Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship has experienced a 33% growth in membership since the release of the Freeh report. The organization, which has more than 7,500 members nationwide, was formed to effect positive change within the University Board of Trustees. For further information on PS4RS, please visit http://www.PS4RS.ORG, email ps4rsinfo@ps4rs.org, or search “WE intend to vote out the Penn State Board of Trustees” on Facebook. Follow PS4RS on Twitter at @PS4RS.