Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence

Last updated
Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence
Game Over book.jpg
AuthorBill Moushey
Bob Dvorchak
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
Publisher William Morrow
Publication date
April 17, 2012
Pages224 pages
ISBN 978-0062201133

Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence is a 2012 book written by Bill Moushey and Bob Dvorchak about Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. [1] Moushey in an investigative journalist, formerly with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , and a professor at the school of Communications at Point Park University. [2] He won National Press Club's Freedom of Information Award in 1997. [2] Dvorchak is a 40-year veteran journalist.

In the book, the authors reviewed the grand jury findings, focusing on the alleged sexual assaults, and investigated claims of a coverup by Penn State University officials in order to protect the reputation of the football program. [2] The book was written over the course of 10 weeks. [3]

The book alleged that Joe Paterno "had to know" of the sexual abuse allegations happening under his watch. [4] The isolated nature of State College, Pennsylvania is used as a metaphor for the isolated nature of the football program. [4]

During the publicity phase, an excerpt was published on the sports gossip website Deadspin. [5]

The Paterno family immediately denounced the book. [6] The family's lawyers called the book an "unprofessional and irresponsible rehash from clip files and anonymous interviews," specifically disputing the authors' claims that Paterno forced Sandusky's 1999 retirement to coverup abuse claims. [3] In regard to the quick publication of the book, the Paterno family said that "The price of their obsession with speed over accuracy is a book that distorts the truth and offers conclusions and theories for which the authors have no evidence," he said. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Paterno</span> American football player and coach (1926–2012)

Joseph Vincent Paterno, sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. With 409 victories, Paterno is the most victorious coach in NCAA FBS history. He recorded his 409th victory on October 29, 2011; his career ended with his dismissal from the team on November 9, 2011, as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. He died 74 days later, of complications from lung cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Spanier</span> American sociologist and university administrator

Graham Basil Spanier is a South African-born American sociologist and university administrator who became the 16th president of Pennsylvania State University on September 1, 1995. On November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Spanier and longtime football coach Joe Paterno were “removed from their positions” by the Penn State board of trustees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Emmert</span> 5th president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

Mark Allen Emmert is the former president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was the fifth CEO of the NCAA; he was named as the incoming president on April 27, 2010, and assumed his duties on November 1, 2010, and remained in office until March 1, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions football</span> American football team

The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 after playing as an Independent from 1892 to 1992.

Edward Isadore "Ed" Savitz was an American criminal, businessman, and sexual predator, who was arrested for paying thousands of boys and young men for either engaging in anal and oral sex or for giving him their dirty underwear and feces, which he kept in pizza boxes in his apartment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania State University Libraries</span> Library system

The Penn State University Libraries consists of 36 libraries at 22 locations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The two main buildings on Penn State's University Park campus, are the Pattee and Paterno libraries.

Sally Jenkins is an American sports columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post, and author. She was previously a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. She has won the AP Sports Columnist of the Year Award five times, received the National Press Foundation 2017 chairman citation, and was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. She is the author of a dozen books. Jenkins is noted for her writing on Pat Summitt, Joe Paterno, Lance Armstrong, and the United States Center for SafeSport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike McQueary</span> American football player and coach

Michael Jacob McQueary is a former American football assistant coach for the Pennsylvania State University under head coach Joe Paterno until late in the 2011 football season. McQueary was identified as a key witness in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Sandusky</span> American college football coach and convicted child sex offender (born 1944)

Gerald Arthur Sandusky is an American convicted serial child molester and retired college football coach.

The 1999 Alamo Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Texas A&M Aggies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Storm</span> American writer and Victim Witness Advocate of Pennsylvania

Jennifer Storm is a victims' rights expert and author who has written about alcohol and drug addiction and recovery. She is the former victim advocate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who served after being appointed by Governor Tom Corbett in 2013. She was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Senate and sworn in for a six-year term on December 20, 2013.

The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen years. The scandal began to emerge publicly in March 2011 and broke in early November 2011 when Sandusky was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation, stemming from incidents that occurred between 1994 and 2009. Sandusky was ultimately convicted on 45 counts of child sexual abuse on June 22, 2012, and was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison. Of the 10 victims who were listed, only eight appeared at trial. All were over the age of 18 by the time they testified. Six were over 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Second Mile</span> Defunct American nonprofit organization

The Second Mile was a nonprofit organization for underprivileged youth, providing help for at-risk children and support for their parents in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Jerry Sandusky, a then-Penn State assistant college football coach. The charity said its youth programs served as many as 100,000 children annually. The organization ceased operations after Sandusky was found guilty of child sex abuse.

<i>Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story</i> Book by Jerry Sandusky

Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story is a 2001 autobiography of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky outlining his career with the Penn State Nittany Lions and his charitable work with The Second Mile. The book is somewhat unusual among sports biographies in that it focuses on an assistant coach, and in its focus on Sandusky's work with his charity. It garnered renewed attention after Sandusky was charged with several counts of child sexual abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Curley</span>

Timothy M. Curley is a former athletic director for Penn State University.

David M. Joyner, an orthopedic physician and a former member of the Penn State University Board of Trustees, is a former athletic director for Penn State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Ganim</span> American journalist

Sara Elizabeth Ganim is an American journalist and podcast host. She is the current Hearst Journalism Fellow at the University of Florida's Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the James Madison Visiting Professor on First Amendment Issues at the Columbia Journalism School. Previously, she was a correspondent for CNN. In 2011 and 2012, she was a reporter for The Patriot-News, a daily newspaper in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There she broke the story that featured the Sandusky scandal and the Second Mile charity. For the Sandusky/Penn State coverage, "Sara Ganim and members of The Patriot-News Staff" won a number of national awards including the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, making Ganim the third-youngest winner of a Pulitzer. The award cited "courageously revealing and adeptly covering the explosive Sandusky sex scandal involving former football coach Jerry Sandusky."

<i>Paterno</i> (book) 2012 book by Joe Posnanski

Paterno is a 2012 biography of the Penn State football coach Joe Paterno book by sportswriter Joe Posnanski. The Paterno family granted Posnanski a great deal of access during the writing process, which included the time period of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal and Paterno's firing. The book debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction best-seller.

<i>Silent No More</i> (book) 2012 book by Aaron Fisher

Silent No More: Victim 1's Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky is a 2012 book by Aaron Fisher, identified as "Victim 1" in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Fisher is called "Victim 1" because it was his reporting his abuse to high school officials that set off the investigation that led to Sandusky's conviction. The book follows Fisher's experience from the beginning of his interaction with Jerry Sandusky at The Second Mile through Sandusky's conviction of 45 of 48 counts related to child sex abuse.

<i>Paterno</i> (film) 2018 film

Paterno is a 2018 American television drama film directed by Barry Levinson. It stars Al Pacino as former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, and his career leading up to his dismissal following the university's child sex abuse scandal in 2011. Riley Keough, Kathy Baker, Greg Grunberg and Annie Parisse also star. The film premiered on HBO on April 7, 2018.

References

  1. Richert, Larry (April 18, 2012). "'Game Over'- Inside the Penn State Scandal". KDKA . Pittsburgh.
  2. 1 2 3 Moushey, Bill; Bob Dvorchak (2012). Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence. HarperCollins. pp. Inside of dust jacket.
  3. 1 2 3 Luna, Taryn (April 18, 2012). "Paterno family upset over book on Sandusky scandal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  4. 1 2 "Penn State sex abuse scandal tackled in new book". CBS News . April 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  5. Ganim, Sara (April 18, 2012). "Jerry Sandusky book 'Game Over' angers Joe Paterno's family". The Patriot News . Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  6. "Paterno family responds to book "Game Over," saying it's full of errors and "outright lies"". Centre Daily Times . Apr 18, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2012-04-22.