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Sandusky accused by adopted son
Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, acknowledged Thursday through his lawyers that he was sexually abused by the former Penn State assistant football coach.
The stunning news came on the same day that a jury began deliberating in Jerry Sandusky's highly controversial child sexual abuse trial.
Matt Sandusky said he met with prosecutors this week and was prepared to testify in the trial.
"Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted children, asked us to confirm with you the accuracy of this morning's news reports indicating that he was prepared to testify truthfully as a Commonwealth witness," attorneys Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici said in a statement. " During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse."
"At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators. This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment at this time."
Matt Sandusky, 33, lived with Jerry and Dottie Sandusky as a foster child before being adopted by the family as an adult, according to The Patriot-News. He had previously denied being abused by his adopted father.
Jerry Sandusky, 68, currently stands accused of 48 counts of child sexual abuse related to 10 boys over 15 years. Jury deliberation after seven days of testimony, some of it graphically describing alleged abuse suffered at the hands of Sandusky, including touching in showers, fondling and in some cases forced oral or anal sex.
Jerry Sandusky, who has repeatedly denied the accusations, did not take the stand in his own defense. He wanted to testify but was overruled by his defense team, his attorney Joe Amendola told ABC News.
Eight young men testified that they were abused by Jerry Sandusky, and jurors also heard about two other alleged victims through other witnesses, including another former coach. It was the testimony of that coach, then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary, that prompted Penn State trustees to fire longtime coach Joe Paterno and the university's president.
Source: AP