Rutgers spring football practice, 4-16-15

Is Rutgers' former director of recruiting E.J. Barthel now employed by Penn State? (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

It should be an easy answer: Has Penn State hired former Rutgers recruiting coordinator E.J. Barthel?

But after a week of reporting, which has included interviews and emails with Barthel, his attorney and Penn State media relations officials, the answer remains elusive.

"It's a personnel matter and we have no comment,'' Penn State spokeswoman Kristina Petersen told NJ Advance Media following repeated queries.

Why the mystery?

Why is Penn State dodging questions about whether it has hired Barthel as a recruiting coordinator -- the same position he held at Rutgers, where he was in charge of the student-ambassador program that has been named in an NCAA investigation into Rutgers athletics?

With an NCAA probe into Rutgers possibly resulting in sanctions when hearings are held this summer in Indianapolis, is Penn State -- still tarnished by the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal that continues to stain the university -- concerned about a potential backlash?

Update: Hours after NJ Advance Media reported the curious circumstances surrounding Penn State's unconfirmed hiring of a former Rutgers football recruiting coordinator, the mystery is solved: E.J. Barthel has indeed been hired by Penn State, where he will handle aspects of the Nittany Lions football program's recruiting.

"We can confirm that E.J. has been hired at Penn State,'' Penn State associate director of strategic communications Kris Petersen told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday afternoon.

Barthel, according to a letter provided to NJ Advance Media by his attorney, Frank Catania, has been cleared of wrongdoing by the NCAA after testifying about the Rutgers program and his role.

The letter, dated on Tuesday, March 28 from Libby Harmon, assistant director of Enforcement for the NCAA, tells Barthel: "Per your request, this letter confirms that the NCAA enforcement staff did not name you as an involved individual in the notice of allegations for Rutgers ... Therefore, you are not at-risk for individual penalties that may be imposed by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions in the Rutgers case.''

Here is the letter from NCAA that says @CoachEJbarthel is "not at-risk for individual penalties'' in Rutgers case https://t.co/MZydhs09ST pic.twitter.com/KKUZd9Tyj1 — Keith Sargeant (@KSargeantNJ) March 29, 2017

Barthel, in an interview with NJ Advance Media, said: "I'm not being investigated by the NCAA and that's not really an issue I'm aware of and I can't comment on it." He then referred NJ Advance Media to Catania for any further comment or explanation.

Catania said Barthel "has been hired as head of recruiting for Penn State University'' and insisted that his client was never a subject of the NCAA's investigation of Rutgers.

But if Barthel has been hired by Penn State, why haven't the Nittany Lions publicly claimed him? After all, Barthel is listed on the university's employment directory.

On Friday, March 24, when Barthel first gave hint of his new job by tweeting a goodbye to Temple, where he has worked for 15 months since parting ways with Rutgers, NJ Advance Media contacted Penn State and submitted a series of questions: Had Penn State hired Barthel? If so, to what position? And was Penn State aware of Barthel's involvement in the NCAA investigation into Rutgers?

Petersen first told NJ Advance Media that answers to those questions would be made available by the end of the day. The Penn State associate director of strategic communications later asked for an extension to answer the questions, then eventually said there would be no comment.

"We aren't going to have anything for you. Apologies,'' she wrote.

Why the secrecy? Is Penn State getting cold feet?

Barthel's time at Rutgers was marred by his involvement with a recruiting office that was cited in a series of alleged NCAA rules violations.

Two of the hosts in the student-ambassador program had "impermissible recruiting contact" with several potential recruits at an off-campus restaurant and in a university dorm, according to the 17-page Notice of Allegations.

While Barthel is not named in the NCAA report, his title is. The report alleges "a then football director of recruiting commented publicly ... and publicized visits to the institution's campus of at least 19 then football prospective student-athletes on social media.''

During his Rutgers tenure, it was against the rules for any member of a football staff to publicize a recruit before signing. On Aug. 1, 2016, the NCAA established exceptions to its social-media rules by giving staffers and coaches permission to "like,'' "favorite,'' or "retweet'' what a recruit says on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

"Obviously, [the NCAA] did not close any avenues,'' Catania said. "You know as well as I do, they throw out a wide net when they first start an investigation and then from there they eliminate anybody who had nothing to do with the infractions, and they've already made a determination that E.J. was not -- is not -- part of any investigation. So basically that's it: No wrongdoing on E.J.'s part.''

Widely praised for his recruiting efforts during his one-season stints at Rutgers and Temple over the past two years, Barthel drew congratulations from a host of college players whom he once recruited, from a handful of big-name coaches and from former NFL quarterback Mike Vick, after announcing his move to Penn State last week.

Congrats to my bro @coachejbarthel on joining the Penn State football staff. Wishing you all the best!! — Michael Vick (@MichaelVick) March 24, 2017

His presence at Penn State could improve Nittany Lions coach James Franklin's recruiting efforts in New Jersey, particularly with the talent-rich North Jersey parochial school powers.

Further attempts to clarify Barthel's status on Monday and Tuesday were unsuccessful. Petersen didn't reply to emails on both days.

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.