Ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky appears in court; resentenced to 30 to 60 years

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky re-sentenced to prison A Pennsylvania judge denied former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's request to reduce his prison sentence.

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who entered a Pennsylvania courtroom handcuffed and weaing a yellow prison jumpsuit, was resentenced Friday to 30 to 60 years, the same amount as in his trial for sexually abusing children.

Sandusky, 75, was convicted in 2012 of 45 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 boys through his youth charity, The Second Mile.

Sandusky smiled as he was escorted into Centre County Court on Friday in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. When a reporter asked him whether he maintains his innocence, he responded, “absolutely.”

At the hearing, Sandusky also declared his innocence, choking up twice in brief remarks to the judge and telling his supporters he loves them.

The hearing for Sandusky was ordered by a state appeals court after it ruled mandatory minimum sentences were improperly applied against him. The court, however, pointedly refused to order a new trial.

Sandusky is serving his sentence at the State Correctional Institution at Laurel Highlands.

Penn State University has paid more than $109 million to settle Sandusky abuse claims by at least 35 people. His arrest prompted the firing of Hall of Fame head coach Joe Paterno and the ousting of then-university President Graham Spanier.

Former FBI director Louis Freeh, who was hired by Penn State to review the case, issued a report in 2012 that found a "total disregard by the most senior leaders at Penn State for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims."

Freeh said it was “reasonable” to conclude university leaders concealed Sandusky's activities to avoid negative publicity due to, among other reasons, “a culture of reverence for the football program.”

Contributing: Associated Press