Joe Paterno Richard Paul Kane / Shutterstock.com Penn State's powerful leaders failed to protect children from convicted child sexual predator Jerry Sandusky, a much-anticipated investigative reported declared today.

"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized," according to the report.

Former federal judge and FBI director Louis Freeh independently reviewed whether Penn State officials knew about the abuse claims and how much they did, if anything, to stop the crimes.

Sandusky was convicted last month of 45 counts of child sex abuse. The charges could carry a prison sentence of 442 years.

The report found that former Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley had planned to report a 2001 case of abuse only to be stopped by Joe Paterno, Penn State's former head coach, a legend in college football.

Letters uncovered in March revealed Penn State staffers planned to report Sandusky to the authorities in February 2001, Freeh's report noted. However, Curley changed his mind after consulting with Paterno.

"The failure to protect the February 9, 2001 child victim, or make attempts to identify him, created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys," Thursday's report read.