Story highlights Paterno son says more information will come out later

Trustee Kenneth Frazier says the school's board of trustees is "deeply ashamed"

Scott Paterno says he wishes his father had been more aggressive in following up

Sandusky was given emeritus status, which provided greater access to school facilities

The most powerful leaders at Penn State University showed "total and consistent disregard" for child sex abuse victims while covering up the attacks of a longtime sexual predator, according to an internal review into how the school handled a scandal involving its former assistant football coach.

Investigators conducted more than 400 interviews and found that several officials had "empowered" Jerry Sandusky to continue his abuse, while Joe Paterno, the school's legendary head football coach, could have stopped the attacks had he done more, investigators said Thursday.

In a scandal that has shaken Pennsylvania residents and gripped the nation, leading to Paterno's dismissal and the ouster of longtime president Graham Spanier, Louis Freeh, the former FBI director who led the review, said top university officials forged an agreement to conceal Sandusky's sexual attacks more than a decade ago.

"There are more red flags here than you can count," said Freeh, emphasizing the abuse occurred just "steps away" from where Paterno worked in the university's Lasch Building.

Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died in January 2012. He was 85. The legendary coach, seen here in 1988, was fired in November 2011 amid revelations that assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had sexually abused boys on the Penn State campus. Here's a look at Paterno's 46 years at the helm of the Nittany Lions football program. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach The statue of Paterno outside Beaver Stadium was among many vestiges of his years as head coach. After his legacy was tarnished it was removed from its pedestal in 2012. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno sprints off the field with his team at halftime in a 1996 game. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno celebrates after winning the Fiesta Bowl against Texas in 1997. Paterno was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer, his son announced in November. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach In October 2001, Paterno is honored before a game for having won the most games in Division 1-A. He continued to vie with Florida State's Bobby Bowden for the most all-time major college wins until Bowden retired in 2009. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno and his Nittany Lions look on before facing Iowa at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania, in October 2004. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno shakes hands with Lloyd Carr of Michigan before their game in 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno celebrates a triple-overtime Orange Bowl win over Florida State in Miami on January 3, 2006. Paterno has guided his teams to more bowl victories than any other college coach. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno speaks at a post-game press conference after winning the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2007, in Tampa, Florida. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno walks the field as his players warm up before their game against the Syracuse Orangemen at Beaver Stadium in September 2009 in Pennsylvania. The coach was fired in November amid the outcry over the handling of accusations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno gives direction to his players before playing the Crimson Tide in Alabama in 2010. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Paterno as Penn State coach Paterno walks the sidelines in October 2009 in Evanston, Illinois. In December 2011, he was admitted to a hospital after fracturing his pelvis when he slipped and fell at his home in State College. Hide Caption 12 of 12

Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – The podium stand outside of Jerry Sandusky's trial on its first day is covered in mics, hinting at the massive media coverage of the event. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Several news vans pile up outside of the Sandusky trial. The network satellite vans are all parked in front of the Centre County Courthouse and the vans parked in back are live trucks from the regional news outlets. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Every day Sandusky arrived in the passenger seat of his attorney Joe Amendola's black BMW SUV. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – This sign posted on a road near the town of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, shows support for former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Mic cords abound as the media took over the courthouse lawn to cover the Jerry Sandusky trial. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – The grave of Joe Paterno is at Spring Creek Presbyterian Cemetery in State College, Pennsylvania. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Reporters wait with microphones outside of the Sandusky trial. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Several photographers and videographers staked out spots behind the police's green barriers in the back of the courthouse where Sandusky's trial was taking place. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Live vans from regional news outlets fill the lot behind the Centre County Courthouse where the Sandusky trial is taking place. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Judge John M. Cleland is presiding over Sandusky's trial at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – A business advertises Joe Paterno items within view of the courthouse where assistant coach Sandusky is on trial. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – The gate to the practice football field is locked at the Mildred and Louis Lasch Football Building at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Photos: Sandusky trial coverage Sandusky trial coverage – Mics and cameras surround the podium ouside the courthouse where Jerry Sandusky is on trial. Hide Caption 13 of 13

Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – Following the firing of Penn State's legendary football coach Joe Paterno and the school's president, hundreds of students take to the streets in State College, Pennsylvania, early Thursday, November 10. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – Police try to control students in the street after what started as an apparent celebration of Paterno turned raucous. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – The crowd tipped over a news van and decried the media. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – Pennsylvania State Police disperse students along East College Avenue in the early morning hours Thursday. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – Paterno was ousted over a child sex abuse scandal at the university. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State Paterno statue – Students visit the Joe Paterno statue adjacent to Beaver Stadium to quietly honor the legendary coach following the announcement that he was fired. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – Students pass the mural at the College Bookstore where the portrait of Jerry Sandusky, the former coach accused in the scandal, has been removed and replaced with a blue ribbon. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Penn State students take to the streets Penn State students take to the streets – "What can I say, I'm no longer the coach," Paterno told about 15 students gathered outside his house late Wednesday night. "It's going to take some time to get used to. It's been 61 years." Hide Caption 8 of 8

Freeh's 267-page report is the product of a Penn State-funded investigation, which is separate from a government investigation into charges of perjury and failure to report abuse pinned against the school's former Athletic Director Tim Curley and ex-Vice President Gary Schultz.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is investigating what Penn State knew about a 2001 incident of child sex abuse by Sandusky, reported by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary, and how it was handled.

Neither McQueary, Sandusky nor Paterno -- who died in January -- were interviewed by Freeh's team and no trial date has been set for Curley and Schultz, though proceedings are expected to begin later in July.

The prosecution of Curley and Schultz comes on the heels of the widely watched Sandusky trial, in which the former defensive coordinator was convicted of sexually abusing young boys over 15 years.

"Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," Freeh wrote. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."

He blamed Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley for having "never demonstrated ... any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest," while the board of trustees failed to perform their oversight duties.

That collective failure "to protect against a child sexual predator harming children" lasted "more than a decade," and allowed Sandusky to further harm his victims, the full report says.

Trustee Kenneth Frazier, head of the committee addressing the Sandusky scandal, said the school's board of trustees is "deeply ashamed" of its lack of oversight identified in the report.

He said the board's 32 members -- none of whom plan to resign -- as well as university administrators are accountable for what happened. He pledged corrective measures to ensure that an "event like this can never happen again in the Penn State community."

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Karen Peetz, trustees chairwoman, said "61 years of excellent service that Joe (Paterno) gave to the community is now marred."

Freeh's report outlined a culture of secrecy at top university levels, noting an incident in which janitors aware of the abuse took no action, out of fear.

"They witness what I think in the report is probably the most horrific rape that's described," Freeh told reporters. "And what do they do? They panic." One janitor, a Korean War veteran, said it was "the worst thing he's ever seen." He and other janitors were "alarmed and shocked," but were afraid that if they reported it they'd be fired.

Attorneys for Curley and Schultz said Freeh did not have access to critical witnesses and came up with an incomplete report.

Curley's attorney termed it a "lopsided document that leaves the majority of the story untold."

"A complete record can and will be made in a court of law, aided by the power of subpoena, where all of the witnesses are subject to thorough cross-examination," attorney Caroline Roberto said in a statement.

Tom Farrell, Schultz's attorney, said at trial the jury will learn that McQueary never told his client that he witnessed Sandusky engaging in anal sex with a boy. Evidence will show Schultz did not have secret files on Sandusky and that there was no effort among the four leaders to conceal Sandusky's behavior, Farrell said in a statement.

Attorneys for Spanier and Sandusky did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment.

The review casts a shadow over the school's storied football program and over the career of Paterno, who was widely beloved for bringing Penn State football to national prominence.

Scott Paterno, son of the former head football coach, told CNN contributor Sara Ganim, reporting for The Patriot-News, that "we wish (Joe Paterno had) been more aggressive in following up."

"But clearly he thought it had been handled," he said, referring to the 2001 report of Sandusky's abuse of a minor.

"There wasn't anything more Joe Paterno could have done because it was an unsubstantiated allegation," the younger Paterno said. "I know my father did not know Jerry was a pedophile and did not suspect he was a pedophile."

Another Paterno son, Jay, told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" that sworn testimony ate- the Schultz and Curley trials will provide information that will help give the whole picture.

Jay Paterno also said people should realize there is much more information available on Sandusky's acts today than there was in 2001.

Freeh's team discovered accusations of Sandusky's abuse well over a decade ago, which school officials were allegedly aware of.

Even before the 1998 investigation, "Several staff members and football coaches regularly observed Sandusky showering with young boys," and none of those interviewed ever notified their superiors, the report found.

A year later, in 1999, Paterno, Spanier, Schultz and Curley decided to allow Sandusky to retire, "not as a suspected child predator, but as a valued member of the Penn State football legacy," the report says. That allowed him to continue to work with children at the university, "essentially granting him license to bring boys to campus facilities for 'grooming' as targets for his assaults."

He retained unlimited access to university facilities until November 2011, the report says. The school also approved a one-time lump sum payment of $168,000 to Sandusky in 1999. Top university officials said they had never known Penn State "to provide this type of payment to a retiring employee."

The desire to avoid bad publicity was part of administrators' rationale in the cover-up, investigators said Thursday.

"No one, no one, is above scrutiny," said Frazier when the review began in November 2011.

In June, eight young men testified, often in disturbingly graphic detail, of how Sandusky forced them to engage in sexual acts in various places, including hotel rooms, the basement of his home and in the Penn State coaches' locker room.

In court documents, prosecutors say they have e-mails from university officials -- which CNN obtained exclusively -- that allegedly contradict grand jury testimony of Curley and Schultz. The Freeh review discovered the documents and turned them over to state prosecutors as part of ongoing investigations, according to both the university and prosecutors.

One of the e-mails suggests Paterno had a previously undisclosed conversation with Curley about the shower room incident from 2001.

Freeh's team of investigators said evidence shows Paterno was also made aware of a criminal investigation of Sandusky relating to suspected sexual misconduct with a boy years earlier.

But Paterno "failed to take any action," the report found.

"At the very least, Mr. Paterno could have alerted the entire football staff, in order to prevent Sandusky from bringing another child into the Lasch Building," where the incident took place.

Paterno and the others also failed to alert the board of trustees, Freeh said.

"None of them even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct. In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity."

Then, in February 2001, the four men decided they would report the incident to the Department of Public Welfare; but Paterno had a conversation with Curley, and the men then agreed not to do so, Freeh wrote.

"After giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe yesterday, I am uncomfortable with what we agreed were the next steps," Curley wrote the next day, according to Freeh's report.

Instead of alerting authorities, Curley apparently wrote that he would prefer meeting with Sandusky, telling him they knew about another incident in 1998 and offering him professional help. He then suggested notifying Sandusky's Second Mile charity organization "at some point" if Sandusky is cooperative, and "maybe" child welfare officials.

Paterno never reported the shower incident to police. "To his credit, Mr. Paterno stated on November 9, 2011, 'With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.' " Freeh added.

"We determined that his decision to do his minimum legal duty and not to do more to follow-up constituted a failure of leadership by Coach Paterno," the board of trustees said in a report that explained his firing.

That decision prompted rioting by Penn State students , who overturned a news van and clashed with police, who used tear gas to break up throngs of angry protesters.

Wick Sollers, a lawyer for the Paterno family, said the former head coach "followed university procedures and promptly and fully informed his superiors."

Spanier, the ousted president, has consistently maintained that he was never informed of any incident involving Sandusky that described sexual abuse or criminality.

According to the board of trustees, Spanier was fired in November because "he failed to meet his leadership responsibilities."