Protests erupt as university looks to hire coach connected to Sandusky abuse case
Students, parents and politicians were dismayed on Sunday at reports that the University of Tennessee may hire a coach accused of witnessing former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky abusing a child.
Several outlets, including ESPN, reported Sunday that the university was in talks to bring on Greg Schiano as its head football coach, sparking widespread outrage among the Tennessee Volunteers fanbase. Schiano peers accused him of witnessing Jerry Sandusky molestation of minors at Penn State University, based on court documents released last year. Schiano was an assistant coach at the school when he allegedly saw Sandusky acting inappropriately with a boy in the showers. And now many parents, students, and social media users have accused Schiano of covering up the incident.
Former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary testified that Schiano was aware of the molestation, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post in 2016. McQueary told the courts that another assistant coach, Tom Bradley, identified Schiano as a witness to Sandusky’s molestation.
“No, only that he had — I can’t remember if it was one night or one morning — but that Greg had come into [Bradley’s] office white as a ghost and said he just saw Jerry doing something to a boy in the shower,” McQueary testified.
Sandusky was convicted in 2012 of molesting 10 boys over the course of 15 years.
Schiano has denied the allegations that he had knowledge of Sandusky’s crimes. The coach has worked at Rutgers University, Ohio State University, and in the National Football League in the years since leaving Penn State. The University of Tennessee athletics department did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Tennessee Volunteers fans took to social media, expressing anger about the potential hire and students assembled on campus with signs to protest.
Our Tennessee standards mean something, and a Greg Schiano hire would be anathema to all that our University and our community stand for. I sincerely hope that these rumors are not true, because even serious consideration would be unacceptable.
— Eddie Smith (@RepEddieSmith) November 26, 2017
Tennessee #Vols on every level - parents of current players, former players, current coaches, former coaches - and coaches from other programs - universally against Schiano. Never seen anything like it.
— MikeGriffith32 (@MikeGriffith32) November 26, 2017
This is Trip Underwood. He painted the Rock. He's says it's "A bigger thing than football, it comes down to morals in general." pic.twitter.com/LZJzkM7Hzl
— Louis Fernandez Jr (@LouisWBIR) November 26, 2017
Vol fans- you and I are very much alike. VFL to the day we die. Tennessee has the best fans on the planet. But I am not able to support Greg Schiano as our head football coach. John Currie, if this really is your decision, I have zero respect for you. That’s all I got.
— Vol Herald (@VolHerald) November 26, 2017
Starting to see some signs now. Fans are telling me they're upset with Schiano's past and alleged ties to the Penn State scandal. pic.twitter.com/2azdGMqB0H
— Louis Fernandez Jr (@LouisWBIR) November 26, 2017
Schiano is clearly the wrong choice. I hope @John_Currie & @ChancellorDav choose someone else. #KeepLooking
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) November 27, 2017
Hey @John_Currie if you are hiring Greg Schiano do us all a favor and resign at the press conference. Absolute disgrace.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 26, 2017
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.