Threats Made Against PSU Assistant Coach Mike McQueary

The Penn State athletic department has announced that Assistant Coach Mike McQueary will not be on hand for Saturday’s final home game against Nebraska. The announcement was made late Thursday night after interim Head Coach Tom Bradley had indicated earlier in the day that McQueary would be tending to his regular duties as wide receivers coach.

The reversal was explained in a one-sentence statement issued by the university’s athletic department:

“Due to multiple threats made against Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, the University has decided it would be in the best interest of all for Assistant Coach McQueary not to be in attendance at Saturday’s Nebraska game.”

McQueary is the “graduate assistant” in the recent grand jury presentment in the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal. That report indicates that McQueary testified to witnessing Sandusky performing a sex act on a boy estimated to be 10-years old in March of 2002. That incident is a large part of the case against Sandusky, who was arrested last weekend, but remains free on bail.

Public sentiment against McQueary took a turn this week, as questions arose about why he did not attempt to intervene in the assault, and then did not report it directly to police. According to the grand jury, McQueary instead reported the incident to then-Head Coach Joe Paterno the next day, and the ensuing chain-of-command reporting process is under heavy scrutiny, and also resulted in perjury and failure to report charges against two other Penn State officials.

Penn State and Nebraska kick off at 12:00pm Saturday.