Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal: From the Start, a Risk Management Nightmare

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno (AP File Photo)

In spite of its stellar reputation as an educational institution, Penn State failed to communicate and execute the most rudimentary risk management protocols in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, risk management experts say.

With a timeline dating back to 1994, when Penn State defensive line coach Jerry Sandusky launched The Second Mile nonprofit program for at-risk boys, multiple incidents of alleged sexual abuse went unreported to the appropriate authorities, resulting in a situation where liability escalated from potentially damaging to devastating—with the university and even third parties now potentially liable.