SCRANTON (KDKA) — They were more worried about bad publicity than young boys who were being sexually abused.

That’s the finding from former FBI director Louis Freeh who investigated how Penn State officials handled the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.

Freeh’s blistering report said Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials turned a blind eye, kept it quiet and allowed Sandusky’s abuse to continue for over a decade.

Members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees say although they were not immediately notified of the allegations against Sandusky, the board is still accountable for what happened.

MORE:

• Read The Report
• Read Louis Freeh’s Full Comments
• Watch The News Conference
• PSU Board of Trustees’ Reaction
• Attorney General’s Statement On The Report
• Paterno Family Reaction

“An event like this can never happen again in the Penn State University community,” Kenneth Frazier, a board member who chaired the special investigations task force, said.

“On a personal level, you should know that our hearts remain heavy and we are deeply ashamed,” he added.

Frazier said the board of trustees was “completely unaware” of what was happening from 1998 to March 2011.

“We now know that there was inadequate reporting in fact, but there were also inadequate reporting lines and also inadequate oversight by the board,” he said.

“We were put on notice of the attorney general Sandusky investigation in March 2011; however, we allowed the former administration to characterize to us the issues and we failed to ask the right questions, the tough questions or to take definitive action. Put simply, we did not force the issue.”

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