Before the American sporting world knew the name Jerry Sandusky this week, Colorado State athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and his staff were made aware of what must be done in cases of sexual harassment or assault.
About two weeks ago, a school attorney came on campus to discuss their responsibility if an incident surfaces.
“Obviously very timely as to what our responsibilities are as employees of a state institution,” Kowalczyk said Tuesday.
Sandusky is the former Penn State defensive coordinator named in a grand jury investigation alleging he sexually abused eight children over a 15-year period. Iconic head coach Joe Paterno was made aware of an incident in 2002 and notified athletic director Tim Curley. However, police were never called.
Curley has resigned, and The New York Times has reported the school is planning Paterno’s exit strategy, which his son, Scott, has denied.
In light of the massive story, Kowalczyk is having a meeting today with the coaches in his department about their responsibilities. The attorney’s message was clear.
“If you are suspicious or know of something that’s going on, it’s your duty to report that to your supervisor,” Kowalczyk said. “And ultimately, we have someone on campus to whom the supervisor — or that individual could go to directly as well — reports whatever is a concern to them.”
There are no current CSU or Air Force football coaches who worked at Penn State, but two Colorado assistants worked for Paterno, and one has a son who currently plays there.
CU assistant head coach Rip Scherer was a graduate assistant at Penn State in 1974-75, and his son Ryan is a senior wide receiver at the school. Rip Scherer’s father, William, played at Penn State from 1945-49. Buffaloes wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy was a grad assistant at Penn State in 1992.
The Buffaloes ended practice early Tuesday, and neither CU coach was available afterward.
During their weekly news conferences Tuesday, CU coach Jon Embree and Air Force coach Troy Calhoun declined to address questions about the Penn State scandal.
Kowalczyk said CSU’s special adviser for safety and assessment has a background in law enforcement and works as sort of a liaison between the school and the police.
Kowalczyk said he knows Curley a little, adding, “He’s a good guy, but he didn’t do the right thing in this instance, apparently.”
The Rams AD, hired in 2006, said it didn’t matter that Sandusky was no longer on the coaching staff when in 2002, according to the grand jury report, a Penn State graduate assistant found Sandusky allegedly sodomizing a 10-year-old boy in the locker room showers.
“That’s just wrong,” Kowal- czyk said. “At that point, you have an obligation to pursue it, especially in that instance where it happened, at least from what I read, on your property at the university. It still matters and you still have an obligation. There’s what’s right by law and what’s right by a morality standpoint.
“God knows how damaged these young men’s lives are.”
Staff writer Tom Kensler contributed to this report.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@denverpost.com, twitter.com/johnhendersonDP
