Penn State Files Motion in Centre County Court to Delay McQueary’s Lawsuit
Posted in General,Penn State on January 12, 2015
Former Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary is suing Penn State for defamation and a whistleblower claim, seeking $4 million dollars in lost wages and legal fees. McQueary, a former Penn State football coach, claims that his mistreatment by Penn State damaged his reputation and thereby damaged his
ability to obtain future employment as a football coach. Part of McQueary’s claim takes issue with former Penn State University President Graham Spanier’s support of athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz after they were charged criminally. McQueary claims that Spanier, in his position as Penn State President, publicly supported Curley and Schultz in their defense against the charges of perjury and failure to following child abuse reporting laws. Basically, McQueary is alleging that Spanier’s support of Curley and Schultz besmirched the reputation of McQueary.
Penn State Threatens to Vigorously Defend Against McQueary’s Claims
According to newspaper reports, Penn State spokesman David La Torre stated that the university will assert a vigorous defense against McQueary’s claims. In requesting a delay of McQueary’s lawsuit, Penn State’s lawyers are asserting that it would be unfair to force Penn State to proceed with its defense while Curley and Schultz are being prosecuted.
I question how it is unfair to force Penn State to defend itself now. As a Penn State alum, I would like to have the Sandusky matter and all related issues closed as soon as possible so the university can move forward. I do not like the word delay at this point. In my opinion, if Penn State intends to defend itself against McQueary’s claims, it will clearly go on the offensive against McQueary and seek to attack his credibility, and part of attacking McQueary would also be to bolster the reputations of Spanier, Curley, and Schultz. If Penn State were forced to vigorously defend itself against McQueary ‘s claims, Penn State would be attacking the Attorney General’s star witness in the prosecution against Curley and Schultz. At this point, I believe that public opinion is against Curley and Schultz as they are generally blamed for not doing enough to stop Sandusky. Penn State probably wants to avoid negative press by attacking McQueary when he is the prosecution’s tool to obtaining justice against Curley and Schultz.
I believe that the requested delay has less to do with “fairness” and more to do with public perception. Maybe Penn State should not pay him $4 million, but they should pay him something to make him go away and thereby move towards closure.