I’ve spent part of this morning reading former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s “Report of the Special Investigative Counsel Regarding the Actions of The Pennsylvania State University Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky.” It’s a depressing commentary on the “football is king” culture that seems to have held sway at Penn State.

The full text of Freeh’s report is here (pdf). Michael Muskal published a few excerpts at the Los Angeles Times website:

“Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State. The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized,” Freeh stated. The officials “never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky’s victims until after Sandusky’s arrest.”

Many people felt longtime head football coach Joe Paterno was treated unfairly when Penn State fired him last fall, shortly before his death. Freeh’s report suggests that sympathy for Paterno was misplaced.

At Sandusky’s trial, [former graduate assistant Mike] McQueary testified he saw the former coach engaging in what he thought was a sex act with a boy of 10 to 12 years old. McQueary went to Paterno and told of what he saw.

Paterno then went to his superiors, who decided not to call in outside authorities. Freeh was sharply critical of that decision and said the action to keep the reports internal was due to Paterno, who convinced other officials not to take action outside of  the university.

“In critical written correspondence that we uncovered on March 20th of this year, we see evidence … that included reporting allegations about Sandusky to the authorities,” Freeh stated.

“After [Athletic Director Tim] Mr. Curley consulted with Mr. Paterno, however, they changed the plan and decided not to make a report to the authorities. Their failure to protect the February 9, 2001 child victim, or make attempts to identify him, created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys who were lured to the Penn State campus and football games by Sandusky and victimized repeatedly by him. Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity,” Freeh said.

Last month a Pennsylvania jury convicted Sandusky on 45 of 48 counts related to the sexual abuse of children. I would like to think that Freeh’s report will shame administrators at schools, colleges and universities to prevent abusive coaches or volunteers from preying on children. More likely, the civil lawsuits that victims’ families are sure to file against Penn State will serve as the deterrent.

Research has shown statistically significant higher rates of mental health and physical health problems among adults who were sexually abused as children. Other lifelong problems may not be apparent to outsiders but greatly diminish the survivors’ quality of life.

Adults who are survivors of CSA often report a feeling of being “stuck”.  Their efforts to build and manage their lives often seem fruitless, hollow, or even hopeless.  There can be a persistent perception that they are somehow different from others.  They commonly report feeling that they are on the outside looking in or believe that they just don’t belong.

Often, these symptoms are a mystery to the sufferers.  They may not understand the connection between their childhood situation and their adult experience.  Generally, the abuse has either been accepted by the survivor as “normal” or is viewed as something that is better left in the past.  In some cases, the abuse may not be remembered.  Consequently, the significance of symptoms and problems arising from the abuse is often not recognized.

The adult symptoms of childhood abuse can take many forms.  Many adult survivors may:

* Find it difficult to develop or maintain close personal relationships.

* Have a strong desire to live in isolation or to “hide out” from life.

* Endure physical ailments like neck, back, stomach and gynecological problems that persist despite efforts at good self-care.

* Experience feelings of sadness, fear and anger that often seem unmanageable or overwhelming.

* Undergo panics, rages, depressions, sleep disorders, or self-mutilation or have suicidal thoughts.

* Find themselves depending on alcohol, other drugs, or may develop eating disorders to cover feelings of humiliation, shame and low self-esteem.

* Experience problems like low self-esteem, avoidance of sex, promiscuity, or inability to experience orgasms or erections.

* Exhibit signs of trauma like panic attacks, numbing of body areas, and feeling of being disconnected from their bodies.

Most of these symptoms are due to the disruption of a healthy psychological development.  An abusive childhood situation interferes with the child’s natural movement toward growth and expansion of his or her experiences.

Sexual abuse rarely arises from stranger abduction. Most of the time, children are hurt by someone they know and trust–a relative, a family friend, an authority figure who works or volunteers with children. I hope that Freeh’s report on this tragic case will change priorities in some institutions and raise public awareness about the warning signs of abuse.