Mike McQueary
Encyclopedia
Mike McQueary is an assistant football
coach at Pennsylvania State University
(Penn State). McQueary was a record setting former quarterback for Penn State. He led the team for two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and set several records that still stand. As recruiting coordinator, McQueary oversaw the recruitment of several high profile recruits including Justin King, Derrick Williams and Andrew Quarless
. Mike McQueary returned to Penn State in 2000 following attempts to catch on in the NFL
with the Oakland Raiders
and in NFL Europe
with the Scottish Claymores
.
McQueary was identified as a key witness in the ongoing Penn State sex abuse scandal
. Grand jury testimony alleged McQueary reported to head coach Joe Paterno
of witnessing Sandusky
raping a 10 year old boy in a campus locker room; McQueary first told his father about the incident, then the next day informed Paterno, and then ten days later informed other university officials. According to investigators, McQueary did what he was legally required to do, and was not implicated in any wrongdoing. He was criticized for not intervening to protect the boy from Sandusky, as well as for not reporting the incident to police himself. McQueary later said he made sure the observed assault stopped before leaving, and that he discussed the incident with police; Penn State and State College police say they have no record of it. Days prior, Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett
, who as state attorney general opened the grand jury
investigation, said that McQueary "met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation that all of us would have." It has been speculated that he was still employed because he was protected by Pennsylvania's whistleblower
law.
On November 11, 2011, Penn State announced McQueary would not be serving as receivers coach in the final home game of the season due to threats against him, and put him on indefinite paid administrative leave. Later that day, The Patriot-News
reported that McQueary told his receivers in a conference call that he would no longer be their coach.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach at Pennsylvania State University
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
(Penn State). McQueary was a record setting former quarterback for Penn State. He led the team for two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and set several records that still stand. As recruiting coordinator, McQueary oversaw the recruitment of several high profile recruits including Justin King, Derrick Williams and Andrew Quarless
Andrew Quarless
Andrew Christopher Quarless is an American football player for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He played college football at Penn State under Joe Paterno...
. Mike McQueary returned to Penn State in 2000 following attempts to catch on in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and in NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
with the Scottish Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow...
.
McQueary was identified as a key witness in the ongoing Penn State sex abuse scandal
Penn State sex abuse scandal
The Penn State sex abuse scandal refers to allegations that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property...
. Grand jury testimony alleged McQueary reported to head coach Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
of witnessing Sandusky
Jerry Sandusky
Gerald Arthur "Jerry" Sandusky is a retired American football coach. Sandusky served as an assistant coach for his entire career, mostly at Pennsylvania State University under Joe Paterno, and was one of the most notable major college football coaches never to have held a head coaching position. ...
raping a 10 year old boy in a campus locker room; McQueary first told his father about the incident, then the next day informed Paterno, and then ten days later informed other university officials. According to investigators, McQueary did what he was legally required to do, and was not implicated in any wrongdoing. He was criticized for not intervening to protect the boy from Sandusky, as well as for not reporting the incident to police himself. McQueary later said he made sure the observed assault stopped before leaving, and that he discussed the incident with police; Penn State and State College police say they have no record of it. Days prior, Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett
Tom Corbett
Thomas W. Corbett is the 46th and current Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. He is a former Attorney General of Pennsylvania and was elected to that office in 2004 and reelected in 2008...
, who as state attorney general opened the grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
investigation, said that McQueary "met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation that all of us would have." It has been speculated that he was still employed because he was protected by Pennsylvania's whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
law.
On November 11, 2011, Penn State announced McQueary would not be serving as receivers coach in the final home game of the season due to threats against him, and put him on indefinite paid administrative leave. Later that day, The Patriot-News
The Patriot-News
The Patriot-News is the largest daily newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily/Sunday circulation in the United States...
reported that McQueary told his receivers in a conference call that he would no longer be their coach.