Report: Corbett says McQueary failed moral obligation

Mike McQueary met his legal obligation in his role in the Penn State sex-abuse scandal, but that might not be the case for future witnesses put in his position, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." Corbett, who initiated the investigation as the state's attorney general in 2009, also encouraged any other victims to come forward.

Corbett told the program McQueary "did not meet, in my opinion, a moral obligation that all of us would have." The governor said on the show that then-graduate assistant McQueary's reporting to his superior, head coach Joe Paterno, of an alleged sexual assault by Jerry Sandusky on a little boy met the legal requirement. But Corbett "absolutely" thought the law should be made stricter. He added he could envision the state adding amendments to make such a change by the end of the year.

The law currently requires employees in educational institutions who witness attacks to report them to their supervisor, but not to the police.

McQueary, according to his testimony in the grand jury report, witnessed Sandusky subjecting what McQueary estimated to be a 10-year-old boy to anal intercourse in the showers of a football building on campus in 2002. According to his grand jury testimony, McQueary, upset, went to his office and phoned his father, who advised him to go home, according to testimony. The next day, McQueary reported what he had seen to Paterno, according to the grand jury report. Paterno passed information that an incident of "a sexual nature" had occurred to athletic director Tim Curley and vice president of finance Gary Schultz. Curley and Schultz were charged with counts of perjury and failure to report.

McQueary, who has been with the program the entire time since the incident and was eventually promoted to the role of wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, has been placed on paid administrative leave. While many critics have called for his firing, his role as a whistle-blower may preclude that.

Corbett also told "Meet the Press" that the Penn State administration has to "keep in mind that this is someone who is also a witness to this crime and is a very important witness."

The governor also said on the show part of the continuing investigation will target The Second Mile charity that Sandusky founded.

Corbett also told "Meet the Press" he hoped there were not more victims, but expected in cases like these more would come forward. He urged them to do so and pledged support.

"We're going to do everything we possibly can to help you," he said. "It is about the victims."

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