With the Benefit of Hindsight...

Sarah Ganim was a 24 year-old cub reporter when her coverage of the Penn State scandal "earned" her a Pulitzer Prize. Zig has demonstrated throughout our series how prosecutors consistently leaked misinformation to the public using Ganim as their vessel. We've also chronicled how Ganim's career stalled after after winning the Pulitzer. On Novermber 3, 2021 we learned that Ganim was back, back with a podcast entitled The Mayor Of Maple Ave. The podcast was promoted as the story of the first Sandusky "victim" to die. Shawn Sinisi was a Second Mile participant and he died of an opioid overdose in 2018-these are the only facts that Ganim and he production partners have gotten right. The rest of their story is just another fraudulent effort at extorting money out of Penn State. The podcast was supposed to premier in December and as we publish this episode on January 3 the podcast has yet to launch. Zig and Liz come armed with the receipts to explain why they believe things are "delayed" and to debunk this latest scam altogether. via Knit

Graham Spanier was the President of Penn State, under Spanier's leadership the university had a pristine track record for following NCAA regulations. He was one of the most influential educators in America and a trusted leader with a top-secret government security clearance. He had met Jerry Sandusky just once in his life and was shocked when wild accusations started flying in November of 2011. He was sure there was some misunderstanding and this could be straightened out quickly. Earlier this year Spanier served prison time on a Child Endangerment conviction. Today he breaks his silence to share his story with John Ziegler. via Knit

EJ Sandusky was the first of six children adopted by Dottie and Gerry Sandusky. EJ and his family were certain that his father could not have committed the crimes of which he was accused but they didn't understand they were no longer living in a world of truth and facts. When Jerry was found guilty EJ was forced to relocate and seek a different career path. Ten years later EJ and his wife Heather are inspired to share their story with Zig. via Knit

Zig and Liz summarize the story and the evidence presented in this series. Zig updates us with the latest developments in the case and Liz has some fun hitting John with a bunch of questions about his 10 year odyssey chasing the truth. via Knit

After nearly ten years of investigating the Penn State Scandal John Ziegler explains WHAT REALLY HAPPENED via Knit

AJ Dillen is a former Second Mile kid who saw Jerry Sandusky as a benign father figure. He didn't believe the "victim's" claims of abuse and decided to find out how the system worked for himself by becoming a fake accuser. His story unveils how easy it was to manipulate the system and collect checks from Penn State. via Knit

Liz and Zig dig deep in episode thirteen to explain the nature of today's media and the prioritization of narrative over news. Pack a lunch because episode thirteen is packed with more than five hours worth of Zig's struggles to get members of the media to embrace the actual facts of this case. It won't disappoint. via Knit

Zig and Liz take us deep inside the Penn State Board of Trustees and the decisions that were made regarding the "victim" settlements. While Zig steadfastly sticks to his belief that the entire Penn State scandal was a "perfect storm of self interest" and NOT a conspiracy, he does believe that in the end there was a conspiracy to seal the fate of Joe Paterno. We are joined by two former board members and an undercover accuser to help explain it all. via Knit

Zig is leaked documents that outline the victim' complaints against Penn State and the financial settlements they receive. He and Liz introduce us to the "Lock Haven five", and you won't believe their stories. The diabolical pedophile mastermind, Jerry Sandusky decided to satisfy his deviant sexual appetite on a group of young men from a town nearly 50 miles outside State College. The settlement documents confirm all of Zigs worst suspicions and provide us with some heavy entertainment value. via Knit

In Episode Eleven we learn about John Ziegler's efforts to get Dottie Sandusky another opportunity to declare her husband's innocence in front of a national audience. All she has to do is call his accusers liars, can she do it? We also learn the long tale of Matt Sandusky. Matt convinced the Sandusky's to adopt him at age 18, he told Sports Illustrated he couldn't imagine what would have become of him if not for the Sandusky's, he went to court to allow his children to visit Jerry Sandusky while Jerry was out on bail and he sat right next to Dottie Sandusky on the first day of Jerry's trial...but then he suddenly realized that he had been abused. via Knit

Jerry Sandusky was convicted on June 22, 2012, just seven months after he was charged. In keeping with the torrid pace of this case, just three weeks later the results of an "independent" investigation conducted by former FBI Director Louis Freeh were publicly unveiled. The Freeh Report concluded that a "culture of corruption" existed within the athletic program and the university and that Penn State administrators, including the now deceased Joe Paterno, President Spanier, Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, covered up the child abuse crimes of Jerry Sandusky in order to protect the reputation of Penn State. The report was damning and a mortal blow to the ongoing efforts at resuscitating the reputations of Penn State leadership, but... John Ziegler wasn't buying any of it! Listen as Zig walks us through the master class in media manipulation put on by Louis Freeh, the now laughable findings of The Freeh Report and how he and Penn State legend, Franco Harris took on the NCAA. via Knit

As the Sandusky Trial concludes Liz and Zig analyze closing arguments from both sides and Zig plays defense attorney, delivering a critique of Amendola's defense and presenting his own closing arguments via Knit

In Episode 9 Part II we meet the last of the prosecution witnesses and get introduced to "victim" #9, Sebastian Paden. Paden's accusations against Sandusky are the most egregious of all and they're also the hardest to believe. Joe Amendola begins to make the case for the defense while Zig and Liz deliver play by play of a performance best captured by the legal term, "ineffective". We hear from Dottie Sandusky but will Joe Amendola put Jerry on the witness stand? via Knit

The fun really starts now as we enter the courthouse in June of 2012 for the trial of Jerry Sandusky . It's been just seven months since his arrest but Sandusky is already on trial. Prosecutors sped this case along at light speed and it seems like John Ziegler is one of the few people who wondered why. The Commonwealth stacked the deck in every possible way and small town defense attorney Joe Amendoa was out-matched, overwhelmed and unprepared for the gauntlet he'd face. Zig breaks down the play-by-play while Liz painfully absorbs the events of the legal travesty that was the Sandusky trial. via Knit

Episode 8 Description In episode eight we learn about "the boy in the shower" from the Mike McQueary episode. His name never went public and prosecutors were intent on making sure his story never did either. His story, had it been told, would have dramatically changed the course of history. Maybe it's not too late! via Knit

With Aaron Fisher locked in as an accuser and the 1998 case with Zach Konstas resurrected prosecutors turned their attention toward finding additional accusers to add weight to their case. In Episode 7 Liz and Zig take us through the exhaustive process prosecutors undertake trying to locate additional accusers. The state was shocked by their lack of success and turned to the media to help them recruit. Patriot News reporter, Sara Ganim penned an article released on March 31, 2011 leaking the existence of a grand jury investigation into Jerry Sandusky. Prosecutors exploited the inexperienced Ganim by using her to leak confidential information into the public domain. Ganim went so far as to email Debra McCord, the mother of Zach Konstas warning her that if additional accusers did not emerge soon the case would be dropped. Magically, four additional accusers emerged shortly thereafter, each of who were known by Zach Konstas and appeared in a photo together in Jerry Sandusky's book Touched. Mark Pendergrast, author of the book The Most Hated Man In America is interviewed live by Liz and Zig. Pendergrast goes into detail about debunked Repressed Memory Therapy, a treatment that was used with almost all of the accusers and supposedly accounted for their evolving stories and testimony. We wrap the episode up with our first exposure to the incredible story of "victim" #4 Brett Houtz. via Knit

This is the story of Victim #1, Aaron Fisher. Aaron Fisher had a very difficult childhood filled with abuse. He never knew his paternal father and the stepfather he endured for five years abused his mother and half sister and eventually went to prison after pleading guilty to over 100 counts of abuse Fisher's mother Dawn Daniels loved to drink and party. Dawn knew all about "making rain" from an abuse case. It was a complaint made by Dawn that started this entire mess. Was Dawn afraid for her son or was she shopping for a big payday? She told her neighbor, Josh Fravel, that she was gonna "own that MF's house" Aaron was a well-known storyteller. His school administrators didn't believe he was abused by Sandusky, his friends didn't believe he was abused by Sandusky either but a young CYS caseworker did and she brought him to therapist Mike Gillum. Gillum spent months helping Aaron "remember" his abuse and prepping him to give grand jury testimony. Aaron made a terrible witness, so poor a witness that prosecutors enlisted the help of a naïve cub reporter to keep their case alive. And then they got lucky... via Knit

In Episode Five we learn the story of an allegation against Sandusky made way back in 1998. The allegation was filed by Debra McCord, the mother of 11 year-old Zach Konstas. She became concerned when her son disclosed that he had showered with Jerry Sandusky following a workout. The case was thoroughly investigated and ruled "unfounded" meaning no charges were filed against Sandusky and it was to be "expunged" from police records within one year. However, for some reason the record of the incident was never expunged and it surfaces more than a decade later to play a pivotal role in the case against Sandusky. via Knit

Penn State's most senior administrators: President Dr. Graham Spanier, Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley, were each highly regarded in Penn State circles and beyond. The State College community was shocked to learn that both Schultz and Curley had been indicted along with Sandusky. In Episode Four: The Administrators, Zig and Liz explore the case against the administrators. Did the state actually believe these men participated in a cover up or were they simply "collateral damage" sidelined in order to protect the case against Sandusky. We also learn that Penn State's Board of Trustees hired former FBI Director, Louis Freeh to conduct an "independent investigation" of the case but no one knew our guest, retired NCIS Investigator, John Snedden was assigned by the Obama Administration to conduct it's own investigation. You won't believe what he has to say! via Knit

Joe Paterno was a legend. A legend, whose career had defied the odds winning bowl games and national championships while prioritizing the classroom over football. Paterno had graduated an unheard of 85% of his players and before the scandal broke in 2011, Penn State was one of just two major universities that had never committed an NCAA rules infraction. But Joe had held on too long. At the age of 84, his last championship was nearly 25 years in his rear view when he took the sidelines for the 2011 season. He didn't know that he was just months away from his death and couldn't know that nearly a half century of greatness was about to be destroyed. In Episode Three: The Paternos, Zig takes us inside the Paterno family and the Paterno strategy team, led by Joe's son Scott. One of Joe's last play calls was a handoff to Scott, a handoff that would lead to the biggest fumble in Penn State history. via Knit

There is no more hated villain in society than the pedophile. When Pennsylvania Attorney General, Linda Kelly announced the existence of a serial pedophile in State College tension mounted but when Joe Paterno's name got thrown into the mix a full fledged moral panic ensued. In Episode Two: Panic, Liz and Zig take us back to November 2011 and unpack the disturbing events. via Knit

On November 5th 2011 Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly announced the indictment of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on 48 counts related to child sexual abuse. The only eye witness in this case was former Penn State quarterback, graduate assistant and wide receiver coach, Mike McQueary. Kelly reported that on March 1, 2002 McQueary witnessed Sandusky sodomizing a boy in a Penn State shower. We now know, and these facts are not in dispute, that the state got the month, the date and the year of the incident wrong and that McQueary never claimed to have witnessed sodomy. Episode One tracks the investigative work of journalist John Ziegler as he puts the pieces of this puzzle together. via Knit

The true story of corruption, greed and self interest that destroyed Penn State, its iconic football coach, Joe Paterno and an alleged monster via Knit

The true story of corruption, greed and self interest that destroyed Penn State, its iconic coach Joe Paterno and the alleged monster, Jerry Sandusky via Knit