An Associated Press article, “Penn State’s ex-president accused of perjury, endangering children in Jerry Sandusky case,” reports charges filed with Harrisburg District Judge against former Penn St. President Graham Spanier (picture, left). “The ‘conspiracy of silence’ that protected Jerry Sandusky extended all the way to the top at Penn State, prosecutors said Thursday as they charged former university President Graham Spanier with hushing up child sexual abuse allegations against the former assistant football coach. Prosecutors also added counts against two of Spanier’s former underlings, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, who were already charged with lying to a grand jury. ‘This was not a mistake by these men. This was not an oversight. It was not misjudgment on their part,” said state Attorney General Linda Kelly. ‘This was a conspiracy of silence by top officials to actively conceal the truth,'” informs article.

Retired Vice President Gary Schultz (picture, center) and Athletic Director Tim Curley (picture, right) are scheduled to be arraigned Friday. Spanier tentatively expected to appear in court next Wednesday. Attorneys for Spanier lobbed salvo that charges against their client amounted to an, ” …attempt by Gov. Tom Corbett to divert attention from the three-year investigation that began under his watch as attorney general.” The question remains whether these figures were simply protecting a school’s reputation or are they more involved? It’s a question demanded by consequences of their inaction, were risks of coming forward with crimes greater than remaining silent? Is Jerry Sandusky just the tip of the iceberg?