Jerry Sandusky is planning to withdraw from what would have been a hearing set for Sept. 8 per a report by ESPN.
ESPN reported Sandusky will instead take his appeal for a new trial per a spokesperson and investigator who represents the former Penn State defensive coordinator.
During the hearing, one of Sandusky’s accusers was expected to withdraw his accusation of sexual assault.
Ryan Rittmeyer, who was identified as Victim 10 while Sandusky was on trial in 2012, signed an affidavit dated June 30, 2025, that disputed his previous testimony.
Rittmeyer testified in 2012 that he had been sexually assaulted by Sandusky on multiple occasions, starting during his childhood. But in the affidavit, Rittmeyer stated that he didn’t have a “clear or certain” memory of the abuse when he was interviewed by Pennsylvania State Police for the first time.
Rittmeyer also stated that he was encouraged multiple times by investigators to reassess what he remembered, and this led to a testimony that was influenced by pressure.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office wrote a statement to reports last week calling the recantation “highly suspect” and telling ESPN to “stay tuned as it sounds like the defense counsel will be changing its course and this matter may be withdrawn.”
Sandusky also spoke, saying he didn’t feel he could get a fair hearing in Centre County.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Over the years I have brought 15 serious issues before Pennsylvania’s courts, each one showing I deserve a new trial,” Sandusky said in a recording obtained by ESPN. “Every one was swatted down. I have no faith this one would be treated differently, no matter how compelling the evidence. In federal court, every one of those issues can be heard together by judges who have not already made up their minds about me… I need to get there as fast as possible.
“I am 82 years old. I am innocent. I intend to be alive when the truth is heard.”
Sandusky’s attorney’s recently submitted a 52-page amended PCRA petition that asks to expand what will be considered at the September hearing. The filing includes claims of misconduct by prosecutors, inconsistencies in accusers’ statements over time and issues related to subsequent civil cases.
State inmates can contest their imprisonment in federal court on the basis of federal constitutional issues, but they usually have to use all available remedies in state court before a federal court considers granting relief.
Sandusky, a longtime Penn State assistant football coach under Joe Paterno, served on the coaching staff from 1969 to 1999, including 22 seasons as defensive coordinator. He also founded The Second Mile, a nonprofit organization for at-risk youth, in 1977.
Following a two-year grand jury investigation, Sandusky was arrested in 2011 and charged with sexually abusing multiple boys over a period spanning more than a decade. In June 2012, a jury found him guilty on 45 of 48 remaining counts after hearing testimony from numerous accusers. He was sentenced later that year to 30 to 60 years in state prison, where he remains incarcerated.
EDWARD M SAYLOR MD
September 3, 2026 at 7:59 pm
I believe he is innocent of most charges and was used as scapegoat without strong evidence and the only ones that benefited from this legal fiasco were the lawyers who milked it to the MAX!