BHF, I have yet to read any evidence Jerry had sex with anyone outside of victim testimony. It seems like everyone's testimony was changed to fit the scenario. There was also testimony that convicted Jerry, where research after the trial showed the time lines did not match up. I have studied AM, Matt and AF and I am convinced they are liars.
I would love to hear evidence that you have where it proves Jerry was having sex with others before 1998.
toddbrewster,
I'm not going to tell you I know exactly how far Sandusky went with each kid. I do question some of the allegations and testimony. I don't doubt that there were some money-grabs. I'm familiar with JZ's work. I don't think he does himself any favors with his delivery, but I'm not going to ignore him just because of that. I give him credit for interviewing Jerry and Dottie, not because I'd necessarily believe what they say, but because I think it's a useful part of a thorough investigation. (It's not like governors, board members, police, etc. never lie, and we listen to them.) I tend to agree with you on AM, Matt and possibly AF (though Sandusky admitted to enough with AF to be a problem). I agree that other victims changed their stories. This won't answer your question (none of this "proves Jerry was having sex with others before 1998," and I've not made that claim), but here goes:
1. Regarding AM: He lost me with his interview with the former FBI guy, insisting he HAD to be V2 because of the date. Which was wrong. However, in the 2000-2002 time frame, AM received two payments of $500 each from Sandusky associate Dominic Toscani (through the Caritas Foundation). Another boy also received two payments of $500 each in that time frame, and a third received one $500 payment. You tell me...what were these payments for? (Not a rhetorical question, as I don't know.) And whether it was AM or someone else in the shower that night, I believe Mike McQueary witnessed something inappropriate between Sandusky and a kid.
2. Regarding Matt: I've heard stuff all over the map with Matt, but most everyone agrees with you that he's a liar. He testified under oath to the grand jury (I think I'm right about this) that nothing ever happened to him, but changed his mind when he saw which way the wind was blowing and the checkbook opened. I'll say that at least one story I've been told about Matt puts him in a very unflattering role in some of this.
3. Pre-1998, without betraying confidences, I've heard enough stories from enough people I find credible that suspicions about Sandusky within the university go back to the 1970s. (At least one public accusation dates to the 1960s.) Some PSU board members have had suspicions since at least the early 1990s. Information of some sort was passed along to janitorial staff in the mid-1990s, alerting them to look out for discarded, soiled boys' underwear following Second Mile camps on campus. (This information was passed along to Freeh's group, with no apparent followup. FWIW, I ran that by Ray Blehar, and Ray had a plausible, innocent explanation for it. I respect Ray greatly.)
4. I have not spoken with Greg Bucceroni directly, but have talked with two people who have. Those two people told me that they believe him; that he's the "real deal." Whether he is or not, I have found other support for some of his allegations. I'll say this: true or not, nothing he says about Sandusky/TSM/Freeh strikes me as implausible. Somewhat connected to this, Ray Blehar said at one point that former PA AG Leroy Zimmerman "may not have had a role in the current Sandusky debacle, but you can be damned sure he was covering for Sandusky when he was the sitting AG from 1981 to 1989." I absolutely believe that.
So...proof that Sandusky was having sex with kids prior to 1998? No, I don't have proof. But then, I never alleged that. I know people suspected "stuff." Different people, different stuff, no doubt. We know he was told not to shower naked with kids, but wouldn't/couldn't stop. Seems like you'd only have to be told once.
I met JZ in person a couple years back and had a cordial 10 minute or so conversation with him. Told him I was also trying to figure out what happened here. Ray Blehar's name came up, and John told me that Ray was "too conspiratorial" for his liking. Don't think I'm betraying a confidence there; pretty sure he's told Ray the same thing directly. I told him I thought Ray would be proven correct on that, and I'll stand behind that now.
To be clear...I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I started doing what I've been doing because I wanted to know what happened. Period. Feels like I learn something new every day.
SR/BHF