Sports

Jerry Sandusky accuser to recant testimony, cites ‘psychological manipulation’ by prosecution

Published

2 hours ago

August 29, 2026

One of the 10 victims who accused former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky of sexual abuse is preparing to recant his testimony, according to court documents obtained Friday by The Athletic.

Sandusky, 82, is due to appear in court in Bellefonte, Pa., on Sept. 8 for an evidentiary hearing after a judge granted his request to review evidence that the accuser, recognized as R.R. or Victim 10 in court proceedings, has recanted or substantially disavowed his trial testimony.

News of the trial was first reported by Onward State.

In a signed affidavit from June 30, 2025, Victim 10 said he felt pushed to change his story. His testimony “evolved,” he said, after “leading questions, intense investigative pressure and psychological manipulation.”

“I was misled repeatedly during the process, particularly by prosecutor Joe McGettigan,” Victim 10 said in the affidavit. “I now regret my role in facilitating what I have come to view as a deeply flawed prosecution.”

McGettigan, who died in December 2025, was the lead prosecutor in the case that rocked Penn State and led to the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno in 2011 in the wake of the allegations.

Even if the charges involving Victim 10 are dismissed, Sandusky is unlikely to be released from prison, where he is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence after being convicted in 2012 on 45 charges of sexual abuse.

Sandusky walking into a courthouse in 2016 to appeal his conviction. (Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)

In their motion for a trial, Sandusky’s attorneys highlighted Victim 10’s claim that he was told that the trauma may have fragmented his memory, and that he “could safely affirm details that he did not fully recall.”

“I was led to believe that failing to testify in the manner prosecutors expected would allow a dangerous man to escape justice,” Victim 10 wrote, later saying he was unaware that his statements “would be used to secure a de facto life sentence for Mr. Sandusky.”

Victim 10 said he was coached during pretrial meetings, one of which lasted approximately six hours, where he was asked repeatedly to reframe his account until his responses aligned with what appeared to be desired by the prosecution team.

“I ask the courts, and any fair-minded reader, to consider that my testimony may have reflected not willful falsehood, but a tragic convergence of memory uncertainty, professional suggestion, prosecutorial coercion and my own vulnerability,” he wrote.

According to the filing from Sandusky’s attorneys, Victim 10’s estranged wife is also prepared to testify that Victim 10 initially denied being abused by Sandusky.

In a statement to ABC News, prosecutors with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office said the woman’s opinion “thirteen years after defendant’s trial, pondering what she thinks may or may not have really happened to (Victim 10) when he was 10 years old, or any other Sandusky child victim for that matter, is irrelevant and inadmissible.”

Victim 10, who later received a $5.5 million settlement from a civil suit against Penn State, did not immediately respond to a request for clarification about whether he is recanting all of his accusations, or just some of the details. He also did not respond to a request for clarification about what will happen with the settlement money he received.

Attorney Andrew Shubin, whom Victim 10 named in his affidavit as part of the legal counsel who represented him in the civil case against Penn State, declined to comment on the story and would not say if he still represents Victim 10.

Sandusky has maintained his innocence since the initial accusations. Sandusky was an assistant on Paterno’s football staff from 1969 to 1999. His nonprofit, The Second Mile, was founded in 1977 and operated until 2011, when Sandusky was arrested. The foundation’s purported mission was to help underprivileged youth, and it was through the foundation that Sandusky met several of the victims.

Sports

‘The Athletic Football Show’ previews the 2026 Washington Commanders

Published

4 minutes ago

August 29, 2026

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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels throws a pass at training camp.

Jayden Daniels’ health is critical to any possibility of a bounceback season for the Commanders. Stephanie Scarbrough / AP Photo

“The Athletic Football Show” is previewing all 32 teams ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Below are select quotes from the show’s preview of the Washington Commanders. The quotes are edited for clarity. You can watch the whole preview on YouTube and in the embedded video below, or listen to the full NFC East preview wherever you get your podcasts.

Dave Helman on what about the Commanders most excites him: Two years is an eternity in the NFL, but a healthy Jayden Daniels has proven he can make chicken salad out of chicken s— before. And he did it in 2024 without Laremy Tunsil, so the fact that Tunsil’s out for the year, it definitely sucks. But Jayden’s made do with less before. And I’m hoping he can stay healthy long enough to do it again. It’s an older duo than you would prefer, but Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs — if Diggs looks remotely like the guy from last year — I could talk myself into that.

Robert Mays on what he’s watching the first month of the season: I’m curious what David Blough is going to get from this offense that Kliff Kingsbury couldn’t. If you look at the numbers, Kliff was middle of the pack last year with Jayden missing a huge chunk of the season. And they were really good in ’24. Kliff Kingsbury did a really good job as the offensive coordinator for the Commanders. The argument is: Can we be harder to play against?

Every run concept is on the table if we’re under center. If we’re using more play action, if we’re doing all these different things, can we just be harder to play against? I think that is the goal on both sides of the ball. On defense, you can get me there pretty easily. On offense, it’s one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for sort of things.

Derrik Klassen on what’s keeping him up at night: What if it just doesn’t really all make sense together, and what if the offensive line is not able to do some of the stuff they want to do? What if they don’t really have the personnel to do some of the stuff they want to do? It still, to me, feels like a personnel group that should be more gun and spread.

When Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin are your two best receivers, and the guy you draft is like a slot only, you should be a little bit more gun open. Chig Okonkwo being your leading tight end, you should be a little bit more spread and gun open. Your running backs being Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White — you should have the flexibility of having him in gun where he can be out in the route or out in protection for you a little bit easier. I wonder how they make that work with what is supposed to be a more under-center approach.

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Aug 29, 2026

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Sports

How to watch Mariners vs. Blue Jays: TV channel and streaming options for August 28

Published

11 minutes ago

August 29, 2026

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The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners square off on Friday at 7:15 p.m. ET, opening a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Dylan Cease (8-5, 2.37 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays, who are 65-70 this season and fifth in the AL East. Emerson Hancock (7-7, 3.37 ERA) is expected to start for the Mariners, who are 64-70 and third in the AL West.

How to watch Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Mariners vs. Blue Jays odds

Favorite Moneyline: Blue Jays -149
Underdog Moneyline: Mariners +125
Total: 7
Total Over Odds: +100
Total Under Odds: -128

Injury reports

Blue Jays

Josh Smith: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Luis Urias: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Shane Bieber: 15 Day IL (Back), Jameson Taillon: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Trey Yesavage: 15 Day IL (Knee), Cody Ponce: 60 Day IL (Knee), Anthony Santander: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Bloss: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Bowden Francis: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joe Mantiply: 60 Day IL (Knee), Addison Barger: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yimi Garcia: 60 Day IL (Elbow), José Berrios: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Patrick Corbin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jonatan Clase: 60 Day IL (Foot)

Mariners

Colt Emerson: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Cole Wilcox: 15 Day IL (Oblique), Cooper Criswell: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Will Wilson: 60 Day IL (Thumb), Luke Raley: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Matt Brash: 60 Day IL (Lat), Logan Evans: 60 Day IL (Arm), Brendan Donovan: 7 Day IL (Head)

Stats to know

Toronto’s Ernie Clement has hit nine home runs this season. He has also tallied 43 RBIs and has scored 54 runs. In 526 plate appearances, he has recorded a .281 BA, .306 OBP and .397 SLG with a 3.4% walk rate and a 9.7% strikeout rate.
In 507 plate appearances, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .260/.333/.351 with a .684 OPS and seven steals on 10 attempts. He has hit seven long balls, driven in 46 runs and scored 62 times.
Seattle’s Randy Arozarena is slashing .272/.369/.460 this season with 20 home runs, 58 RBIs and an OPS of .830. He has a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 9.9% walk rate in 544 plate appearances, and he has scored 85 total runs. Arozarena has recorded 20 steals on 27 attempts.
In 531 plate appearances, Josh Naylor has slashed .271/.332/.371 this season. He has hit 10 long balls and driven in 47 runs with a strikeout rate of 12.6% and a walk rate of 7.5%. He has stolen 25 bases on 32 attempts and has scored 48 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

Sports

Guardians pitchers denied separate trials in alleged pitch-rigging case

Published

16 minutes ago

August 29, 2026

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CLEVELAND — The trial for two Cleveland Guardians pitchers facing charges related to an alleged pitch-rigging scheme will proceed as planned in November, as a federal judge in Brooklyn this week denied Emmanuel Clase’s and Luis Ortiz’s requests for separate trials, according to court documents obtained by The Athletic.

In a series of rulings filed in the U.S. Eastern District of New York, Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto rejected the pitchers’ motions for severance and also denied the government’s bid to disqualify Clase’s counsel from the proceedings. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2.

The pitchers were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July 2025 after Major League Baseball was alerted to their alleged involvement in a ploy in which predetermined pitches netted gamblers prop-bet winnings totaling at least $450,000. Clase and Ortiz allegedly received bribes or kickbacks for spiking sliders in the dirt and, according to the prosecution’s findings, attempted to conceal their participation by using words such as “rooster” and “chickens” to communicate about the operation. Clase is known to be involved in rooster fighting in his native Dominican Republic.

Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty to four charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. Their alleged co-conspirator, Robinson Vasquez Germosen, painted as a middleman between Clase and bettors in the Dominican, faces a charge of making materially false statements to law enforcement agents. The judge did grant Clase’s request to sever his trial from Vasquez, but only as it pertains to that fifth charge.

In February, Ortiz’s camp argued for separate trials on the basis that he will “face severe unfair prejudice in a joint trial.” Clase’s counsel supported the position, stressing severance was necessary to ensure a fair trial for both pitchers.

Ortiz’s lawyer, Christos N. Georgalis, characterized Ortiz as “a victim of Clase’s scheme, rather than a knowing and willing participant” and wrote that he planned to invoke a defense that Clase supplied Ortiz’s pitching strategy to the bettors without Ortiz’s knowledge. In other words, Ortiz’s best path to proving his innocence would be to assert Clase’s guilt, which would make the pitchers’ defense strategies “mutually antagonistic.”

Ortiz’s counsel also insisted severance was merited because of the vastly differing scale in which the two pitchers were allegedly involved in the scheme. Clase is accused of rigging pitches in 48 games across three seasons, including the 2024 postseason. Ortiz, meanwhile, has only two pitches from June 2025 under scrutiny. Ortiz’s representatives argued that the extent of Clase’s connection to the co-conspirators could lead a jury to presume Ortiz’s guilt.

The court, however, labeled Ortiz’s motivation for severance as “finger-pointing” and argued that varying levels of culpability and proof are inevitable and not grounds for separate trials. The judge cited multiple court rulings to stress that there’s a preference for defendants charged with participation in the same criminal conspiracy to stand trial together to prevent inconsistent verdicts.

Georgalis wrote months ago that he planned to call Clase’s attorneys as exculpatory witnesses, and Clase’s camp countered that it would make Ortiz a “second prosecutor” against Clase. Last summer, Clase’s attorneys interviewed and prepared statements from four witnesses who denied the existence of a pitch-rigging operation, including Vasquez. Three witnesses — all but Vasquez — signed declarations, but Vasquez and a second witness later recanted.

At a January hearing, Clase voluntarily elected to continue with his representation, even after being informed of potential conflicts of interest. In April, the prosecution moved to disqualify Clase’s attorneys, but the judge ruled this week that such an act is not necessary.

The pitchers remain on indefinite non-disciplinary leave, but through a March agreement between the league and the players’ association, their status shifted to unpaid. Clase, a three-time All-Star closer with a career 1.88 ERA, was set to earn $6.4 million this season. Ortiz was in line to earn a salary near the league minimum of $780,000.

— Mike Vorkunov contributed to this story.