AT SUNDANCE SANDUSKY’S SON SUPPORTS FILM SLAMMING HIS DAD

The son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky appeared on a panel at the Sundance Film Festival to endorse the documentary Happy Valley, which deals with the scandal that landed his father in prison for child sexual abuse. In the film, Matt Sandusky says of his father and Penn State coach Joe Paterno, “They could do what they wanted, they could do no wrong. … Jerry was like royalty. Like a savior. To be seen with Jerry Sandusky was a cool thing. … The Sandusky name was a golden ticket in this town.” The younger Sandusky, who has acknowledged that he himself was a victim of his father, received a standing ovation when he appeared at the Sundance screening. In its review of the movie, which it described as “incredible storytelling,” the Salt Lake Tribune commented, “The narrative is less about Sandusky and more about a framing of American and sports culture, where distraction trumps all and serious issues are swept under the rug.”