Sports | Jerry Sandusky Penn State's Spanier: I Was Abused as Kid ...so there's no way he would have turned 'blind eye' By Kate Seamons Posted Jul 24, 2012 7:30 AM CDT Copied Graham Spanier speaks during a news conference at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) The damning report is in and the punishment has been doled out, but former Penn State President Graham Spanier is still trying to salvage a bit of his reputation by revealing himself as a victim of child abuse. In a letter sent yesterday to school trustees, Spanier writes that "it is unfathomable and illogical to think ... someone who experienced massive and persistent abuse as a child would have knowingly turned a blind eye to a report of child abuse." His lawyer tells the AP that said abuse wasn't sexual in nature; rather, his father regularly beat him, to the point that he had to have his nose straightened several times. The Patriot-News notes that while Spanier hasn't been charged with a crime, emails sent in 2001 indicate that he helped make the decision to hold off on contacting police about Jerry Sandusky. The Patriot-News has the full letter. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Report an error