Penn State paid settlement involving sex-abuse claim against Jerry Sandusky

Penn State paid out a settlement involving a sex-abuse claim against assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky from 1971, a university spokesman confirmed Sunday to ESPN.

Sandusky, a 1965 Penn State graduate, joined the football staff as a defensive coach in 1969. He remained on the staff through 1999, and in 2012, he was convicted of 45 criminal counts related to sexual molestation of minors dating back to the mid-1990s.

The university has paid out more than $60 million to settle dozens of civic claims related to Sandusky.

Earlier Sunday, Penn State president Eric Barron posted a letter on the school's website, decrying the public reaction to the latest allegations involving Sandusky.

"I want you to know I am appalled by the rumor, innuendo and rush to judgment that have accompanied the media stories surrounding these allegations," Barron wrote. "All too often in our society, people are convicted in the court of public opinion, only to find a different outcome when all the facts are presented.

"In contrast, over the last two days we have worked to be diligent in reanalyzing the record of reports and depositions to ensure that our reactions and comments are both responsible and trustworthy."

He went on to write that Penn State couldn't find evidence that the school or then-head football coach Joe Paterno was told that Sandusky assaulted children in the 1970s and 1980s.

CNN reported Friday that a man told Penn State officials in 1971 that he was raped by Sandusky, but that the school officials told him to drop the allegations.

Last week, Sandusky, 72, was granted a hearing to prove his claims that prosecutors lied and withheld evidence in his case.