"I wish in hindsight that I would have known more about Jerry Sandusky and his terrible, terrible hidden past so I could have intervened because it would have been my instinct to do so, said former Penn State President Graham Spanier.
Spanier gave an exclusive interview to ABC's Josh Elliott Wednesday.
Graham Spanier is a man who many say had it all: a good position as president of Penn State and a good reputation.
That is until November of 2011, when former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested and charged with sexually abusing young boys.
Investigators said Spanier and legendary football coach Joe Paterno knew about the abuse and did not tell police.
Spanier resigned his position with Penn State shortly after Sandusky's arrest, and Joe Paterno was fired.
As other university officials were charged in connection with the scandal and alleged cover-up and as Jerry Sandusky sat through a trial and was then convicted of more than 40 counts related to abuse, Spanier did not talk to the media.
In his ABC interview, Spanier mentioned he was a victim of abuse and if he knew others were being harmed, he absolutely would have spoken up.
"I've had four surgeries as an adult to correct injuries that were inflicted by my father," said Spanier.
Then came the Freeh report, hundreds of pages that indicated Spanier and other Penn State leaders, including Joe Paterno, were responsible for not doing enough to stop the abuse of those boys, in effect, covering up the abuse of children.
Spanier's attorneys held a news conference in Philadelphia Wednesday to deny that.
Spanier himself called the report dead wrong.
"That report is absolutely wrong. The conclusions in that report are just incorrect," said Spanier.