Jerry Sandusky is a former American football coach who was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse of young boys in 2012. The scandal rocked the world of college football and led to the downfall of several high-ranking officials at Penn State University. Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison and is currently serving his sentence.
Jerry Sandusky and his wife, Dorothy “Dottie” Sandusky, have six adopted children. The couple adopted their first child, a son named Jon, in 1977. They later adopted five more children, including a daughter named Kara and four sons named Jeffrey, Matt, EJ, and Ray. However, the Sanduskys’ family life was shattered by the revelations of Jerry’s sexual abuse, which led to the estrangement of some of their children.
Jeffrey Sandusky, the couple’s youngest son, was also convicted of sexual abuse in 2017. He pleaded guilty to 14 counts of child sex abuse and was sentenced to 3.5 to 10 years in prison. Matt Sandusky, another of the Sanduskys’ adopted sons, has accused his father of sexual abuse and has publicly stated that he was a victim of his father’s abuse. The Sanduskys’ other children have largely stayed out of the public eye since the scandal broke.
Jerry Sandusky’s Family Life
Wife Dorothy Sandusky
Jerry Sandusky married Dorothy “Dottie” Gross in 1966. They met while attending Penn State University, where Jerry would later become an assistant football coach. Dorothy was a secretary at the university. They remained married until Jerry’s conviction for child sexual abuse in 2012.
Number of Children
Jerry and Dorothy Sandusky have six adopted children. One of their sons, Jon Sandusky, served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Browns from 2010 to 2014. Another son, Matt Sandusky, accused Jerry of sexually abusing him when he was a child. Matt was one of the victims in Jerry’s trial. In 2017, another one of their sons, Jeffrey Sandusky, pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges.
Jerry Sandusky’s other children have largely stayed out of the public eye. It is unclear what they are doing now or how they have been affected by their father’s actions.
Details About Sandusky’s Children
Jerry Sandusky is the father of six children, and all of them are adopted. Here are the details about Sandusky’s children:
Sandusky’s Sons
Jerry Sandusky has four sons: Jeffrey Sandusky, Jon Sandusky, Ray Sandusky, and E. J. Sandusky. Jeffrey Sandusky was arrested in 2017 on multiple sexual offense charges involving children, more than five years after his father was first arrested for similar charges. Jon Sandusky is currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Browns, and Ray Sandusky is a football coach at West Chester University.
Sandusky’s Daughters
Jerry Sandusky has two daughters: Kara Sandusky and Matt Davidson. Kara Sandusky is a graduate of Penn State University and works as a nurse. Matt Davidson was a foster child from an abusive house, but later, she was adopted by Jerry.
It is worth noting that Matt Sandusky, another one of Jerry Sandusky’s adopted sons, has accused his father of sexual abuse. Matt Sandusky claims that his father sexually abused him off and on between the ages of 8 and 15. Jerry Sandusky has not been charged with abusing his son.
Despite the controversies surrounding the Sandusky family, some of his children have remained supportive of their father. Jeffrey Sandusky, for example, had been a stalwart supporter of his father, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys.
