The whistleblower from the Penn State sex abuse scandal will not end the long, sordid ordeal empty-handed.
According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mike McQueary has been awarded $7.3 million after a jury found Penn State defamed him during the prosecution of longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and three school administrators for participating in and covering up a long history of sexual abuse.
A former Nittany Lions quarterback, staffer and assistant coach, McQueary is still awaiting a decision on whether the school fired him as retaliation for his role in bringing the scandal to light. A decision could come in the next few weeks, the paper said.
McQueary, who earned $104,000 as wide receivers coach before his contract was not renewed in 2012, received death threats shortly after the scandal went public and has not found a job since leaving Penn State. He now lives at home with his parents in State College.
"He happens to be a very good football coach," McQueary's lawyer Elliot Strokoff told jurors on Thursday. "But much more important than that is that he is an incredibly decent and good person . . . Mr. McQueary has endured an awful lot in silence and with dignity."
Penn State countered by using testimony from Bill O'Brien and Temple head coach Matt Rhule saying McQueary was not considered for jobs on their staffs for football-related reasons.
"There was nothing remarkable about Mr. McQueary's resume," Penn State lawyer Nancy Conrad. "He stayed at one school, under one head coach. He had not developed the contacts or the resume to land a job in this competitive field of professional college football."
McQueary is still expected to serve as a witness against former Penn State president Graham Spanier, former Penn State AD Tim Curley and former Penn State vice president Gary Schultz as the group faces charges of child endangerment.