Penn State puts child abuse scandal costs at $3.2M

Penn State says it has spent $3.2 million on lawyers, consultants and public relations firms in response to child sex abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach.

The university posted a breakdown of its related costs yesterday as it unveiled a new website, part of an effort to provide more information to the public.

Through December, the university had spent $2.5 million on crisis communications and an investigation led by an independent firm. It also reports spending $470,000 on university legal services and $210,000 for the legal defenses of a former vice president, a former president and an athletics director on leave.

Former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky denies sexually abusing boys. The other school officials either haven’t been charged or await trial on charges of perjury and failure to report abuse but deny the allegations.