John Wetzler, a retired teacher, counselor, and coach who served Bellefonte Area High School for almost 48 years, testified as a character witness for Jerry Sandusky at his trial.
By John Wetzler
I knew Jerry `for many years before the trial. I worked with him at Penn State football camps, usually staying on the same floor in one of the dorms.
Jerry came to Bellefonte several times to watch our daughter play softball, and he and Dottie came to her final viewing in December 2006, after she passed away from melanoma cancer at the age of 27.
Before the trial, I received a call from one of Jerry’s incompetent lawyers asking me if I would be interested in being a character witness for Jerry.
Several people suggested I not get involved.
After a few nights of getting little sleep, I said I would.
I never heard back from the lawyer until he called me to tell me what date and time he wanted me to report to the courthouse to testify.
This was strange, since I expected he would give me some idea about the questions he planned to ask.
The small courthouse could not accommodate the throng of press and spectators who came to see the show trial of Jerry Sandusky.
I reported as directed to the canopy behind the courthouse, and a sheriff’s deputy, who I knew, greeted me.
She said, “John, why are you here?”
I said to testify. She directed me towards the elevator.
When I got on the elevator, I saw a former Penn State football player who drove in from New Jersey to testify for Jerry.
Another sheriff’s deputy sat outside the courtroom when we exited the elevator. I had coached his daughter in softball a few years before.
He also asked, “John, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to testify for Jerry.”
He said to have a seat, and we sat on a bench.
After a few minutes, the deputy said to the former player, “You are up.”
He went in the door to the courtroom. He returned in no more than two minutes.
I thought, “Wow, he drove in from New Jersey for that.”
The deputy said to me, “You are next.”
I opened the door and saw a wall of humanity before me. To my right was the jury box. To my left was the judge and Jerry, along with his attorney.
Directly in front of me were the prosecutors.
I took the oath to tell the truth and sat down.
Sandusky attorney Joe Amendola seemed more interested in what the media thought than winning the case.
Amendola asked me the following question:.
State your full name and address.
Where do you work?
What was the community’s perception of Jerry before the trial?
How do you know Jerry?
No further questions.
The prosecutors: Frank Fina [l] and Joe McGettigan.
The prosecutor said, “I bet you were never in his basement?”
I responded that I was in the basement for a birthday party.
No further questions.
I was dismissed and went out the door from which I came in.
The media were waiting for people to come out of the court. I asked the deputy what the fastest way out was besides the front door. I exited the side door and avoided the cameras.
When I got to my car, I asked myself, “What was the point of testifying? How could any of my answers help Jerry?”
Matt Sandusky
I learned from reading your articles that Jerry didn’t testify at trial based on the advice of his attorney and because of his adopted son, Matt Sandusky.
Amendola could have asked me about Matt.
I was Matt’s guidance counselor and football coach at Bellefonte High School before Jerry adopted him.
Jerry would come to school, and I would get Matt out of class to meet with Jerry.
Jerry and I went to Matt’s house one day because he wasn’t in school. We went through 10-12 inches of snow across a field to check on him. One Saturday, Jerry and Matt came to my house to help with some landscaping.
Never once did Matt say to me, I don’t want to see him, or he’s done bad things to me. NEVER.
As a guidance counselor, I’m a mandated reporter. I’m 100% sure Jerry never abused Matt.
Freeh Not Interested
In 2012, the Freeh group contacted me. They told me they would like to meet with me and would need 30 minutes of my time to answer some questions about Jerry and the scandal.
When I told the investigator from the Freeh Group that I didn’t have time today, they asked, “What do you think about Jerry and what happened?”
I said I felt he was innocent and the accusations were false.
They never called back.
I also received a message from Piers Morgan asking me to call him to discuss the case. I never called him back.
Editor’s Note: Check out this short film:
