Former Chicago Bears Coach Named In Sandusky Scandal

The last thing anybody wants to be associated with these days in the Jerry Sandusky scandal from Penn State. Unfortunately the Chicago Bears may not have dodged that bullet.

The Washington Post recently provided updated information providing new facts that legendary head coach Joe Paterno knew about the transgressions of his former assistant involving the molestation of young boys and did nothing to stop it. Details indicate he was confronted on the subject, he made it clear he had no desire to address such matters and wanted to focus solely on football. It’s yet another piece of damning evidence that Paterno allowed the crimes to continue for years through sheer negligence.

He wasn’t alone though. Several other coaches who came and went in the program got caught up in the cover up. One name that surfaced was a former weight room assistant named Kevin O’Dea. After spending his time with the Nittany Lions, he made the jump to the NFL and eventually became a respected special teams coordinator in places like Detroit, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

Turns out he may have witnessed an actual situation involving Sandusky and a boy but refused to report it at the time.

"“A man identified as John Doe 101 testified in 2014 that knowledge of Sandusky consorting in questionable ways with young boys who were not his children was well-known within the Penn State football program.In 1988, Doe 101 said, a weight room assistant named Kevin O’Dea saw the boy lying on a black leather couch in an athletics facility, in his underwear, with Sandusky seated on the floor rubbing the boy’s back.“Did Mr. O’Dea say anything when he came in and saw that?,” his lawyer asked.“No,” Doe 101 said.O’Dea, who last coached with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday morning.”"

An assistant during two separate stints for the Bears, he was with the team when they reached the Super Bowl in 2006, helping turn Devin Hester into the greatest returner in NFL history. He left after 2007 then returned in 2011 for another two-season stint. It isn’t clear whether the testimony of the witness is completely true but the sheer mention of his involvement and unwillingness to do anything represents another shameful reminder of how oppressive a football hierarchy can be.

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Chances are O’Dea, like other assistants weren’t willing to challenge the power of Sandusky who was defensive coordinator for the program from 1977 to 1999. They likely hoped they’d either let their imaginations run away with them or stay quiet and hoped it would go away. Well, it didn’t. Hopefully O’Dea wasn’t involved, but if the testimony is true than it’s sad to know the Chicago Bears were connected in any way to such a terrible crime.

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