Attorney: Shower Instruction Comments Not About Jerry Sandusky

CARLISLE, Pa. (WFAN/AP) — An attorney for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky said Thursday his recent comments about some children needing instruction on how to shower did not apply to his client.

Carlisle attorney Karl Rominger said during an interview with WHTM-TV earlier this week that troubled youths sometimes have to be taught "basic hygiene skills."

"Teaching a person to shower at the age of 12 or 14 sounds strange to some people," said Rominger, "but people who work with troubled youth will tell you there are a lot of juvenile delinquents and people who are dependent who have to be taught basic life skills like how to put soap on their body."

Rominger said in a statement Thursday that he only was giving an example of why a person might shower with an adolescent. He noted he never said Sandusky touched boys in a shower.

"When answering why a person might be in a shower with a youth, I proposed one hypothetical, such as an adult leading by example and encouraging a youth with bad or poor hygiene to shower regularly," said Rominger. "Some commentators have argued that I am saying that Mr. Sandusky showered with youths and touched them inappropriately for the purpose of teaching them how to shower. That is not what I said."

He added: "Therefore, I would like to clarify that I am not suggesting that this is what happened in this case, but was answering questions about possible motivations an individual might have for an adult to shower with a juvenile."

Sandusky is charged with more than 50 counts of child sex abuse.

In interviews following his initial arrest last month, Sandusky denied sexually assaulting children but acknowledged showering and engaging in "horseplay" with them.

On Tuesday, Sandusky's lawyer, Joe Amendola, said anyone who believes university officials thought his client raped a 10-year-old boy and did little about it should call 1-800-REALITY.

The phrase is one Amendola said he has used for years to mean "get a life." But the phone number is that of a sex line for gay and bi-curious men, as first reported by Deadspin.com.

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