Mike McQueary Email: Hammered on Handling of Sandusky's Alleged Sexual Assault

A friend of Mike McQueary at Penn State released an email Tuesday that describes McQueary's reaction and actions taken after he witnesses the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in the university's locker room showers.

The email sent by McQueary to his friend in 2002 makes it clear that the graduate assistant stopped the assault and also contacted police. He says, however, he was hammered for the wayhe handled the situation.

The Associated Press received the email from his friend Tuesday. The friend prefers to remain anonymous. The email, written by McQueary in 2002, was sent as following:

... you are the first person I have told this... and I don't know you extremely well... and I have been told bye officials to not say anything...

I did stop it, not physically... but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room... I did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police.... no one can imagine my thoughts or wants to be in my shoes for those 30-45 seconds... trust me.

Do with this what you want... but I am getting hammered for handling this the right way... or what I thought at the time was right... I had to make tough impacting quick decisions.

This is off record... again... I have not and will not say anything to anyone else.

McQueary has come under scrutiny following the grand jury report released last week that accuses Sandusky of sexually assaulting eight victims. McQueary, a graduate assistant to the Penn State team in 2002, is considered a key witness in the case and is referred to in the grand jury report although he is not listed by name.

The former Penn State defensive coordinator and his lawyer, Joe Amendola, have maintained that Sandusky is innocent and publicly denied all allegations.