Timothy Curley is the athletic director

Athletic director

An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...

 for Penn State University, currently suspended from his position after being indicted for perjury

Perjury

Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...

 related to the Penn State sex abuse scandal

Penn State sex abuse scandal

The Penn State sex abuse scandal refers to allegations that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property...

.

Career

Curley was appointed athletic director on December 30, 1993. He succeeded Jim Tarman, for whom he had served as an assistant. During his 18 years as athletic director, Penn State won 18 national championships and 64 Big Ten titles.

Curley drew criticism for his handling of allegations of anti-gay

Homophobia

Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...

 discrimination by Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland

Rene Portland

Maureen Theresa "Rene" Muth Portland is an American former head women's college basketball coach known for her 27-year tenure with the Penn State Lady Lions basketball team. Her career resume includes 21 NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four appearance in 2000, five Big Ten Conference...

. Curley and Portland were sued by a former player who alleged that Portland had actively discriminated against players who were lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

 or perceived to be lesbian. Portland was ultimately fined by the university after the allegations came to light.

Penn State sex abuse scandal

In 2011, former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky

Jerry Sandusky

Gerald Arthur "Jerry" Sandusky is a retired American football coach. Sandusky served as an assistant coach for his entire career, mostly at Pennsylvania State University under Joe Paterno, and was one of the most notable major college football coaches never to have held a head coaching position. ...

 was indicted on 40 counts of child molestation dating back to 1994. During the grand jury investigation, Curley had testified as to his awareness of a 2002 incident that allegedly occurred in the Penn State football locker room, in which assistant coach Mike McQueary

Mike McQueary

Mike McQueary is an assistant football coach at Pennsylvania State University . McQueary was a record setting former quarterback for Penn State. He led the team for two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and set several records that still stand...

 allegedly witnessed Sandusky raping

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 a 10-year-old boy. McQueary notified head coach Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno

Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...

, who brought the matter to Curley's attention.

Curley testified that he had only been told that Sandusky was "horsing around" with an underage boy. Curley, along with Penn State Vice President Gary Schultz, did not report the incident to police, and their discipline of Sandusky was limited to restricting him from bringing underage children to campus.

The grand jury investigating Sandusky ultimately did not find Curley's testimony credible, and indicted him and Schultz for perjury and for failing to report possible abuse. After the indictment, Curley and Schultz were suspended from their duties. University President Graham Spanier

Graham Spanier

Graham B. Spanier is an American academic, who served as the 16th president of the Pennsylvania State University from September 1, 1995, until he was forced to resign on November 9, 2011, in the aftermath of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal...

 issued a statement expressing support for both men that said: "Tim Curley and Gary Schultz operate at the highest levels of honesty, integrity and compassion." Spanier was fired by the school's Board of Trustees on November 9, 2011, in part because of this statement.

Curley is on administrative leave

Leave of absence

Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...

while he awaits trial.