STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State said Wednesday it was turning to a physician and member of its board of trustees, who played football and wrestled for the school, to serve as acting athletic director in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.
The school issued a news release announcing that Dr. David M. Joyner, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and a business consultant, had taken over the job being performed until last week by Tim Curley.
Curley is on leave as he defends himself against criminal charges that he failed to properly alert authorities when told of an alleged sexual assault in 2002 by Sandusky against a child, and that he lied to a grand jury.
Joyner’s position on the board, where he has been a trustee since 2000, is being suspended as he takes on the new duties.
Joyner received a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree in the 1970s from Penn State. His work with the U.S. Olympic Committee includes being head physician to U.S. teams at the 1992 Winter Olympics, chairman of the sports medicine committee and vice chair of the anti-doping committee.
He was named the school’s outstanding football alumnus in 1985 and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
Mark Sherburne, who performed the job after Curley went on leave, has returned to his prior position as associate athletic director.