Jerry Sandusky's actions with children were branded those likely to fit a "pedophile's pattern" a psychologist concluded in 1998, a shocking report by NBC News has revealed.

The former Penn State assistant football coach has been charged with raping and otherwise molesting dozens of male children, and it appears the University did not act at all on the psychologist's warning more than a decade before most of the alleged crimes occurred.

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has died of cancer.

The 85-year-old lost his life to lung cancer and died at Mount Nittany Medical Center on January 22nd.

Paterno was diagnosed with the disease just days after he was ousted as PSU's head football coach in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

As RadarOnline.com reported, on Saturday afternoon, the Paterno family went public with the coach's dire medical condition.

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Paterno had lived and breathed Penn State football for 62 years, racking up a record-setting 409 wins.  He was revered for his position that student players needed to be students before they were players, and for his devotion to team work above individual stardom.

He was a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, won two national championships, and was noted for his extensive philanthropic work.

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The sex abuse allegations against his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had a devastating impact on Paterno's life and legend. JoPa, as he was called, was fired from his job in November amid allegations that he should have done something about Sandusky a decade ago after being told that he’d been seen showering nude with a 10-year-old boy and engaging in what appeared to be, at the very least, inappropriate behavior.

Paterno left behind his wife of almost 50 years, Susan Pohland, five children and 17 grandchildren.

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UPDATE: Hundreds of Penn State students have gathered around the statue of Joe Paterno as news spreads that their legendary coach may be near death.

Joe Paterno, who has been in the hospital since January 13 suffering complications related to his battle against lung cancer, has taken a turn for the worse.

"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," Dan McGinn, spokesman for the former Penn State football coach, told AP Saturday. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious."

Paterno, 85, was diagnosed with lung cancer in November, just days after he was ousted as PSU's head football coach in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

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The latest health crisis came right after Paterno completed a stunning two-day-long interview with The Washington Post where the gridiron legend broke his silence about the case.

"I never heard of rape and a man," Paterno said, explaining why when he was told Sandusky had been seen nude, acting inappropriately in a University shower with a 10-year-old boy, it didn't register with him how horrific the situation was.

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Sandusky, Paterno's longtime assistant coach, is now facing over 50 felony charges of sexual abusing underage boys.  His first scheduled court date is in March.

Paterno has not been charged in connection with the University's alleged cover-up of Sandusky's actions.

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His spokesman said his family "asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time."

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1:15 p.m. ET UPDATE: Sandusky has just been released from jail.

Jerry Sandusky Thursday posted $250,000 bail – one day after his arrest on new charges of child sex abuse.

The ex-Penn State football coach posted bail using $200,000 in real estate holdings and a $50,000 certified check provided by wife Dorothy.

Sandusky is expected to be released at any time. He remained at the Centre County Correctional Facility as of late Thursday morning and the warden said he was quiet and cooperative during his overnight stay.

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When Penn State's Athletic Director Tim Curley and University VP Gary Schultz testified before the grand jury investigating allegations of sexual abuse against the school's former football coach Jerry Sandusky, the two men were represented by the same high profile lawyer who represents the University.

That's a major conflict of interest, University of California legal professor Geoffrey Hazard says.

“In a way, it was worse than deliberately sabotaging them — it was unprofessional. And in another way, it was just stupid," Hazard told The Patriot-News on Saturday.

Both men went into their grand jury appearances with Cynthia Baldwin, a former State Supreme Court Justice who took over at PSU's in-house legal honcho in 2010.

Curley and Schultz are the two university officials Joe Paterno turned to after one of his football assistants, Mike McQueary, told him he'd witnessed Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy in a shower on campus in 2002.

According to court records, when asked about Paterno's testimony, Curley and Schultz both denied they knew anything about a rape. They have both charged with perjury.

Baldwin's first priority would have been protecting the school, Hazard explained.  The University should have gotten Curley and Schultz outside counsel to advise them.

Curley and Schultz could file an ethics complaint, Hazard said. They might also opt to sue for malpractice.

“It is legally wrong to give bad advice if you have a conflict of interest,” he said. “And it was terrible advice.”