She told the players that they -- and his family -- were Joe Paterno's legacy, not a report.

She also criticized the Freeh report's depiction of her husband.

"When the Freeh report was released last July, I was as shocked as anyone by the findings and by Mr. Freeh's extraordinary attack on Joe's character and integrity. I did not recognize the man Mr. Freeh described," she said.

The university's board of trustees fired Paterno after a 46-year career because, it said, his "decision to do his minimum legal duty and not to do more to follow up constituted a failure of leadership."

In July, the NCAA imposed on Penn State some of the most severe penalties ever, including a $60 million fine.

The governing body of major college sports also vacated Penn State's football wins dating back to 1998, the year when allegations that Sandusky was abusing children were first made. That penalty removed Paterno from the top of the list of Division I college football's winningest coaches. Paterno died in January 2012.

Sandusky, who ran a charity for disadvantaged children after he retired in 1999, was convicted last June on 45 counts of child sex abuse. In October, the 68-year-old former coach was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Spanier, Curley and Schultz face charges stemming from the Sandusky scandal, including perjury, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of children. All three are awaiting court dates and have said they are innocent, according to their lawyers.