STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Despite complaints from alumni, Penn State still plans to honor a war veteran Saturday with past ties to the charity of convicted child abuser Jerry Sandusky.
The man, Bruce Heim, will take part in Saturday's coin toss against Army.
Heim served in Vietnam and received a Bronze Star, but the local businessman also served as a board member for The Second Mile. Sandusky founded that organization, through which he met his victims. Heim has admitted to spotting Sandusky showering with children but didn't find it unusual. The charity has since folded.
Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at Penn State.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which broke the story, the university received more than 100 complaints within 24 hours of the Wednesday announcement. A Penn State spokesman did not immediately return a message from ESPN.com seeking comment.
Heim has never been accused of aiding Sandusky or convicted of wrongdoing. But he struck a nerve three years ago when he admitted that he advised the charity's chief executive not to report Sandusky's showering with children to the charity's board. The executive, Jack Raykovitz, was told by former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley that nothing inappropriate had happened.
Heim also told the Harrisburg Patriot-News in 2012 that, at the time, he didn't see the harm in Sandusky showering with children. He also defended his advice to Raykovitz.
"For five years, I worked out at the football facility, several times a week, and saw Jerry showering with children," he told the newspaper. "I said I don't think it's relevant. It happens every day at the YMCA. I remember the conversation specifically because it seemed like a nonstarter because of what Penn State said went on."
Sandusky, Penn State's defensive coordinator from 1977 to 1999, was found guilty in 2012 on 45 of 48 counts of sexual abuse. He was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, essentially a life sentence for the 71-year-old.
According to the Post-Gazette, a committee of 25 people chose Heim over four other candidates. The participants were not chosen by Penn State's athletic department. No one raised concerns.