(Bellefonte, PA) -- The first alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky could confront the former Penn State University assistant football coach as early as Monday, following opening statements in the trial of the 68-year-old man accused of sexually abusing 10 boys during a period of 15 years.
The trial opens here, seven months after Sandusky's arrest, following the fast-paced selection of seven women and five men to serve on a jury whose members have strong ties to Penn State.
Sandusky, a revered former coach who helped bring two national championships to Penn State, is alleged to have selected many of the accusers while they participated in a charity program - The Second Mile - the coach founded for at-risk children.
The coach has acknowledged showering with children after physical workouts, but has denied any abusive behavior.
Sandusky's arrest last November triggered a dizzying series of events at a school, including the ouster of university president Graham Spanier and college football legend Joe Paterno.
Earlier stories on Sandusky trial
STORY: Jury includes PSU senior, ex-teacher
STORY: Nine jurors selected
Long the face of Penn State, Paterno died in January shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Neither Paterno nor Spanier was charged, but former athletic director Tim Curley, on leave from that job, and retired senior vice president Gary Schultz were charged with lying to a Pennsylvania grand jury about what they were told about a 2001 incident in the Penn State locker-room showers involving Sandusky and a boy believed to be about 11 years old.
Michael McQueary, a former football assistant, has said that he told Curley and Schultz that he witnessed Sandusky engaged in sexual conduct with the boy, who has not been identified by authorities. McQueary first told Paterno, who alerted Curley and Schultz. But the administrators told the grand jury that McQueary's account did not include a description of sexual activity. They deny any wrongdoing; a trial date has yet to be set in that case.
As many as eight of Sandusky's alleged victims are expected to testify during Sandusky's trial that is expected to take three weeks.