I never understood why no one blamed or implicated Dottie Sandusky. One of the victims said he was screaming in the basement while she was in the house. No one labeled her an enabler or accomplice but Joe Paterno was vilified. And how about Sandusky’s adopted son? He would have known something.
My memory is that Sandusky’s wife was criticized at the time.
But it seems reasonable to believe Sandusky’s wife was dependent on her husband, under his control, and intimidated. The adopted son was likely intimidated by him, and had zero power over his conduct. OTOH, Paterno could fire, ban from campus, and publicly destroy Sandusky anytime he chose. That would have created a big scandal, hurt the FOOTBALL program, and tarnished his halo.