I would not consider it a rumour if a credible eyewitness reported it to me.
In fact - I would be so alarmed I would immediately call the police hoping they could quickly find the victim and get him to the hospital.
Charges were brought against Spanier and the others based on McQueary’s testimony.
Clearly, the investigators did not consider McQueary’s eyewitness account to be rumour.
We don't know what details McQueary reported to Paterno. We don't know how credible Paterno found McQueary.
Charges were brought against Spanier and the others based on McQueary’s testimony.
Spanier, as of yet, has not been charged. It was A.D. Curely & Gary Schultz, who had a vice president title and was in charge of a pile of things.
The A.G., however, who has, IIRC, said that Paterno was not a target of anything, would not say that about Spanier.
Clearly, the investigators did not consider McQueary’s eyewitness account to be rumour.
Well, Paterno did think McQueary's report was more than a rumor because he reported the matter to Curley. Did Paterno know for sure what it was that Sandusky did, and that McQueary wasn't mistaken as to what he saw? I'm not going to assume that much less say for certain.