Pitt ties to The Second Mile end

Pitt’s indirect connection to Jerry Sandusky’s charity, The Second Mile, is severed now that… Pitt’s indirect connection to Jerry Sandusky’s charity, The Second Mile, is severed now that former Pitt football coach Johnny Majors has ended his annual collaboration with the charity.

Pitt was listed as a recipient of grants and other assistance on The Second Mile’s tax forms because of the school’s association with Majors, who worked with The Second Mile on a joint charity venture. The annual Second Mile Pitt vs. PSU Golf Challenge benefited both The Second Mile and Charities of John Majors. Majors donated portions of the benefits to Pitt, thereby establishing an indirect connection between the University and The Second Mile.

“John Majors has said he will no longer be involved with the golf outing event; that ends Pitt’s involvement as well,” Pitt spokesman Robert Hill said. Majors did not give a reason for severing his ties with the organization and was not immediately available for comment.

Sandusky, a former Penn State University football coach, founded the statewide nonprofit The Second Mile in 1977. The state attorney general’s office charged Sandusky with molesting eight boys whom he met through The Second Mile program, which works with at-risk youth.

In 2010, Pitt’s Community Leisure-Learn Program, which provides under-served youth and adults access to Pitt’s athletic facilities and programs, received $15,000 in funding indirectly from The Second Mile.

Pitt contributed between $2,000 and $4,999 to The Second Mile, according to The Second Mile’s 2010 annual report. This money came from Pitt’s work with the golf outing.