Sandusky Lawyer Cites Differing Reasons for Hearing Waiver, Refers By Mistake to Gay Sex Line

Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer thought he was making a point when he said Penn State officials were wrong to believe his client had raped a 10-year-old boy.

But lawyer Joseph Amendola inadvertently referred to a gay sex phone line, report the Associated Press and the Patriot News. He made the comment on Tuesday after he waived a preliminary hearing on behalf of his client.

In a press conference outside the courthouse, Amendola said officials who believed the rape report should call 1-800-REALITY. According to the stories, the phone number is a real one and it is a sex line for gay and bi-curious men. Amendola says he’s used the phrase for years to mean “get a life.”

Amendola told Reuters on Wednesday that he waived the hearing primarily to avoid a bail hike that could put his client back in jail. He also cited another reason: He wanted to avoid rehashing the allegations in a one-sided hearing. "We would not have had the ability to counterpunch," he told Reuters.

Legal experts cited another possible reason for avoiding the hearing, Reuters reports in a separate story. Defendants who waive preliminary hearings may be signaling they are planning to start negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors.