(Andy Colwell/The Patriot-News/AP Photo)

An ex-Penn State University football coach was arrested today on charges of sexually abusing children he worked with in an at-risk youth program, and the school’s athletic director and another administrator were accused of lying about the abuse case.

Jerry Sandusky, who was the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator before he retired in 1999, was arraigned on 40 criminal counts connected to the alleged sexual abuse of eight boys and released on $100,000 bail, according to the state attorney general’s office.

The two other university officials — athletic director Tim Curley, 57, and vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, — are charged with perjury and failure to report Sandusky’s behavior. Prosecutors said the two men were expected to turn themselves in Monday in Harrisburg.

“Mr. Sandusky was taken into custody this morning by agents from the attorney general’s office and Pennsylvania State Police,” Pennsylvania state attorney general spokesman Mils Frederiksen said. “Mr. Curley and Mr. Shultz are scheduled to surrender in Harrisburg on Monday.”

Frederiksen said there was compelling evidence against the coach.

“A graduate student at Penn State University who discovered or allegedly discovered Sandusky assaulting a young boy in the showers in the football building in the locker room of the Penn State University Campus,” he said.

In addition to coaching at Penn State, Sandusky worked with at risk children through his Second Mile foundation, the prosecutors’ spokesman said.

“We believe that all eight of the victims he’s accused of sexually assaulting were identified and were part of the Second Mile program,” Frederiksen said.

Penn State legend Joe Paterno, the team’s longtime head coach, was not charged, authorities said. According to The Associated Press, the grand jury report said Paterno immediately reported an allegation of abuse against Sandusky as soon as he learned of it, but Sandusky was no longer coaching at the time.

Penn State President Graham Spanier said it was “appropriate” that the “troubling” allegations about Sandusky be investigated. But he said Curley and Schultz have his “unconditional support.”

“I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 years.  I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee,” he said. “ Tim Curley and Gary Schultz operate at the highest levels of honesty, integrity and compassion.  I am confident the record will show that these charges are groundless and that they conducted themselves professionally and appropriately. ”

Schultz’ attorney Tom Farrell and Curley’s lawyer Caroline Roberto said their clients were not guilty and the charges would be proven to be false.