Abington Man To Star In HBO Movie About Paterno, Sandusky

ABINGTON, PA — An Abington man acts in a pivotal scene in an upcoming HBO movie that dives into the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case and the involvement of legendary head coach, Joe Paterno.

The film, "Paterno," stars Al Pacino as Paterno and takes a look at the fall of one of college football's most celebrated figures in the wake of a horrific scandal. Sandusky, of course, was later convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse in 2012 and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison; "JoePa" was fired in Nov. 2011 and died of complications from lung cancer, amidst the ongoing investigation into Penn State's culpability in Sandusky's actions, in Jan. 2012.

Abington actor Adam Ratcliffe, who has also had roles in TV's "Gotham" and "Blue Bloods" and the film "Southpaw," per his IMDB page, plays the role of a Penn State alum in "Paterno."

According to The Morning Call, Ratcliffe is only in one scene, but it's an intense and important one, laden with symbolic overtones, that occurs immediately after Paterno has been fired by the university for his connection to Sandusky. Anti-Paterno protesters are gathering at his statue at Penn State, while supporters of the longtime coach fight back.

"I am imploring this man with (a) sign to let young ladies get a picture with the legendary statue in peace," Ratcliffe told the paper. "He doesn’t and so I threaten violence against him by smacking his sign and his hand, telling him to ‘Get lost!’ ”

Ratcliffe said that his character is based on an actual Penn State alum who would routinely harass anti-Paterno demonstrators, the report states.

The movie is directed by Barry Levinson, of "Rain Man" fame, and written by Debora Cahn and John C. Richards. It's set for release on HBO on April 7.

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