Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, accused of sexually assaulting several children, said in an interview Monday that while he enjoys the company of children, he is not a pedophile.

REUTERS/Pennsylvania State Attorney General's Office

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ormer Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty on Friday of sexually abusing nine boys over a 15-year period, after the jury deliberated for two days. He was convicted of 45 counts of the 48 that were brought against him. Sandusky, who had been Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's longtime defensive coordinator, founded a charity, the Second Mile, to work with troubled youths, "which prosecutors said he used as his private hunting ground, scouting for potential victims." The verdict came a day after Sandusky's own adopted son publicly claimed that he was abused by Sandusky as well — an allegation that the jury purportedly did not hear about while deliberating. Sandusky, 68, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.