Just less than a year after the grand jury report that led to his arrest, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison for his conviction on dozens of counts of child sexual abuse.

For the 68-year-old Sandusky, the punishment handed down by Judge John Cleland is effectively a life sentence. The sentence is what most legal experts anticipated, and under Pennsylvania law, Sandusky cannot be released on parole before the minimum term is up.

Sandusky made a 15-minute statement in the Centre County Courthouse in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.

In June, Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, convicted of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. Sandusky and his attorneys have maintained his innocence and plan to appeal. Sandusky defense attorney Joe Amendola addressed the media after the sentencing and said Sandusky is ready to start the appellate process within the next 10 days.

“The bottom line is this: Jerry never flinched from his position that he was innocent and that he wanted the opportunity to prove his innocence, and that he would not entertain any plea offer,” Amendola said.

Lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan quickly dismissed the defense’s remarks.

McGettigan said, “I understand that a person in his position feels they must devote a certain amount of time to the media, but he might have spent it preparing. I congratulate him on his occasional forays into proximity of reality.”

Witnesses said Sandusky used The Second Mile – a charitable organization he founded for troubled children -- as his personal hunting ground to find and groom boys to become his victims.

Among the three who spoke Tuesday, a young man who said he was 11 when Sandusky groped him in a shower in 1998. He said Sandusky is in denial and should "stop coming up with excuses."

"I've been left with deep painful wounds that you caused and had been buried in the garden of my heart for many years," he said.

Another man said he was 13 when, in 2001, Sandusky lured him into a Penn State sauna and then a shower and then forced him to touch the ex-coach.

Amendola told 6 News after a closed-door presentencing hearing on Monday afternoon that, "Jerry has always said his mistake was using bad judgment and doing some of the things that led up to the accusations (like) shower(ing) with kids," Amendola said. "He said he should have realized that that was not the thing to do. But he has always maintained and still maintains his innocence."

Penn State President Rodney Erickson issued a statement after the sentencing, stating, “Our thoughts today as they have been for the last year go out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky's abuse. While today's sentence cannot erase what has happened, hopefully it will provide comfort to those affected by these horrible events and help them continue down the road to recovery."

After the sentencing, Sandusky was immediately transported back to the Centre County Prison, where he has been since his conviction. He will stay there for the next 10 days, then he will be transferred to the state prison Camp Hill where he will be evaluated as standard procedure. After the evaluation, which is expected to take about two weeks, a decision will be made as to where he will serve the rest of his sentence.

Late Monday afternoon, Penn State Com Radio aired a three-minute audio recording of Sandusky from inside the Centre County Correctional Facility. In the statement, Sandusky said he knows in his heart that he did not do what he called "these alleged disgusting acts" and described himself as the victim of Penn State, investigators, civil attorneys, the media and others.

--Click here to listen to the statement--

In the monologue, Sandusky said:

"I'm responding to the worst loss of my life. First, I looked at myself. Over and over, I asked why? Why didn't we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial? Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations? What's the purpose? Maybe it will help others; some vulnerable children who could be abused, might not be because of all the publicity. That would be nice, but I'm not sure about it.

"I would cherish the opportunity to become a candle for others, as they have been a light for me. They could take away my life, they could make me out as a monster, they could treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts.

"My wife has been my only sex partner that was after marriage. Our love continues.

"A young man who was dramatic a veteran accuser, and always sought attention, started everything. He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers. They won. I've wondered what they really won: Attention, financial gain, prestige and will all be temporary.

"Before you blame me, as others have, look at everything and everybody. Look at the preparation for the trial and the trial. Compare it to others. Think about what happened. Why, and who made it happen? Evaluate the accusers and their families. Realize they didn't come out of isolation. The accusers were products of many more people and experiences than me. Look at their confidants and their honesty. Think about how easy it was for them to turn on me given the information, attention and potential perks. I never labeled or put down them or their families. I tried and I cared, then asked for the same.

"Please realize all came to The Second Mile because of issues. Some of those may remain.

"We will continue to fight. We didn't lose the proven facts, evidence, accurate locations and times. Anything can be said. We lost to speculation and stories that were influenced by people who wanted to convict me. We must fight unfairness and consistency and dishonesty. People need to be portrayed for who they really are. We've not been complainers. When we couldn't have kids, we adopted. When we didn't have time to prepare for a trial, we still gave it our best. We will fight for another chance. We have given many second chances, and now we'll ask for one. It will take more than our effort.

"Justice will have to be more than just a word; fairness more than just a dream. It will take others: somebody apolitical with the courage to listen, to think about the unfairness, to have the guts to stand up and take the road less traveled. I ask for the strength to handle everything and willingness to surrender only to God, regardless of the outcome."

The scandal brought devastation in State College that will take years to fully assess, as Sandusky's victims are pressing civil claims and a January trial is pending for Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, two university administrators charged with failing to properly report suspicions about Sandusky and lying to the grand jury that investigated him.

Soon after the three were arrested in November, the board of trustees fired Paterno, the school's most famous figure and a man who won two national college football championships in the 1980s. Paterno died of lung cancer in January.

Over the summer, an investigation commissioned by the university and led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that Paterno and other top officials covered up allegations against Sandusky for years to avoid bad publicity.

The scandal also toppled university President Graham Spanier and led to crippling NCAA sanctions against the football team that included a $60 million fine, a ban on postseason play and a reduction in the number of football scholarships the school can award. The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories for Paterno, stripping him of his standing as major college football's winningest coach.

At least four young men have sued Penn State over the way the university responded to disturbing complaints about Sandusky.

Eight legal teams representing at least 20 young men have surfaced, and the school recently announced an effort to settle as many claims as possible by the end of the year.

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