Sandusky
In an exclusive interview with the "Today" show, former Penn State coach and convicted sex offender Jerry Sandusky laughed off allegations of his misdeeds, claiming that the prosecution's key witness misinterpreted his relationship with a young boy. Reuters/Pat Little

In a recent interview, former Penn State coach and convicted sex offender Jerry Sandusky laughed off allegations of sexual misconduct, claiming that the prosecution’s key witness misinterpreted the events that transpired when Sandusky showered with a young boy.

In an interview with documentary filmmaker John Ziegler, Sandusky refused to acknowledge that he had committed a sexual crime, even laughing at former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQuery’s allegations that he heard Sandusky engaging in an illicit sex act. Excerpts from the interview where Sandusky spoke of his innocence aired on Matt Lauer’s “Today” show on Monday.

McQuery’s testimony that he heard sounds “of a sexual nature” coming from the shower was the crux of the prosecution’s case against Sandusky. Sandusky was dismissive of McQuery’s detailed testimony, even laughing during the interview to express his disagreement with the witness’ claims.

“I think there’s a lot of things that transpired. I think these investigators, the way they went about business, you know, his story changed a lot. I think he said some things, and then it escalated on him,” Sandusky told Ziegler. “I don’t understand how anybody would have walked into that locker room from where he was and heard sounds associated that was sex going on [laughs]. You know, like he said that could’ve been, I mean, there was ... that would have been the last thing I would have thought about. I would’ve thought maybe fooling around or something like that [laughs].”

While Sandusky refused to admit that he engaged in any inappropriate dealings with the boy, he acknowledged that he may have “tested boundaries," the Clarion-Ledger reports.

"Yeah, I hugged them," Sandusky said, according to interview transcripts. "Maybe I tested boundaries. Maybe I shouldn't have showered with them. Yeah, I tickled them.”

The exclusive interview occurred as part of Ziegler’s upcoming documentary, entitled “Framing Paterno.” In the film, Ziegler will explore the events that led to the disgrace of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was forced to resign after allegations of Sandusky’s misconduct came to light, Extra reports.

While Sandusky has been notoriously silent about his crimes, Ziegler claims to have conducted over three hours of interviews with the former coach, the New York Post reports.

Sandusky also told Ziegler that he doubted that Paterno would have allowed him to continue coaching if he suspected that his assistant coach was a pedophile, the Post reports. "If he absolutely thought I was, I'd say no," Sandusky said during the interview. "If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that."

While Ziegler’s documentary attempts to clear Paterno of any wrongdoing, the deceased coach’s family prefers to distance themselves from the film. According to the Post, Wick Sellers, a Paterno family attorney, referred to Sandusky’s statements as "transparently self-serving and yet another insult to the victims."

"The Paterno family would prefer to remain silent on this matter, but they feel it is important to make it clear that they had no role in obtaining or releasing this recording," read Sollers’ statement. "Moreover, they believe that any attempt to use this recording as a defense of Joe Paterno is misguided and inappropriate."

The 69-year-old Sandusky is currently serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after his 2012 conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse.