Bob Costas Explains How He Landed 'Very Strange' Sandusky Interview (Video)

The morning after his well-received interview with alleged child rapist and former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, Bob Costas appeared on MSNBC to talk about how the last-minute interview came up.

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"I was set to sit down with his attorney, Joseph Amendola, and no more than 10-15 minutes before the cameras were to roll, Amendola says ‘What if I can get Sandusky on the phone?’" Costas told Morning Joe's Willie Geist. "And I’m thinking, ‘I wonder from your standpoint whether that’s the smartest thing to do, but at the same time, sure if you want to do it, let’s get him on the phone.’ And that’s what happened."

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The NBC sportscaster also said it was never clear whether the idea for Sandusky to come on the air was his decision or his attorney's.

Their interview, which appeared on a ratings-boosted broadcast Rock Center With Brian Williams, was punctuated by straightforward questions from Costas about accusations that Sandusky engaged in criminal sexual conduct with underage boys for years.

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Sandusky's answers, as Costas pointed out, did little to clarify the circumstances of the 40 counts of sexual abuse brought against the former defensive coordinator.

"Very strange," Costas called one response. "[Assistant coach Mike] McQueary says he witnessed a rape... Pretty difficult to confuse the kind of horseplay that Sandusky described -- even though that would be in and of itself inappropriate -- to confuse that kind of horseplay with a forcible rape."

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Costas noted that the involvement of now-ousted Penn State coach Joe Paterno also remains particularly cloudy, with Sandusky's responses about Paterno's knowledge of the accusations revealing no new information.

"I don't think it can be explained satisfactory," Costas said. "There's no way to explain it away. The extent of his involvement or non involvement has yet to be fully established."

Watch the full interview below: