Sandusky Cost Penn State $46 Million, But Big Sponsors Are Returning

General Motors, Cars.com, Sherwin Williams and Nike will all return as sponsors of Penn State now that the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal has receded somewhat into the past, Ad Age notes.

The Sandusky case cost the school $46 million in fines, legal fees, crisis PR and lost sponsorship money. Of that, about $1.7 million was advertising and licensing fees, and another $5.4 million went on PR and consulting firms, the school disclosed. (Ketchum, Edelman PR and Kekst and Co. were among the beneficiaries.)

But that was only for the year or so after the scandal broke.

Turns out most of Penn State's sponsors will roar for the Nittany Lions once again. This should come as no surprise. Several of Penn State's sponsors — including Pepsi, PNC and Highmark — continued to financially support the school even as the victims were testifying in court.

Nike even had to remove the late coach Joe Paterno's name from the child-care center at its world headquarters, Ad Age says. Yet Nike, and the rest of them, are back for more this season.

You can read more about the financial cost of the scandal on Penn State here.