A member and former chairman of the Penn State board of trustees resigned on Thursday, becoming the first board member to do so in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Steve Garban said in a letter his presence on the board had become "a distraction and an impediment" to its efforts to move forward. Garban, who had stepped down as board chairman after Sanduskys November arrest but had remained a board member, was harshly criticized over his handling of the crisis that engulfed Penn State, and he faced persistent calls from alumni and fellow board members to resign. An internal investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh found that Garban was briefed twice about developments in the Sandusky case but didnt share what he knew with the entire board, depriving trustees of a chance to prepare for the worst crisis in Penn States 157-year history. Freehs 267-page report portrayed a disengaged board that handed too much responsibility to the university president and failed to investigate deeply enough once it became aware of a grand jury probe. After the reports release, trustees accepted responsibility for a failure of oversight and said they were "deeply ashamed." Board Chairwoman Karen Peetz, who announced Garbans resignation in a letter on the boards website, said at the time that no trustee would step down, however. Garban didnt immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday night. In his resignation letter to Peetz, he said he had "devoted" his adult life to Penn State. "It has been a privilege and an honour to serve the university that has done so much for me," the letter stated. "Indeed, it is precisely because of my deep gratitude to and respect for my beloved alma mater that I now step aside." He called the past months "some of the most painful of my life." "The horrific allegations that came to light in November have haunted us all, but nothing we have experienced compares to that of Jerry Sanduskys victims," he said. "My thoughts and prayers will remain with them always." In a response posted on the trustees website, Peetz thanked Garban for his years of service to Penn State. While Garban is the first trustee to resign in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, hes not the first board casualty. Incumbent trustee Anne Riley lost re-election last spring as alumni upset over the boards handling of the crisis picked three new trustees -- all of whom campaigned on a reform platform -- to sit on the 32-member panel. A 1959 Penn State graduate, Garban worked at the university for 33 years, the last 12 as treasurer and senior vice-president of finance and operations. Alumni first elected him to the board of trustees in 1998, and he began his fifth three-year term in 2010. Some trustees felt he was too close to ousted university president Graham Spanier, according to the Freeh report. "Some trustees thought Garbans history of being previously employed at Penn State, where as (senior vice-president) he reported directly to Spanier, hampered his ability to lead the board," the report said. In April 2011, the report said, Spanier told Garban about a grand jury investigation of Sandusky. Garban, in turn, failed to alert fellow board members. Garban told investigators that Spanier downplayed the Sandusky probe, and he recalled his former boss saying, "It was the third or fourth grand jury and nothing would come of it," the report said. Then, on Oct. 28, Garban learned from Penn States chief lawyer that two university administrators were about to be charged with failing to report suspected child abuse. Garban told investigators he was "astounded" when he saw Sandusky in the Nittany Lion Club at Penn States home game against Illinois on Oct. 29. Yet he informed only two other trustees -- James Broadhurst and John Surma -- that charges against Sandusky, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice-President Gary Schultz were imminent. Former general counsel Cynthia Baldwin told Freehs investigators that she thought Garban, as "conduit to the board," would have alerted his colleagues about the Sandusky investigation. Garban told trustees he kept it from them because he was not sure that criminal charges would come to pass, according to the Freeh report. Garban stepped down as board chairman three days after Sanduskys Nov. 5 arrest, handing the job to Surma, the vice chairman. One day later, the board ousted revered football coach Joe Paterno and Spanier. Sandusky later was convicted of abusing 10 boys, some on campus. He has maintained his innocence while awaiting sentencing. Schultz and Curley await trial on charges of perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse. They deny the allegations against them. 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Chipper Jones helped the Braves rally once again, matching a career high with five RBIs on three hits, and the Braves overcame a grand slam by Michael Cuddyer to beat the Colorado Rockies 13-9 Saturday night.In his final event at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Usain Bolt finished in spectacular fashion. Bolt, the anchor leg for the Jamaican mens 4x100-metre relay team, pulled away from the Americans and powered to the finish, leading his team to a gold medal and breaking their own world record, in a time of 36.84 seconds. The Canadian team of Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith, Jared Connaughton and Justyn Warner believed they had raced to a bronze medal, but moments after celebrating and waving Canadian flags, they were disqualified from the race. It was later determined that Connaughton ran out of his lane, causing the disqualification. "It was my fault. We ran a great race, Justyn ran a great anchor leg. As soon as I saw the replay I saw I stepped on the line. 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