Both Paternos were named on a list of potential defense witnesses shown during jury selection this week, although attorneys said at the time they had not issued any subpoenas.
Barred by a judicial gag order, Sandusky's lawyer, Joseph Amendola, was not available to comment Thursday on what testimony Paterno's family might provide.
Sandusky worked for three decades under Joe Paterno, much of that time as defensive coordinator for a university known in football circles as "Linebacker U." But Sandusky's arrest last fall on 52 counts of child-sex abuse dealt a sharp blow to Paterno's fortunes.
The university board of trustees fired the longtime head coach in November for not doing more in 2001 when allegations against Sandusky were first brought to his attention. Paterno, 85, died of lung cancer two months after Penn State fired him.
Since then, Paterno's family has staunchly defended his reputation and occasionally issued sharp statements critical of university leaders.
Sandusky, 68, is accused of molesting 10 boys over 15 years. He has denied the charges.
Other potential trial witnesses prosecutors and defense lawyers have named are former university president Graham B. Spanier, who also lost his job in the wake of Sandusky's arrest, and Mike McQueary, a Penn State assistant football coach who made the 2001 accusations against Sandusky to Paterno.
Contact Jeremy Roebuck at 267-564-5218, jroebuck@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @jeremyrroebuck.
