this is "nightline." tonight a secret facebook page allegedly with photos of drugs, hazing and naked women. this penn state frat under fire. new details emerging. will those involved face criminal charges? gentle giants. those clicks are sperm whales talking to each other. are they also trying to communicate with humans? we're joining some of the nation's biggest predators under water for some really up close and personal whale watching. and is he a killer? or just a parent struggling with secrets and lies? ryan phillippe taking us behind the scenes of his new gripping drama, talking parenting onscreen and off. and his son's adorable reaction to sharing dad. but first, the "nightline 5."

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good even. thanks for joining us. a penn state fraternity under fire tonight after its secret facebook page was exposed. police say it was a former fraternity brother turned whistle-blower who showed them the lewd pictures allegedly

being shared. it's the fifth practice fernfraternity chapter in the country to be shut down or suspended in the last two weeks. once again greek life is in the spotlight. another fraternity capita rho, suspended by national headquarters. some of its members facing potential criminal charges after a secret facebook page was exposed allegedly loaded with pictures of drugs, haze is and some nude seemingly unconscious women. >> it's very graphic. offensive. appalling. disturbing photos. >> what is the crime that was committed here? >> the potential cripes are both invasion of privacy and what's called harassment. >> reporter: at penn state news of the investigation elicited little surprise from the student body. many wary of greek life. >> seeing an unconscious girl like that it's very sad to hear that kind of stuff happens. >> women are always objectified, especially here in college.

it's always about sex. >> reporter: the bad boy behahavior may not be shocking to some. what was surprising, a fellow frat brother blew the whistle and went to police. according to a search warrant the images posted on an invite-only facebook page were restricted to 144 current and former fraternity members. >> with his assistance he was able to show some of the photos that he was describing to us. >> reporter: the man who police are calling a cooperating informant showed investigators the lewd images along with comments like "i banged her, lol." the secret facebook page was dubbed 2.0 after a previous version called covert business transactions was discovered and shut down. >> if these allegations are true, then there were many females who were victims of illegal offenses. and we would hope those people would come forward. >> reporter: the reaction from the school, swift. penn state vowing to hold frat members accountable, saying in a statement, the evidence is

inconsistent with the university community's values and expectations. >> i'm very committed to making sure that we know exactly who is responsible and then taking action on those that are responsible. >> reporter: it's a college party culture that some say may be unsafe for female students who are already feeling vulnerable. >> in my building there was a sexual assault in the room above me. the girls were sleeping with their doors unlocked and somebody went into one of the rooms. >> reporter: sexual assault is no longer being downplayed on campus as abc's linzie janis discovered. schools are beginning to address the issue head-on. >> you receive text messages every time there's a reported sexual assault on campus? >> yes. it's required. >> reporter: penn state freshman clara showed us text messages the school sends out each time a sexual assault is reported on campus. >> how many texts have you received this year? >> 12 to 15. >> they tell you where? >> the area that happened.

they don't give you names. they tell you if the suspect is unknown, then they give you physical information about them. >> reporter: clara says as a result of the frequent text alerts she is now more aware of her surroundings and is especially vigilant at frat parties. >> i just don't think i would get into a situation where i let myself be to that point where that could happen. >> reporter: kappa delta rho, 25,000 members nationwide, suspended the penn state chapter for the remainder of the school year saying it's conducting a full membership review and reorganization. >> we have a criminal investigation, we do not want to interfere with the criminal investigation. we have an obligation to do our own investigation. >> reporter: it's no secret that smartphones and social media have shed light onto dark once-secret corners of fraternity brotherhood. ♪ ♪ [ bleep ] ♪ >> reporter: this month two frat brothers from sigma alpha epsilon were expelled from university of oklahoma after being caught on camera leading a

racist chant. >> the chant in the video is ugly. it is demoralizing. >> reporter: today representatives of the national sae frat officially apologized to the public and promised to hire a director of diversity. >> we believe that we will benefit from having an expert to guide how we engage on these issues. >> reporter: in that case, no law was broken. but for the kappa delta rho brothers at penn state, they may be facing criminal charges. there's also the distinction between the criminal charge versus the court of public opinion. >> there are going to be a small, select group of individuals who may be charged. it's a misdemeanor. but they're going to be a much larger group of people who will likely be shamed. >> more than just the criminal aspect here? >> there's both the criminal and there's the university and there's just the, are you going to be able to continue to live your life with this stain? >> reporter: it's not just those caught on camera committing a

crime that may face legal trouble. >> if they get an image on their phone that looks like a crime's been committed are they criminally liable? >> they're not. but they are certainly morally responsible. and if they try and destroy the evidence in any way, shape or form, then that could be a crime. >> reporter: this past january, two vanderbilt university football players were convicted of raping a woman who had passed out drunk after a party. key witnesses at the trial were friends like miles finley who had received incriminating images on their cell phones. upon receiving those images finley warns one of the football players, texting, she can call rape delete that expa privilege. >> the moral of the story is you can't just receive an image that looks like a crime happened and say nothing? >> they got in trouble for destroying evidence in that case, for tampering with evidence. that's when you get into trouble. >> reporter: it's too early to tell the extent of the troubles for kappa delta rho.

>> we're with abc news wondering if you'll talk with us about your suspension. >> no, please get off my property. >> reporter: we asked members for comment. >> do you want to say anything about the suspension? you don't want to make any comment at all? >> reporter: members keeping a low profile behind closed doors. beneath the sign that reads, in latin, "honor above all things." up next we know whales talk amongst themselves. but are they actually trying to talk to us too? how do we talk back? later, the stars of "secrets and lies" take us behind the scenes of their hit show. somebody that's got your back. having chantix as a partner made it more successful. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix.

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♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. we're about to take you on an underwater adventure with some of nature's biggest beasts. sperm whales. turns out they're sending all kinds of signals and some of them might just be aimed at us. can we crack their code? abc's matt gutman takes the plunge into whale world. >> reporter: from the blue abyss, the sperm whale, earth's largest predator, cruising by.

making those clicks. listen. packed with information but what kind? and free drivers beside them on a quest to crack that alien code. >> we've been looking for intelligent life in the universe for the past 50 years, spending hundreds of millions of dollars. yet there is intelligent life here. it's in the sea. >> reporter: with only fins snorkels and cameras these underwater aquanauts have spent the past six years gathering these close encounters and never before seen images. the researchers they've their 17-pound brains the largest in the animal kingdom, pack intelligence. but mostly over the centuries the whales were thought of as a commodity. their teeth used for ivory, blubber for oil, wax, and soap. even their tendons used for guitar strings. hunted for centuries, the whales nearly went extinct. shockingly, some fought back.

herman melville "moby dick" enshrined in literary history and later on the silver screen. and this year the chris helms worth flick "heart the sea." a movie based on the true story of a ship rammed by a sperm whale. it sank and few of its crew survived. and it's still happening. these fishermen aboard this chilean fishing vessel at first amused, then alarmed as a sperm whale rams their boat. but fred and fabrice believe not only are these animals gentle giants but they have an advanced language they are using, get this, to try to communicate with us. >> do you think you'll be able to communicate back? >> cracking the code of a sperm whale would be a dream. >> reporter: we flew from miami to antigua to the caribbean island of guadalupe to join them. driving through lush mountain

rain forests to this tiny harbor. our initiation into the challenges of whale research starting early. >> this is the way you earn your breakfast. >> reporter: rowing through rain in a little sail boat operated by a curmudgeonly captain, think of him as captain ahab. fabrice fabrice's station, that speaker. on the other end a hydrophone and underwater microphone receiving and listening for whale clicks. >> the noise when we connect. i like this. it's this kind of thing. you just compress information. >> reporter: those clicks of information so precise, some marine biologists believe they must contain complex messages about food danger or even about their friends and families. hearing them enables fabrice to count and decipher whether the whales are forging thousands of

feet below for food or congregating in pods to check the surface. >> they like to be in deep water where there's a shelf? >> yes, they like canyons. that's where they hunt. >> reporter: it takes a few hours to pick up the trail. most researchers who study whales do this. but almost none do this. swim with the wild up to 50-ton subjects. mostly because so little is known about their behavior. >> there's a reason no one's doing what they're doing. it takes extreme patience. it's really hard. >> reporter: james nester is the author of the book "deep" which in part chronicles the obsession of these two makeshift whale researchers. fred and fabrice have spent thousands of hours at sea but only had about 40 encounters with sperm whales. >> what's the protocol? >> once we get in the water we should wait for them to come at us and make them curious. they have to initiate the encounter. >> reporter: and then dive below.

>> why free dive with them? >> free diving is a big advantage because we don't make noise. a scuba diver makes bubbles and that's a lot of news under water. >> reporter: a merman if there ever was one. he may have captured a whale calf born minutes earlier. its tail or fluke is unfolded umbilical cord still attached. he and fabrice have filmed humpback whales out of mature rishs. killer whales in norway. watch this predator slice through a school of herring. on our first day we strike out. the next morning we wait back out again. >> one of the problems with finding whales has been this weather, pummeling us the past couple of days. very, very windy which makes it hard to spot the whales. >> reporter: the tropical rains leave quickly and it's back to the speaker and that tantalizing click, click, click of the whales. >> that's 1:00 just in front of us. >> reporter: finally, we're

close. >> this is the moment we've been waiting for. they've been very elusive. now's our chance. right there. >> reporter: we suit up and jump in as one shoots a puff of spray into the air and then dives below. >> did you see that? okay. go very slow. >> reporter: the water filled with clicks. they're scanning us from below, maybe 100 feet, maybe 3,000. but make no mistake, the aliens are here. but how deep? we just can't see them. >> this is more like a game of chess than a rodeo. what we've been trying to do is go in the water, get them accustomed to us, hop back out, follow them some more. the idea is for them to come to us, not us to chase them. >> reporter: turns out on this day, the world's largest predator is shy. we go down again but can't follow. the whales will be back as they have for 15 million years and for as long as they can keep going, so will fred and fabrice.

for "nightline," i'm matt gunman on the shores of guadalupe. real-life parent ryan phillippe has a new tv family in "secrets and lives." his real son not the only one having daddy issues. >> as soon as he saw me being a father to other kids, he got jealous. it's a significant improvement over the infiniti we had... i've had a lot of hondas... we went around the country talking to people who made the switch to ford. the brand more people buy. and buy again. all-wheel drive is amazing... i felt so secure. i really enjoy the pep in its step... that's the ecoboost... the new image of ford now looks really refined. i drove the fusion... and i never went back. escape was just right. just announced, make the switch to ford and get $750 competitive owner cash on top of other offers at your local ford dealer. [chorus singings:] ♪ roundup ♪ i'm the protector of my patio. killing weeds where they grow. a barrier forms so weeds can't appear

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finally tonight, ryan phillippe brings us behind the scenes of his new drama "secrets and lies" and reveals the adorable way his son reacted to sharing his dad with a tv character.

here's abc's rachel smith. >> reporter: it's former teen heartthrob ryan phillippe, grown up like you've never seen him before. >> somebody help! >> reporter: a suburban dad, bren crawford the prime suspect in the murder of a 5-year-old boy. in the abc's who done it "secrets and lies." phillippe's character may or may not be a killer. >> even though he maintains his innocence he's making choices that a guilty person might make. >> reporter: right on his trail, trying to crack the case, juliette lewis, police detective. >> i was like, oh my god, i haven't smiled for four and a half months. >> reporter: phillippe has four kids, two with reese witherspoon. he wasn't sure he could play the role of parent on screen. >> when they brought me in i felt like i was way too young. >> really? >> yeah, even though i have a 15-year-old daughter, on the series i have a 17-year-old. you know. i still get carded for drinks.

>> oh my gosh, what a tough problem to have. >> reporter: phillippe is most famous for starring wither spoon in "cruel intentions" playing bad boy sebastian. >> i've been very well informed of your reputation. >> what have you heard? >> reporter: but now the roles are reversed. >> you go into a party to get your older daughter out of the party. i'm thinking, this is the ryan that we saw ten years ago who would have been in the middle of the party. >> i'm like, am i really doing this scene? i'm really doing the dad pulling the daughter out of the party scene? that was crazy for me. >> reporter: it was crazy for his son deacon who wasn't keen on his dad playing father to someone else. >> as soon as he saw me being a father to other kids he had to shield his eyes. >> oh my gosh. >> he's like, "dad this is so weird, this is so weird." >> reporter: phillippe is in every single scene of the story center okay his character's guilt or innocence. >> who is ben crawford? good guy, bad guy? >> that remains to be seen.

but he's a flawed guy, he's a regular guy. >> reporter: detective andrea cornell is quite a departure from lewis' roles in "natural born killers" and her oscar-nominated breakthrough in "cape fear." >> everything about her. i had to change my behavior, the way i spoke. she doesn't have a lot of fluctuations. i can get very animated. >> reporter: as the season continues, more plot twists are a definite. even the detective herself isn't safe. >> by the ninth and tenth episode, we get a little bit of her personal life. i mean, the show's called "secrets and lies." we learn that everybody has them. >> even detective cornell? >> exactly. >> it's a terrible job. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm rachel smith in los angeles. >> "secrets and lies" sunday nights right here on abc. thanks for watching "nightline." tune into good morning tomorrow. as always we are online at abcnews.com. good night, america.

[ cheering on tv ] ray, phone. take a message. ray, phone. hey, get me a -- oh, no, get yourself. that's the rule. hey, gianni, you going to the kitchen? i'm watching the game.

you're not thirsty? you look like you're thirsty. you look hungry, too. what do i want? pretzels and ginger ale. and macaroni and c cheese. man, are they annoying. yeah, at least you get to go home. uh-huh. all right, thank you. thank you very much. hoo-hoo-hoo! yeah, yeah, get a good look at this face, sucker because it's the lastime it'll be the face of a man who's never been to the greatest place a man can go. wherever it is, i hope they have mouthwash. oh, gee, i don't know. do they have mouthwash at the super bowl? what? yeah, damn right what. the paper is sending me to tampa to cover the friday press conference and then i get to hang out and go to the game on sunday.