It’s the one thing that seems to be missed in all the Penn State firings and student demonstrations in favor of a beloved coach — no one seems to have spared much thought for the victims, those boys whose bodies were violated… whose innocence and sense of power over themselves was taken… whose lives are tainted by what happened, maybe forever.
In a sad, sick repeat of the sex abuse scandals of the Catholic Church, it appears another venerable institution has put its own needs before the needs that should matter most — the victim of the worst kind of crime.
I like to think, since we’ve been told there are facts yet to be made public, that Mike McQueary didn’t turn his back and walk out after discovering that scene in the shower in March 2002. I like to think he burst in there and beat the crap out of the filthy pedophile and offered comfort to the child. Called the police and watched Sandusky dragged off to his rightful punishment.
Wishful thinking. It appears he made a call… to Dad for advice.
It’s possible that McQueary spent that March night in shock and soul searching, trying to figure out what to do. Confronted with that undoubtedly horrible sight maybe his first, panicked impulse was to get away. What he’d seen was a threat to something he’d long-held dear… maybe there was a struggle of conscience waged during a sleepless night. I like to think so. He was certainly disturbed enough to go and talk to people of power (thought not the police) about what he’d seen, sparing no detail. Eventually he was told that Sandusky would no longer be allowed to bring children on campus, and that appeared to be that.
Meanwhile other boys, other sons, other brothers, other friends of your own kids were put in harm’s way. Became victims too.
Why isn’t anyone protesting that?
