And if he didn’t confess publicly, I could see him catching flack for trying to hide his sin. A lot of public figures are criticized for not admitting they’re human also, for putting themselves up on a pedestal.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
Yes, it is a hard call and if the news reported he departed for unknown reasons, then the speculation would be “why did he not confess.” It is a difficult call, but he apparently had his reasons to do so. He has to answer, not us.