Replies

This could have been stopped years ago if McQueary (an actual witness) had gone to the police instead of to Coach, but the reaction (or lack of) stems, I think, from the same kind of disbelief and instinct to protect the institution as happened with the pedophile priest scandal.

Once each person involved told the next person they felt (hoped) their personal responsibility had ended. But so long as everyone in that chain was more protective of the institution and its image than of some, to them, anonymous kids the abuse would continue. The same kind of denial happens within families. "No, everything's good and my husband/wife/father/mother/sister/brother/uncle didn't do that and/or has promised to stop".

It is a terrible and sad, but in terms of survival quite functional, aspect of human nature that most of us are cowards with the ability to compartmentalize and "forget" that which our minds cannot accept. But that's no excuse for anyone who knew about this and let it go on. Turn coward in battle and your sergeant will shoot you. Knowingly let a pedophile run wild for years damaging dozens of children under your nose and firing from your job is the least of the penalties you should fear.