At first I thought their accusations were as bad as the student's...but, in thinking about it, their accusations are worse: they have accused a dead man whereas the student accuser applied the original slander to the living.
An innocent individual accused of child abuse is dragged into an unfamiliar world where once-trusted colleagues avoid him, bosses suspend him, "friends" disappear, hostile strangers feel justified to pontificate as if they were Supreme Court justices (like some of you), "child welfare" advocates sermonize that children don't often lie about abuse, sympathetic family members that largely don't know exactly what to do to help him, other family members with an axe to grind who see an opportunity to bury him, therapists who don't have a clue, prosecutors and police departments who are looking for a juicy conviction, a media anxious to make an accusation appear to be a conviction, and strangers who are never neutral.
If the accused trusts the system and doesn't make a very forceful defense immediately, then he is viewed as guilty. If he does make a forceful immediate defense, then he is viewed as protesting too much...making unnecessary waves...bringing unwanted attention to himself...to the community...to the place of employment...and the gossips respond with metaphors about smoke never being too far from actual flames
The moment after the accusation is made the accused is dragged into a bizarre world where he is no longer in control of even small things in his life. This is when he learns that possibly the only thing he retains control over is whether or not he lives or not, and at times it appears to him that thery are coming to take that away, too.
Under these circumstances vanity, cowardice, or selfishness have nothing to do with his thoughts or actions. He simply wants out, and that bridge...that gun...that drug...that rope...are simply tickets to a venue that may or may not be better than life for the falsely accused, but certainly could never be worse.
That and as I said before, I could have lived with myself if I'd have shoved the little bastard.