It reminds me, in a way, of how many folks in Columbus reacted to Jim Tressel's less-than-forthright admissions in the tattoo scandal. He was considered a saintly man by many, and is even considered to be the fall guy for Gene Smith. Luckily for Smith, though, is that he has plausible deniability.
Sort of like when Belichick was caught cheating and the Pats fans didn’t care either.