McQueary had the opportunity to force Penn State’s hand and take all choice and politics off the table. By failing to do was what we all hope and pray we would’ve done in his place, he turned a crime in process into a-day-too-late, now potential PR crisis to people with too much power and too much at stake to be trusted to do the right thing.

All that hand-wringing, which led to a despicable course of action, could’ve been avoided (without fear of consequence, btw) had he simply taken that little boy with him and into safety.

Put yourself in the place of that 10 yr-old boy. You’re being raped and, miracle of miracles, help arrives…. a grown up, someone to take him away from his abuser and keep him safe. But what does your savior do? He walks out the door, leaving you along with your rapist. You are 10.

We know there was another Sandusky victim who tried to report his abuse and wasn’t believed. The emotional scar tissue of asking for help and being denied is tremendous. The damage done to a little boy who saw a grown up turn his back on a crime in progress… well, it’s unthinkable.

McQueary going to his dad and reporting what he saw to his boss is, to me, appropriate. But leaving that kid in the shower with his abuser… well, I don’t know how you sleep at night knowing you did that.

The fear he had of losing his job only comes into play because he walked away. Had he had the victim in his arms, the hero who stopped a crime, it become impossible for Penn State at that point to then reprimand him. It becomes too late to worry about reputation at that point. Damage control becomes immediate. The party line in that situation would’ve been to express shock and outrage… and the golden opportunity to publicize taking the moral high ground by alerting the authorities, reputation be damned. Penn State would have looked like another one of Sandusy’s victims…. duped by him like everyone else.

McQueary’s delay created the opportunity for officials to consider the option of covering their asses. He had the power to force their hand without fear of repercussion… he simply wasn’t smart enough to realize it. More to the point, he wasn’t man enough not to care about consequences and just do what was right. What he’d certainly have done if it were his own son being victimized.

Had he walked in on an Ohio State player attempting to steal a Penn State playbook…. there’s no way he’d left that locker room without having the book safely in hand first.

It’s unconscionable. I hope he prays every night for that little boy’s forgiveness. I hope they all do.

The cover-up after the fact is just as disgusting, but that’s no longer in question. I just wanted to point out that a could-be hero in this mess precipitated what followed. At 28 and a member of the program, he knew that by going to Joe Pa, the situation would be handled with Penn State’s interests in mind, not the boy’s.

McQueary got off way too easy in this report. He saw what he saw and heard what he heard and he stood by and for all intents and purposes, did nothing. And not just once, but again as the conspiracy of silence marched on. Anything for the program, i guess. He too should be held legally responsible should additional charges be pursued. And I really liked Big Red. Almost as much as I once liked Joe Pa.

God, Please help this nation.

Amen