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One of the unforeseen — and mixed — blessings of covering sports

The Sandusky case brought the Fine case, at long last, to public attention. And it led Conlin's accusers, frustrated by the statute of limitations on his alleged crimes, to tell their story to The Inquirer's intrepid Nancy Phillips.

    by By testifying to the grand jury, the victims in the Sandusky case sent a message to every predator: You cannot use fear and guilt and power to destroy people any more. Those who see or hear something are much more likely now to do something.
    Published 

The Sandusky case brought the Fine case, at long last, to public attention. And it led Conlin's accusers, frustrated by the statute of limitations on his alleged crimes, to tell their story to The Inquirer's intrepid Nancy Phillips.

While we have to respect the wish many victims have for anonymity, we must celebrate those who willingly put their names out there. That important step toward removing the stigma from the innocent is also a step out of the darkness and into the light. Predatory behavior like this lives in the darkness.

If the Sandusky and Fine cases forced sports writers to go after powerful men and institutions, the Conlin case forced us to recognize that this can happen much closer to home - much too close for comfort.

That is the sad but necessary lesson of 2011, a year that cannot end soon enough.

Published