Jerry Sandusky’s Victims Were In Plain Sight
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LaVar Arrington
By DERON SNYDER
Two things can be said of virtually anyone you meet: Either they have been a victim of sexual abuse or they know someone who’s been a victim, although they might be unaware of the latter.
Many people would be like former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, who was shocked to discover an acquaintance among Jerry Sandusky’s alleged victims. Arrington was mentioned multiple times by the witness identified as Victim No. 4 as Sandusky’s trial got under way this week.
“My sadness and disappointment are growing as I realize that I knew this young man fairly well but didn’t grasp the full extent of what he was going through,” Arrington wrote in his Washington Post column. “So it’s mind-blowing to realize that a kid I took an active interest in during my time at school was suffering right in front of me and I had no idea that the pain allegedly came from someone in my own football program.”
Prosecutors state that Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, sexually assaulted 10 boys from 1995 to 2008. Testimony thus far from the alleged victims — now ranging in age from 18 to 28 — has been graphic and heartbreaking.
