Penn State Scandal: Stopping Sexual Abuse Doesn't Absolve Mike McQueary

One of the biggest driving forces in the prosecution of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on child sex charges figures to be Penn State assistant Mike McQueary.

As has been well documented, McQueary allegedly witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in a Penn State locker-room shower in 2002. Up until this point, however, it was thought McQueary did nothing to stop the attack and simply told his father, as well as former head coach Joe Paterno.

In a recent email sent to former teammates, McQueary insisted he stopped the alleged abuse and didn't simply walk away as many have speculated. While that helps McQueary's case a bit if true, it most certainly does not absolve him from blame.

McQueary has come under fire for his involvement in the scandal and was placed on administrative leave for his own safety due to threats he has received. Stopping the incident was good judgment, but McQueary failed from that point forward, and that is why his job still shouldn't be spared.

Seeing as McQueary was the one who witnessed the sexual assault, he had a personal responsibility to alert the authorities. He did tell his father and he told Paterno, but he didn't go any further. Once it became abundantly clear that athletic director Tim Curley was going to keep the issue in house, McQueary should have been the one to blow the whistle.

He was probably afraid of how it would affect his job and the university as a whole, but his morality should have superseded anything else in that case. McQueary may not have been completely inactive in the situation as many first thought, but he is still somewhat at fault.

Also, we can't yet take his word as fact. It is quite concerning McQueary failed to mention he put a stop to the sexual abuse in his grand jury testimony. It may not be a coincidence McQueary came out with this story in the midst of a firestorm regarding his actions.

With that in mind, he could very much be making up this story in order to save face. There is no telling how valid his proclamation is at this point, but his inconsistencies through this process thus far are certainly disconcerting to say the least.

Even if it is somehow proven that McQueary stepped in, it doesn't change anything. He could have notified the police and he could have put a stop to Sandusky's actions immediately. Instead, he essentially kept it to himself and may have put many more children in harm's way.