With the guilty verdict Friday night against Jerry Sandusky on 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, some might be tempted to say that this painful chapter is over. Unfortunately, that's not even remotely close to the truth.
There are many wounds left behind that will take many, many years to heal. From the boys - now men - who were abused, to the family of the late Joe Paterno, to the entire Penn State community, countless people have been touched by this story. The total number of "victims" of every sort may never be known.
If there is a positive side to this story, it may be that the welfare of innocent children was given top priority, over any reluctance to taint a hallowed institution or hurt the reputation of a famous person. The Sandusky trial and another in Philadelphia - both coincidentally ending Friday - should serve notice that covering up the abuse of children will not be tolerated.
In Philadelphia, a jury convicted a Roman Catholic church official of child endangerment for covering up situations in which priests had abused children. Monsignor William Lynn was the first U.S. church official convicted of a felony in such a coverup.
The story from Happy Valley is more familiar to readers of this newspaper, however. Over the past year it became hard to find anyone who was not interested in the Sandusky saga. Rage, disbelief, sorrow, betrayal - pick the words to describe how you felt as this tale unfolded. Aside from the suffering of the young victims, who can forget the toll exacted on Coach Paterno? To be sure, there are many scars left behind.
What happened to children victimized by Sandusky and priests aided by Lynn was wrong - and some of it might have been prevented. Guilty verdicts handed down by the two juries should be remembered by anyone who, in the future, tries to forget that.
