The child abuse scandal at Penn State has far-reaching ramifications, and it also speaks to the serious issue of abuse beyond one specific campus. Mitch Albom writes in a new column, “One Man’s Actions, And The Incalculable Damage Done”:

The damage done by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, if the charges against him prove to be true, is almost unimaginable — except for the roughly 14 percent of boys and 33 percent of girls, according to some estimates, who have been molested before the age of 18.

That’s right.

A third of all girls. A seventh of all boys.

And most abuse goes unreported.

This horror did not begin with Penn State. It will not end with Penn State. It is an ugly underbelly of adult behavior that has been around forever and is only increasing with the Internet and the spread of pornography.

Many were mistaken at Penn State.

But one man was responsible.

The damage done.