U.S. boxing legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, stunned the Pennsylvania State University audience Monday by revealing the sexual abuse he suffered as a young aspiring sportsman at the hands of coaches. He strongly urged victims of similar abuse to report it immediately.
It was a sold-out conference on child abuse hosted by Pennsylvania State. Just a few weeks ago Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant football coach was sentenced to prison for 30 to 60 years after he was found guilty of sexually abusing 10 young boys.
Leonard, 56, retired from boxing after winning championships in five different categories. He disclosed when he was young, his "trustworthy" boxing coaches sexually abused him.
"Trust is a very sacred thing, especially for young people, kids, or a young boxer, so I trusted these people, these individuals who impacted my life. They told me everything I wanted to hear, and more," he said
Leonard further said that he took to drugs and alcohol to "numb" his shame and humiliation of being a victim of child sexual abuse. "I beat myself up for years."
The champion boxer also declared that he would take the initiative as a leader in his crusade against child sex abuse and is hopeful that other victims will muster the courage to report such crimes to the police.
He was greeted with a round of applause when he declared: "I'm going to be the poster child. I don't care. I will be that leader. I will stand right there and say, 'Yes, something must be done now. Not later, now.'"
Pennsylvania State president Rodney Erickson, without clearly mentioning Sandusky's name but obviously alluding to him said he hoped the bottom line in the wake of the recent scandal was more victims should come forward rather than keep the secret to themselves.
"I hope that even more survivors will take their first steps towards recovery with the confidence that their family, friends and community will believe and support them," he said.
Erickson assumed office following the sack of Graham Spanier, the Penn State's president, in the wake of Sandusky's arrest last year. According to an independent report by Louis Freeh, the former FBI chief, as many as four former university officials had been made aware of Sandusky's abuse but they ignored it completely.
The officials in question are Spanier, Joe Paterno, Gary Schultz - the vice president and Tim Curley - the athletic director.
Meanwhile The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) has confirmed that the volume of calls to its sexual assault hotline has increased by 47 percent following Sandusky's imprisonment.
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