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Those who knew of Nassar and did nothing allowed him to victimize others

Larry Nassar deserves all the punishment the courts can pile on him. The former sports doctor is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Equally as despicable are those who knew something was amiss but failed to stop Nassar from sexually assaulting hundreds of college and Olympic athletes, however.

On Tuesday, Michigan authorities filed criminal charges against William Strampel, formerly a dean at Michigan State University. Strampel, 70, oversaw the clinic where Nassar worked. He is accused of failing to monitor Nassar adequately, even after a patient in 2014 accused the doctor of unwanted sexual contact.

In all likelihood, the decision to charge Strampel was easy. He also is accused of committing sex crimes on his own, including harassment and assault.

But Nassar and some other prominent figures accused of assault and other sex crimes got away with their misdeeds for years, even decades. In some cases, their perversions were open secrets — yet people who knew and considered themselves to be upstanding did nothing.

The sooner they, too, are made to pay for their offenses, the more likely predators like Nassar will be stopped before the lists of their victims reach triple digits.

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