.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Former Penn State star linebacker LaVar Arrington has reportedly offered an apology to an alleged sexual abuse victim of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Arrington wrote an emotional story for The Washington Post about his reaction to Monday's testimony by Victim 4, who testified that he received gifts from Sandusky.
Victim 4 said he was allowed to wear Arrington's jersey and even had his picture taken with the Nittany Lions star.
"I always enjoyed interacting with kids," Arrington wrote in the blog. "As time went on, I knew he looked up to me and was a big fan, and I made a point of stopping to talk with him. I'd ask him the usual questions: 'How are you?' 'How's school?' He always seemed mad or kind of distant. I remember distinctly asking him: 'Why are you always walking around all mad, like a tough guy?'
"My preconceived notion was that he was part of Sandusky's Second Mile foundation, so he must live in a troubled home, and I chalked it up to that. I would just tell him to smile every once in a while or laugh, that it would make him feel better. I guess with everything that I had going on, it certainly wasn't a priority for me to try to figure him out. I saw him at the 1999 Alamo Bowl game and shared a couple laughs. I left school for the draft and that was that."
Arrington said he wished he had done more.
"So it's mind-blowing to realize that a kid I took an active interest in during my time at school was suffering right in front of me and I had no idea that the pain allegedly came from someone in my own football program," he wrote.
"My anguish and disappointment doesn't compare to that of the victims. All I can do is hope that Victim 4 finds this entry and can see that I'm offering my sincerest apologies. I am so sorry this happened."
