Former ESPN Anchor Dana Jacobson Was a Childhood Victim of Molestation By a Babysitter

Like the young men who bravely took the stand in the Sandusky trial, I was molested as a child.  That’s still not easy for me to say, let alone write and share publicly, but if we’ve learned anything from the Sandusky scandal it’s that the time for silence is over.  As I heard one Sandusky victim put it, it’s time to “find my voice.”

It was something I couldn’t do when I was molested.  I didn’t speak out, no matter how many chances I may have had.  I just couldn’t.  Travis Weaver, one of the young men who testified in front of the grand jury in the Sandusky case but not at trial did an interview which aired on Rock Center last week.  He said he was scared to say anything because he thought no one would believe him.  I know that feeling.

That’s what these monsters count on, our silence.  They have the power and they know it.

Jacobson hopes that her story helps other victims find their voices, the way that the victims at Penn State helped her find her own voice.

[Dana Jacobson’s Blog, Getty]