( CNN ) -- My prized Penn State sweatshirt sits stuffed in the back of my closet . The oversized `` We Are Penn State '' license plate that once perched above the door of my ESPN office , has been put away , along with photos of me as a proud , smiling cheerleader for the Nittany Lions . And weeks ago when my son received his very first college acceptance letter from my alma mater , Penn State -- a moment I thought would be one of the pinnacles in my life -- we both tossed the letter aside and prayed that he 'd get accepted into a `` better school . '' ( Our prayers were answered . ) I have Jerry Sandusky to thank for this change of heart . Reaction to the Sandusky verdict . Friday night , Sandusky â€ ” the former Penn State assistant football coach -- was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts related to sexual abuse of boys over a 15-year period . The jury took just two days to untangle this horrendous story and make a decision . And though some felt Sandusky would walk , I could not imagine how 12 jurors could listen to the courageous , heartbreaking testimony of all of those victims and believe that it was all a conspiracy , that those young men had all lied about the abuse charges just so they could file civil suits against an innocent Sandusky , as his defense lawyer claimed . Seeing this unimaginable story unfold for months has altered my perspective on sports forever . I 've worked as a sports journalist for more than 15 years , but through all the steroid stories , the accounts of domestic abuse , the gambling and corruption cases , I never lost my joy for sports -- football coming first in my world order . Then Jerry Sandusky happened and I felt sick . Joe Paterno died and I felt heartbroken and betrayed . Clearly , none of my emotions can ever compare to the pain and loss of innocence of Sandusky 's victims and their families . But this story has taken away my unabashed enthusiasm as a sports fan . Maybe it 's because I 'm the mother of an athlete . Or that I attended Penn State and knew many of the people involved in the story . And , like so many others , I can now look back and realize that something was a little creepy about the vibe around the Second Mile program and coach Sandusky . Jury finds Jerry Sandusky guilty on dozens of child sex abuse charges . Penn State 's standout linebacker LaVar Arrington played for Sandusky . Arrington , who was mentioned many times in the trial by Victim Number 4 , recalled in a column for Washingtonpost.com that he knew Victim Number 4 well , and that the young man always seemed `` mad and distant . '' `` 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 , '' Arrington wrote . `` I would just tell him to smile every once in a while or laugh , that it would make him feel better . ... 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 , '' said Arrington . LaVar is one of the most decent athletes I have had the pleasure of working with . And I share some of his guilt . I 've seen the world of sports up close and have always known about stories like Sandusky . Mostly , those stories are treated as one-time events by wayward coaches , or viewed as one sports program gone wrong . We in the media never stay on these investigative stories for long . And reporters have a very difficult time pitching abuse stories to an editor . Though most sports journalists will never admit this , the main goal in sports reporting is to celebrate and illuminate the games . Constantly uncovering ugly issues in sports does not make a sports reporter a superstar at the office . Sports media are just too close to the games financially and socially to fully examine the depths of sports culture . Since Sandusky , each time I go to a game -- college , pro or high school - I ca n't help but wonder if any of those young men have ever been abused by a coach . At least one study indicates that one out of every six boys is sexually abused by the age of 14 , a shocking statistic . Recently , I watched with happiness as LeBron and D-Wade won their first NBA Championship together . But I could n't help but wonder if they , or their teammates , had ever been preyed upon by a coach when they were young boys . Sandusky 's son fits pattern of other alleged victims . And the loving bear hugs that my son 's high school coach always gives players after a big win had me looking twice at him and the boys to see if I could detect any signs of unwanted behavior . And he knows why I 'm looking twice . I 'm not the only parent on high alert . Everything is suspect now . Am I being overly sensitive ? A bit too dramatic ? Do n't think so . This story has made me realize an important truth : . Sports are the perfect playground for pedophiles . We will never be able to fully protect children from evil predators like Jerry Sandusky . But we do n't have to be helpless . Post-Sandusky , what have we learned ? Will anything change after the headlines recede ? What can we do to educate and protect our sons and daughters from the Sanduskys lurking among them ? It 's time to pull back the curtains on the predatory culture in sports , for journalists to pay more attention to these types of stories . It 's time for parents and schools , starting at least at a middle-school level , to talk to kids about inappropriate behavior and how predators operate . This does n't have to be a sex education class , but certainly schools could begin incorporating into a curriculum instruction in how to recognize and report inappropriate words or touches by coaches and/or teachers . In corporate America , nearly every Human Resources department has mandatory `` Harassment Workshops '' for employees . Even as adults these conversations are never comfortable . By beginning to educate children about sexual abuse we can hopefully open up such conversations to help arm our kids as they grown into adults . We can make it easier for the next assistant coach like Mike McQueary , who testified that he witnessed a child being raped by Sandusky , to immediately take action and call the police instead of second-guessing himself and doing nothing to protect the child . We 've learned that adults need to be educated as much as children about how to recognize and expose pedophiles . A child who is abused needs to understand immediately that something is wrong and that her or she must tell somebody . If we do n't teach them , they have no chance at all against pedophiles . Telling our kids to stay away from sports or great college programs like Penn State is n't really the answer . This is not just a Penn State problem . It 's a sports problem . I know that just as I also know that my love of sports will return . But this time around , I 'll be an older and much wiser cheerleader for the games I love . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roxanne Jones .
Roxanne Jones says the Sandusky trial and verdict has destroyed her joy at sports . She says in retrospect , Sandusky 's Second Mile creepy ; such things did n't get talked about . She says sports just tell abuse stories ; this should stop . Kids , adults need education . Jones : If sports can attract pedophiles ; fight back by teaching kids about abuse .