Their epiphany came in a much shorter time the Riley. When Brenda Tracy lays bare his involvement in her tragedy will you want our players to be able to opt out without penalty?
I don't think there will be backlash after she visits. Riley is doing all he can to make things right and to embrace her story and teach his players how a real man should act. He has publicly apologized to her and is actively choosing to bring her to the team to discuss the subject and tell her story of what was done to her and what it did to her life.
IIRC Riley wasn't the coach when she was assaulted, and the issue with him is she feels he did not punish the players strongly enough or denounce it strongly enough when he did take over as coach and had the opportunity to suspend or dismiss them.
Their case is one I view as two wrongs not making a right, "they" being Tracy and Riley. She didn't proceed with the charges, which leaves Riley in a grey area as to what his role should have been in meting out punishment. If there is no verdict, how is he to decide with a clear conscience whether the players are guilty and need to be punished? I can't claim to know whether the players professed innocence or admitted guilt to him. If he knew they were guilty and kept them on, I'm not ok with that. But if they never admitted guilt and there was no trial, why is it Riley's job to take over from there?
I don't blame her for wanting the whole thing to be over with and perhaps stopping short of making a lot of uncomfortable decisions in the name of justice in her decision not to go to trial. But by that same token, why is it fair for her to blame Riley for also wanting the whole thing over with and perhaps stopping short of making a lot of uncomfortable decisions in the name of justice? It strikes me as unfair that she elected not to proceed through the criminal justice system, but then chose to hold a grudge against Riley for his failure to act as judge, jury and executioner. Coaches are not supposed to be the ones determining guilt or innocence in criminal matters and carrying out sentences. That's what trials and judges are for.
Is that essentially the core of it? Is there something more I don't know about him allegedly going out of his way to sweep the whole thing under the rug?