There are two very successful professionals I have known for years who have deserved tremendous publicity for their many significant accomplishments.

This week, they got the level of attention they deserved, but for the wrong reason. These two public and civic servants who have given so much to our community identified themselves as victims of harassment by the University of Minnesota athletic director.

The "reward" for selflessly stepping forward to help prevent this from happening again is to have their names now attached to a shameless act on television, in newspapers and on the Internet.

Now that they have shown this courage, it is up to this community to immediately disconnect them from any more discussion of this act or this actor. When we hear their names raised in this context, drown that out with stories of their many accomplishments. Let them get back to their lives and their work, and put the scrutiny squarely where it belongs, which is on a person who did wrong to people who have done right.

We shouldn't need a name, or names, to know how wrong this action is, and we shouldn't need a crime to hold up the accomplishments of people who deserve attention for all the best reasons.

R.T. Rybak is the former mayor of Minneapolis.