KENS-TV sports anchor Vinnie Vinzetta shares his experience surviving childhood sexual abuse
'This is certainly the most difficult thing I’ve ever shared,' Vinzetta wrote.
Preface by April Daniels:
This article was brought to my attention by one of our subscribers, who wondered if Vinnie Vinzetta’s perp was LDS. The reason the question was brought to my attention is that he references his perp as an “elder” in his religious organization. Please remember: There are other religious groups who use the title “Elder” for various positions.
The reason I’m copying and forwarding this article in it’s entirety, is because I believe there is a myth that only little girls are sexual abused as children. I know that little boys are as easily groomed and abused as little girls. I believe that it is a crime of domination. With that said, I applaud Vinnie Vinzetta for publicly sharing his story.His abuse, fears about revealing it, and healing process seem to follow a common path, that all of us, male or female, who have abused as children, follow.
With that said, here is the article, copied in it’s entirety from the San AntinonExpress, written by staff writer, By Rhyma Castillo:
In a statement that he calls the “most difficult” yet “most important” thing he’s ever done, KENS-TV sports reporter Vinnie Vinzetta shared his experience surviving childhood sexual abuse.
The abuse began when Vinzetta was just 13 years old, growing up in Oklahoma, he said in a Sunday report from KENS.
A neighbor of his “was a church elder and an EMS ambulance worker,” Vinzetta said, noting how his abuser had an adopted son himself. “He had everyone fooled about who he really was.”
After his parents divorced, Vinzetta, his mother and his sister moved into his aunt and uncle’s lake house. Shortly after, Vinzetta said his family was devastated by his cousin’s sudden death. “It was an impossible time for the family, as it would be for any.”
It was during this vulnerable time when Vinzetta said his abuser began taking advantage of him through “grooming,” a strategy that predators use to “gain the trust and compliance of the child or young person (and those around them) and to establish secrecy and silence to avoid disclosure,” according to Bravehearts.
“Child pedophiles are, sadly, very good at what they do. They are some of the worst of the worst. Maybe the very worst,” Vinzetta wrote. He noted his abuser took advantage by positioning himself as a “father figure” in Vinzetta’s life.
“I was a 13-year-old boy looking for a father figure. He told me there were things that fathers teach sons, and since mine was away after the divorce and my uncle worked out of town during the week, he needed to teach me things that fathers teach sons,” he wrote. “He stole my innocence. He forever altered the course of my life.”
Vinzetta said his abuser perpetrated the offense multiple times, finally ending when Vinzetta “begged him to please not touch me anymore. He never did. And he made me promise that I’d never tell anyone about it,” he added, noting that he carried an immense sense of shame within himself “as any young boy would.”
After his abuser died of a terminal illness, Vinzetta said he felt a sense of relief knowing “that he couldn’t hurt anymore children.”
Vinzetta didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until 2011, nearly 25 years after it happened. He publicly addressed the abuse in an August 2025 update to social media, stating that surviving it was a key factor in dedicating his life to helping children. Now, he’s sharing his story of survival through KENS to become a “champion” for those who have suffered through similar experiences, “to let them know they did nothing wrong, and they don’t have to be afraid or ashamed.”
“I didn’t know how to process it then, but I do now,” he said. “It is the most important thing I’ve ever done in life, surviving childhood sexual abuse.”
April 14, 2026
Rhyma Castillo
Trending ReporterRhyma Castillo is a trending reporter for the Express-News and a member of its Digital Go Team. She can be reached at Rhyma.Castillo@express-news.net.
A native of San Antonio and a Texas A&M University graduate, she is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience. She has reported on politics, immigration, climate change, gun violence, and workers’ rights. Additionally, she excels in lifestyle and entertainment writing, covering music, television, video games, technology, and relationships.
In her free time, she enjoys painting, drawing, cooking, hiking, climbing, gardening, playing video games, cuddling with her cats, and making music with her band.