When scandals are large, people tend to make them generic and want to view them as all the same. Poor Matt Damon was roasted when during the original outrage at MeToo he declared that not all sexual offenses are the same. Of course he was correct but the movement went after him for saying not all these offenses were the same and they should not be punished the same. He ended up issuing an apology why, I don't know. Patting someone on the butt is not the same as rape-sorry Me Tooers but they're not.
Just the same as making a donation hoping you'll get something for it is not the same as having someone else take your kid's SAT test, or have a proctor collect your kids test and change the answers to give him/her a higher score. They are not the same.
The parents, coaches and administrators who did these things to get kids into colleges they did not belong in were wrong=criminals.