It’s a long shot but they could have gone the “therapy” route. The SAE National could have tried to save face by stressing their obligation to mold men, and they were going to see to it that these wayward lads received the best sort of therapy and counseling so that they don’t go down the wrong path.......
These morons touched the third rail of political correctness and dropped the "N" bomb. There is no face to be saved by SAE by offering a "boys will be boys" defence and promising to counsel them. Their only out was to go nuclear and eliminate the problem. Which they did.