something I've only just realised re Mike taking the rap

After talking to William at the party (after trudging into a side room with his tail between his legs after being humiliated), apologising for past behaviour and helping him escape when the party gets busted, everyone thinks Mike telling the police that he'd forced William to get drunk and take his clothes off etc was yet another good deed by Mike, making it all the more disappointing when he dismisses William in front of the other jocks later that morning.
It's only on my most recent viewing I've realised, Mike's story sounds more like he was trying to save face with the local cops, rather than nobly taking the blame or concocting a tale that would let William walk free.
He'd rather prolong his reputation as a hard-drinking bully with the local cops (who probably idolised him as the local high school football hero and so he'd be practically immune from any serious consequences) than admit that he'd been voluntarily hanging around with William and got jumped and knocked out by 2 (what he'd have thought were) party goers.
I tell you, this movie is nuanced. I'm not entirely sure how Mike explained how he was also in a compromising position, but maybe his football hero status saw it never mentioned again until the polaroids surfaced years later.