I'm going to get personal, because this issue hits deep for me.
My wife was the product of a home like that. Much of the reason that I've brought her up about 1% as often as I did 5 years ago (when the canoe jokes started), is that after we got married, a lot of repressed abuse and dysfunction began to surface again. The job of a parent is to prepare your kids to be an adult in the real world. My wife's dad prepared her to be his slave, and used verbal and physical abuse to force compliance.
From the article:
I’m not writing this article for my father. I’m writing it for the people in the parking lot.
Yes, if you say something, you may ruin the relationship you have with that person. You may get embarrassed in front of the other hockey parents. You may have to go through the awkwardness of filing a police report.
My wife always got good grades, so people thought she was ok, despite the signs. Her mom always helped out at school, so people thought she was ok, despite the signs.
This is what needs to change the most. If you see someone that thinks they're ok, and they aren't, say something. Worst case, you're wrong and there's a reason for the negative signals you were getting. Best case, you stop abuse. Kids won't always recognize the abuse like O'Sullivan did and get past it. Kids won't always grow up and find people like me willing to be patient through dysfunctional recovery. Kids might never get the resources either O'Sullivan or my wife ever had. They need it.
Edit: removed details. They aren't needed.