Teacher torn between supporting their friend and ‘turning them in’

Q: I have grown up professionally with a group of teacher colleagues. The five of us started our careers as baby teachers in the same school many moons ago. One of us became a school-based administrator, another became a curriculum specialist, and the rest of us are still teaching and working as department chairs, me included. It’s a tough but rewarding career, and I value these trusted relationships immensely. We meet once a month for dinner to commiserate, cheer each other on, vent, celebrate, counsel each other through personal issues, and generally do all the things that good friends do for one another. We all value loyalty and prioritize friendship. 

Recently, I witnessed one of these old friends behaving badly toward a teacher colleague. My old friend didn’t do anything that egregious, but the person he mistreated has filed a grievance and wants me to back them up. The targeted teacher was shocked when I said no. I told them I hadn’t seen or heard much of what happened. But the truth is that I just didn’t want to get involved. The friends in my “baby teacher” group may be the only ones who could understand my reticence. I think any one of them would do the same thing for me. After all these years, this friend has earned my loyalty, and the last thing I want to do is wreck his career. I’ll be honest, though. It’s weighing on me. In truth, I’ve heard talk in the past that he behaves badly with colleagues at times, though I’ve never witnessed anything firsthand. I want to do the right thing, but am I within my rights to decide when and how I want to get involved in this kind of drama? It’s not like I have any authority to discipline him myself.