Not sure where you got “hundreds” from. It was 40 that were sent to him by someone else. Plus a bunch of other stuff which wasn’t of minors (but obviously age isn’t the only criteria for legally or morality, so I’m unsure if the rest was “legit”).
He got into trouble because they were offered and whilst he initially declined them, he later changed his mind and accepted them (by saying “go on” after being offered again later on), knowing full well what they were.
And that’s where he crossed the line.
He had a great job and reputation over decades of work on TV. Then he goes and does that and destroys everything. Not his smartest move, for sure.