NCAA President Mark Emmert came down hard on Penn State’s football program today, handing down some of the most severe sanctions in college sports history.
While the Nittany Lions did not get the death penalty, The Sporting News reports that it may take decades for the college and its football program to recover.
The sanctions:
- All wins from 1998 through 2011 vacated, including 111 of Joe Paterno’s 409 career victories, dropping him from first in all time victories to seventh.
- A four-year postseason ban
- A $60 million fine, the equivalent of one year of revenue for the Penn State football program
- Forty scholarship losses – 10 a year for each of the next four years.
- All players can transfer and immediately be eligible to play at their new schools.
Penn State has agreed not to appeal the sanctions, which were handed down less than two weeks after former FBI Director Louis Freeh submitted a 267-page report in concealing the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.
Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child abuse last month.
The $60 million fine will be paid over the next five years into a special endowment created to fund programs for the detection, prevention and treatment of child abuse, said university President Rodney Erickson.
“This total of $60 million can never reduce the pain suffered by victims, but will help provide them hope and healing,” Erickson said.
Said the NCAA’s Emmert: “One of the grave dangers stemming from our love of sports is that the sports themselves become too big to fail, indeed, too big to even challenge.
"The result can be an erosion of academic values that are replaced by the value of hero worship and winning at all costs. All involved in intercollegiate athletics must be watchful that programs and individuals do not overwhelm the values of higher education. In the Penn State case, the results were perverse and unconscionable."
The entire Sandusky coverup occurred because of the football over everything culture at PSU. A couple of years without football would give the university time to regain perspective return to being a learning institution instead of a football factory. Saturdays would be different. Students would return to learning, football players would transfer to other football factories, and alumni can do whatever they wish. All would find that life goes on just fine. Instead, games and parties will go on and the football culture will rally around the belief that they are innocent victims of a PC vendetta. Throughout it all, the children abused through PSU' inaction are forgotten. The only downside to the death penalty would have been the economic impact to the beer and liquor stores and bars on College Avenue.
So what else do you want?
It's not about "punishing football", it about changing the culture and values at PSU and among their supporters. It is that culture that let this happen. They protected a criminal in order to protect the football program from bad publicity. The program needs to pause so the university and it's ardent supporters can rethink their priorities and realize what PSU should be about. Too many people place the worth of PSU on football and not the institution that it can be. That is the culture that needs to change. I am seeing little evidence to that effect to date. If the death penalty is a "lesser" penalty, than I support the lesser penalty.
How misguided and rude to imply that the thousands of students who graduate every year, athletes included, have not been learning. You are clearly just one of those people who resent athletes getting scholarships but overlook all the revenue they bring to the school. I guess the students should have no fun and should just study 24/7. I believe the NCAA over-stepped their boundaries. This is a legal matter. The scandal did not impact the outcome of any games. I do believe Paterno knew more than he admitted and support the fine and stripping him of the victories. I do not support the other sanctions that punish the students, athletes and busines owners in State College. As a legal issue, Paterno did all he had to do by reporting it. That stinks. Why have we not been hearing about steps being taken to change the law so that anyone with knowledge would be forced to report it to the police? If you actually care about the poor kids who were abused by Sandusky you will call your elected officials today and demand a change in the law.
It appears that day care teachers, school teachers, and nurses are held to higher standards than coaches and university officials making 10 times more money.
How is a student athlete "punished" if he still has his scholarship? If "student" is his first priority, he will stay at PSU. If "athlete" is the first priority, he will transfer somewhere else to play. All of the arguments against the death penalty indicate the football culture that needs to be rethought. My only reservation about the death penalty is the impact on local business.
While Corbett was an appointed AG to complete a unexpired term in 95-97, that was before the first allegations against Sandusky came out in 98. By then, Mike Fisher (now a Federal judge) was elected AG. Corbett was not elected to be AG until 2005, long after Center County DA Gricar dropped the case in 1998. Corbett's office was the solution to this problem after it came to their attention in 2009 when new allegations surfaced when a new victims parent complained and it enterred the state system. Corbett's office subpoenaed Penn State early in 2010. It was Spanier that covered up the problem and who failed to inform the PSU board.
The details have not been fully disclosed, so it's basically folly to try and guess at who knew what and when. It is doubtful the truth will ever come out fully, and in a case like this there are many sides to the story, so let's look at the facts. 1. Penn State obviously had a liability, to the tune of $70M+, or they would not have so readily settled this part of the investigation 2. While it's easy to say they threw Joepa under the bus, from the beginning it was clear he had serious culpability. THEY FIRED A LIVING LEGEND! The one good thing that can result from this sordid event is that people will learn that it is not acceptable to sweep it under the rug, and that it is better to take the pain and embarrassment of full disclosure if it means potentially preventing one more case of abuse. I hope this serves as a wake up call to every institution and person in our country.
In fact, the public knew about something was up even early in 2011. I was, so I was not surprised when Sandusky was indicted in November, but I was shocked by the extent of his involvement and the administration's (and Paterno's) coverup. See: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-sandusky-charges-040111,0,4161139.story from APRIL 1, 2011, over 7 months before the indicitments. Lets keep the blame where it belongs: first and foremost Sandusky, and then PSU. If you can't understand this timeline, and how Corbett was only in position to act only after the complaint was made in 2009 and how Sandusky was under the gun and being watched since early 2010 at the latest, heaven help you!
http://www.yardbird.com/joe_paterno_takes_the_fall.htm
Punish the myriad farmers, Rebel-flag waving, rednecks of Pennsylvania's li'l Alabama. Those "faithful" hundreds of thousands who cannot spell "pedophile" or "sanctimonious" or "institutional corruption" but LOOOOOOVE PSU football. Punish the overweight, under educated, jean-short and LA Gear wearing, mullet-headed, incest committing "Friends of Joe" from Reading, Johnstown, Altoona, and Williamsport. Punish those who brandish multiple PSU car magnets and stickers, together with their NRA, NASCAR, and "God made Adam and Eve, NOT Adam and Steve" bumper stickers. Those who celebrate Rick Santorum, those who call for Barack Obama's birth certificate, those who elected Tom Corbett. Those who say things like "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are not REAL Pennsylvania". Those who go to Insane Clown Posse concerts, AS WELL AS Christian Rock festivals. I am talking about you!!! Your punishment.... hold your breath... Forced attendance at PSU men's basketball games...for four years. Furthermore, the PSU lacrosse team (country's best coach, and goalie) home games will forever be relocated to Beaver Stadium - which is to be renamed "Beaver Slayer Stadium" in homage to the nation's great lax players who did not attend PSU and do not condone pedophilia. Its time for a change! Its time to PUNISH THE FANS! GUILT BY ASSOCIATION!!!
Those cry-baby "why punish the students and fans for the actions of JUST THREE PEOPLE (they won't include Joe, of course, and count "FOUR"). These chumps need to be punished. When has the NCAA ever punished those truly at fault? When in the history of the NCAA did those individuals directly responsible for violations receive sanction? NEVER?!?! Punishment by NCAA is ALWAYS in arrears. Its always without harm to the those who committed the violation. The sanctimonious cries of "fair play" by the PSU cry babies needs to stop. Where were you for the OSU fans? For the USC fans? For the Miami, Memphis State, Baylor (years ago, when one b-ball player murdered another... YES! A criminal act by one occurring outside the program for which THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY WAS PUNISHED). Why weren't you standing up for "fans rights" then? You chumps.... Your punishment... getting your head whizzered into the ground by PSU wrestling coach and greatest NCAA ATHLETE OF ALL TIME, Cael Sanderson!! As you pick up your teeth and try to stop the birds chirping in your ears and stars from clouding your vision, maybe you will understand a simple rule. THE NCAA ALWAYS PUNISHES THE FANS AND THE INSTITUTION. People are beyond reproach. You stinking CHUMPS...
The NCAA hurt the innocent student athletes and fans. What about having the NCAA standup goals and putting academic achievement ahead achievement on n the field. How many professional athletes who were recruited. Into