46 replies to this topic

[Nicholas Taggart]

Penn State football punished by NCAA over Sandusky scandal

The NCAA on Monday announced a series of unprecedented sanctions against the Penn State football program for its involvement in the sexual abuse scandal that centered on former coach Jerry Sandusky.

The penalties include a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, an annual reduction of 10 scholarships over a four-year period and five years of probation.

But perhaps the most significant individual sanction in the context of college football history is that all of Penn State’s wins from 1998 to 2011 have been vacated, which means that Joe Paterno, who oversaw the Nittany Lions’ football program for nearly 46 years, no longer is the sport’s all-time winningest coach.

As a result, Paterno's win total decreased by 111 to 298. He now ranks No. 12 on the all-time coaching wins list. Eddie Robinson, who coached at Grambling University for 57 years, now ranks No. 1 among high-level college football coaches with 408 victories.

The NCAA also announced Monday that current and incoming Penn State football players will be allowed to transfer from the school immediately without penalty. Typically, players who transfer from one Division I school to another are forced by NCAA rule to sit out one season.

The NCAA is considering waiving scholarship limits for any football program that takes in a Penn State transfer. Teams typically are limited to 85 scholarship players.
The school has signed what NCAA president Mark Emmert described as a "consent decree" and will not appeal the sanctions.

“Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA,” Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a written statement said in a written released by the school. “With today’s announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward.”

http://www.washingto...eM4W_story.html

In a scathing rebuke of Penn State administrators, NCAA President Mark Emmert said the school had put "hero worship and winning at all costs" ahead of integrity, honesty and responsibility.

...

Emmert said the NCAA chose not to levy the so-called "death penalty" because it would have harmed individuals with no role in the Sandusky scandal.

Later on Monday, The Big Ten Conference of college sports announced Penn State would forfeit its share of revenues for bowl games organized by the league, and the estimated $13 million would instead be donated to charities devoted to the protection of children.

"TRAGICALLY UNNECESSARY"

"This case involves tragic and tragically unnecessary circumstances," Emmert said. "One of the grave damages stemming from our love of sports is that the sports themselves can 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.

"In the Penn State case, the results were perverse and unconscionable," he said. "No price the NCAA can levy will repair the grievous damage inflicted by Jerry Sandusky on his victims. However, we can make clear that the culture, actions and inactions that allowed them to be victimized will not be tolerated in collegiate athletics."

http://www.reuters.c...E86L07F20120723

[Patrick A]

Gotta be honest....I'm not 100% sure why the NCAA has any right to do anything to Penn State for this.

[Ricardo_C]

Gotta be honest....I'm not 100% sure why the NCAA has any right to do anything to Penn State for this.

The chief reason for the entire Sandusky cover-up was to protect their precious football program, and the revenue associated with it. The sanctions are a nuclear-scale deterrent. And considering Mike McQueary, the whistleblower who nonetheless was fine working alongside Paterno and Sandusky years after the fact (because once you report it, your responsibility ends, apparently), only resigned after the scandal broke, I think it's needed. I would have supported the so-called "death penalty" for their football program, if there was a way for all current Lions to transfer safely, but that's unrealistic.

However, I don't get the point of vacating the previous 13 years' worth of wins, other than as a symbolic gesture. Paterno and his teams won those games. Those players' careers have already come and gone, for the most part, so this post-mortem execution seems like pure grandstanding.

Edited by Ricardo_C, 23 July 2012 - 06:29 PM.

[Chris D]

I don't get the point of vacating the previous 13 years' worth of wins, other than as a symbolic gesture. Paterno and his teams won those games. Those players' careers have already come and gone, for the most part, so this post-mortem execution seems like pure grandstanding.

Yeah, that's one of those weird things the NCAA does that I don't get. You can't rewrite history. But the whole worship thing Penn State people seem to have with regards to Paterno is very odd to me (and I'm a pretty big sports fan).

[Chewy Sun]

However, I don't get the point of vacating the previous 13 years' worth of wins, other than as a symbolic gesture. Paterno and his teams won those games. Those players' careers have already come and gone, for the most part, so this post-mortem execution seems like pure grandstanding.

College football is a sport that is steeped in the celebration of the past. While almost all of the actions the NCAA lead to hurting the football program administration of PSU, letting all the players leave without penalty (as opposed to normal) was one of the few things that actually benefited the players, and taking Paterno's wins away is a direct shot at Paterno's vaunted legacy.

The secondary benefit (which really is the primary benefit for the NCAA) is that they don't have to bring up Paterno in every conversation about great coaches in the college game. If Paterno still had those games, he'd be the winningest Head Coach in NCAA football, and being that few coachs will have his longevity, that record is gonna stay.

Gotta be honest....I'm not 100% sure why the NCAA has any right to do anything to Penn State for this.

The NCAA likes to give lip service to "integrity." Also, in a legal sense, if not for the Penn state football program's corruption, you can lead a causal connection to their inaction to getting those kids hurt. So when it is the realm of the football program, the NCAA can regulate it (and Penn State already accepted the punishment).



Chewy.................................................. the NCAA actually did the right thing....and didn't end up punishing kids in their punishment of a program.....for once.

[Nicholas Taggart]

I think it is a completely fair and just punishment. Paterno destroyed his own legacy through his actions and inactions, this just makes it official. Maybe in the future if a school finds itself in a similar position they will remember this.

The fact that so many people seem to be completely freaking out about it shows that even though it is just a symbolic gesture it is a powerful one.

[Will]

Gotta be honest....I'm not 100% sure why the NCAA has any right to do anything to Penn State for this.

Clear lack of institutional control falls under the jurisdiction of the NCAA.

And Paterno's a piece of shit. I'm glad they took down his statue, although they should have torn it down and melted it.

I can't understand how some few people are still supporting him and his supposed legacy.

[Jim Ohara]

I can't understand how some few people are still supporting him and his supposed legacy.

5 years ago I was in Pennsylvania and remember having a conversation where the locals basically agreed that Joe was the closest thing to a saint and that he would be more fondly thought of that any President or world leader. And that seemed to be perfectly reasonable. I couldn't have imagined how that wouldn't be his destiny - to forever be remembered as a great man. I thought it was unshakable - and then we found out he did basically the one thing that would ruin him forever. It's almost Shakespearean.

[Patrick A]

The NCAA likes to give lip service to "integrity." Also, in a legal sense, if not for the Penn state football program's corruption, you can lead a causal connection to their inaction to getting those kids hurt. So when it is the realm of the football program, the NCAA can regulate it (and Penn State already accepted the punishment).



Chewy.................................................. the NCAA actually did the right thing....and didn't end up punishing kids in their punishment of a program.....for once.

Yeah but I'm concerned because if you actually read the NCAA by-laws, while there is some vague stuff about "ethics" the specific stuff about ethics all has to do with recruitment violations and eligibility stuff. According to ESPN this is the first time that the NCAA has punished a program for a criminal violation. I'd add to that the fact it was a criminal violation that had no effect whatsoever on the actual athletic performance of the team in question.

Further, the NCAA didn't follow their own procedure on this. They have a whole procedure they are supposed to follow in the investigation and punishment for any infraction and they didn't do any of it.

I'm not crying for Penn State, but that is troubling.

Clear lack of institutional control falls under the jurisdiction of the NCAA.

I don't know. It seems like there was a ton of institutional control, just not the type you'd want. The institution did a pretty good job of controlling this, right up until recently.

[Nicholas Taggart]

The ethics parts of the NCAA constitution are actually really clear that it isn't just about recruitment violations or eligibility or things to do with performance on the field.

[Patrick A]

The ethics parts of the NCAA constitution are actually really clear that it isn't just about recruitment violations or eligibility or things to do with performance on the field.

In the actual constitution there are a couple of pretty clear sections in the overview, but when it gets to the actual by-laws, its all recruiting and cheating and eligibility.

At least according to the sections on the NCAA's website that they are using as a reference for this.

[Nicholas Taggart]

”Individuals employed by or associated with member institutions for the administration, the conduct or the coaching of intercollegiate athletics are, in the final analysis, teachers of young people. Their responsibility is an affirmative one, and they must do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. Their own moral values must be so certain and positive that those younger and more pliable will be influenced by a fine example. Much more is expected of them than of the less critically placed citizen.”

[Patrick A]

”Individuals employed by or associated with member institutions for the administration, the conduct or the coaching of intercollegiate athletics are, in the final analysis, teachers of young people. Their responsibility is an affirmative one, and they must do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. Their own moral values must be so certain and positive that those younger and more pliable will be influenced by a fine example. Much more is expected of them than of the less critically placed citizen.”

Yeah, and I'm sure that's what they are going to point to. They have to, cause it's the only thing that fits.

Here's the problem though- the NCAA has a procedure for these things. Putting aside the fact that the NCAA has never sanctioned any school for or done an investigation of any sort of criminal activity...they (the NCAA) didn't follow their normal procedure in this case.

They have a procedure to investigate and sanction that they use every time there is a potential violation. Every time. Except this time. They skipped it completely. I'm concerned that they have violated their own by-laws and that because of that there is wiggle room for Penn State.

Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with Penn State getting the hammer brought down on them (even though I'm not sure what the sanctions are supposed to accomplish- the real villains are dead or heading to jail, Penn State didn't enrich itself in any way through this and unless the NCAA thinks there is a child abuse epidemic among their members it can't be to stop this behavior in other places). I just want it do be done right and to stick without any sort of question or doubt.

[Nicholas Taggart]

"For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and all others associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation, but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting the athletics program.”


I don't think it takes much to argue that covering up child rape then giving the rapist a massive sweetheart retirement package, giving him complete access to your facility, letting him keep an office in your facility, giving him tickets to games and other events, as well as loads of other resources that he used to take advantage of children doesn't meet the standards of morality, honesty and responsibility that they set out in their constitution.

[Arjan Dirkse]

I'm not sure about this...haven't been following it really, but this sounds a bit like a blanket condemnation, like everybody who was in some way associated with the Penn State sports team is tainted becuase of this. is that fair?

[Nicholas Taggart]

I'm not sure about this...haven't been following it really, but this sounds a bit like a blanket condemnation, like everybody who was in some way associated with the Penn State sports team is tainted becuase of this. is that fair?

Nope, just the people involved in harbouring and aiding a serial child rapist

[Patrick A]

I'm not sure about this...haven't been following it really, but this sounds a bit like a blanket condemnation, like everybody who was in some way associated with the Penn State sports team is tainted becuase of this. is that fair?

It's sorta fair. Paterno is dead (he got off easy). Sandusky is going to prison and hopefully so will the people in the administration who covered it up. The sanctions don't effect them.

Nobody who played for or plays for Penn State had anything to do with this. If you're a sophomore wide receiver with pro-prospects you've got to give some real thought to switching schools now, I'd think. If you're a high school kid who committed to go to Penn State you've really fucked because any decent school has given out all its scholarships by now. They are the ones suffering from these sanctions. It's not really fair to them. However, there isn't a good way around it since you've got to do something to the program.

[Nicholas Taggart]

The players aren't being condemned. Although I do think some of them are making themselves look extremely bad.

[Arjan Dirkse]

Nope, just the people involved in harbouring and aiding a serial child rapist

Well if that's the case, I'm all for it. But if these people are involved in harbouring and aiding a serial child rapist, then they could simply be sued. They might even end up in jail for that.

This:

The penalties include a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, an annual reduction of 10 scholarships over a four-year period and five years of probation.

sounds like it will effect students as well, the scholarship thing I mean, and people who play for the team as well, because of the postseason ban.

[Patrick A]

The players aren't being condemned.

Right, they aren't condemned. They're just punished for something they didn't do.

But like I said, there isn't really a better way of handling NCAA sanctions on a large scale.