NCAA Hands Down Severe Sanctions To Penn State

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 11:40:05 AM EST
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NCAA hands down severe sanctions to Penn State as a consequence of Sandusky Scandal:

The N.C.A.A. announced significant penalties against Penn State and its football program Monday, including a $60 million fine and a four-year postseason ban, in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal involving the former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. [...] The punishment also included the loss of 10 scholarships per year for the next four years, with a limit of 65 total scholarship players on the roster, as opposed to the typical 85, by the 2014 season. The university must also vacate all of its victories from 1998 to 2011, meaning that Joe Paterno is no longer the major-college career leader in football wins.

Penn State has consented to the penalty. In addition, current Penn State players can transfer to other schools and play immediately (usually, they would have to wait a year before participating.) Current players can also opt to no longer lay football and retain their scholarships (presumably these would not count against Penn State's scholarship numbers.

I think commentary that Penn State will be crippled for a decade as a result of these sanctions is accurate. There is strong irony in that the late Joe Paterno built the Penn State program and then tore it down by his strongarming of a coverup by the university. Penn State is still under the cloud of the Clery Act, under which Penn State could be liable for up to 27,500 per incident and loss of federal funding (which is around $660 million.) More . . .

In light of the findings that Paterno interceded with Penn State administration officials when they planned to report Sandusky to law enforcement authorities, it seems difficult to argue that the punishment was unjust.

Some argue that punishing Penn State as an institution unfairly punishes innocent student-athletes. I do not agree. All student-athletes can transfer from Penn State immediately with no requirement to sit a year. They can transfer tomorrow if they wish. If they choose to absorb the penalty by remaining at Penn State, then that will have been their decision, not that of the NCAA.

From a larger perspective, this scandal seems to highlight the biggest ongoing problem in college football - the lack of institutional control (voluntary or otherwise). Here the crimes that were covered up by Paterno and Penn State were so heinous that they could not be ignored. But usually they do not rise to that level.

College coaches make millions of dollars a year. The players make nothing. This is the biggest injustice in college football. Penn State is not complaining nor should it.

Speaking for me only.

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NCAA Hands Down Severe Sanctions To Penn State | 45 comments (45 topical)

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My initial reaction as a big CFB fan (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Slado on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 11:57:33 AM EST

is that the penalty is harsh and not fair to the players etc...

But when I think about other crimes were people are punished and sent to jail what about their kids, families, spouses, coworkers etc... Is it fair to them that someone is being punished and going to jail? They didn't they do anything wrong?

In this case just as with any crime the guilt is not with the punish-er (in this case the NCAA) but the people who committed the cover-up that jeopardized the program and all the people who participated and benefited from it.

When Jo Pa and others sought to cover this up they did so to protect their legacies and their part of the program they'd built. They where more worried about how the allegations would reflect on them, their possible past cover-ups and involvement with crimes that had most likely and possibly knowingly been happening for decades.

When you think about their initial motivations and culpability in this horrific crimes one can make the case that these punishments weren't severe enough.

Too bad for the players, students and the town of Happy Valley. However those most affected shouldn't blame the NCAA, the media and the public at large. Blame Jo Pa and the many others that covered up the crimes and allowed innocent children to be victimized.

It is impossible to punish an institution (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by Buckeye on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:43:28 PM EST

without collateral damage. Whether it be football, Enron or Watergate...authorities must take action when an institution requires it. Yeah, I feel bad for them too, but come one...we are talking about football. And as BTD pointed out above, they can still play - at PSU or somewhere else. If they were good enough to play at PSU, they are good enough to play at 80% of other schools.


: You wouldn't be thinking (none / 0) (#18)
by jbindc on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:54:33 PM EST

of that because this helps Ohio State, would you? ;)

Cover-Up (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by ScottW714 on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:49:56 PM EST

And what no one seems to be discussing, had these men done the right thing, Penn State might not be the power house it is or was, I guess.

Surely exposing a pedophile coach would have had a butterfly effect. And had a couple Penn State players went to Ohio or Michigan, that Paterno legacy may have never existed. It's impossible to know, but surely that was the root of the cover-up, even a tiny ding could cost them a great player. And a great player is the difference between playing in a Bowl or sitting at home in December watching it.


Agreed. And many future coaches (none / 0) (#6)
by Towanda on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:01:15 PM EST

come from the ranks of current players, at Penn State and elsewhere. Let this be another of those vaunted lessons learned outside of the classroom.


: Good discussion on ESPN after (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Slado on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:05:17 PM EST

the verdict.

Penn State should terminate its (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by oculus on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:09:54 PM EST

foorball program.

If they don't comply... (none / 0) (#12)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:29:47 PM EST

the NCAA will terminate it for them.

Now, if PSU did do that on their own, how would they pay the sanctions since it is stipulated that the funds must come from the football program?

That's a lot of alumni/booster donation $.


: I'd like to hope Michigan would (none / 0) (#22)
by oculus on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:09:44 PM EST

terminate its football program if a similar conduct and cover-up occurred. It is a tax payer supported institution, of supposedly higher learning.

Spelling alert: "Clery" not (none / 0) (#1)
by Anne on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 11:55:05 AM EST

"Cleary."

Agree with your take on the punishment; has the conference come out with its own sanctions? I had understood that they would, but haven't seen anything yet.

: Thanks (none / 0) (#4)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 11:57:37 AM EST

Big Ten has ruled that Penn State will not share in post season revenues - around 15 million per year.

Paterno no longer is (none / 0) (#2)
by Towanda on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 11:57:10 AM EST

the winningest coach in college football, with another of the sanctions levied.

A good move, too.

Sad Irony (none / 0) (#5)
by Slado on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:00:13 PM EST

The last Penn State quarterback to record an official Nittany Lions win? Mike McQueary on Nov. 22, 1997.

: Mike McQueary (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by TeresaInSnow2 on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:14:24 PM EST

was facing a mafia, one that he'd probably witnessed before, and that may have even included the police. I think he is the least culpable.

Winningest coach in college football? (none / 0) (#10)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:25:46 PM EST

No, he never was. That honor belongs to John Gagliardi at St. John's (MN).


Huh. Tell the NCAA (none / 0) (#37)
by Towanda on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 02:56:20 PM EST

that says it was Paterno, per many stories that I'm seeing.


If they all jumped off a cliff... (none / 0) (#38)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 03:23:48 PM EST

would you jump too?

But hey, if you want to go around posting incorrect information, don't let me stop you.


Now now kids... (none / 0) (#39)
by kdog on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 03:41:21 PM EST

MileHi is correct, John Gagliardi is the coach with the most wins in college football history...Joe Paterno had the most Div. I aka "major college football" wins.

After the penalty, Bobby Bowden is atop the Div. I coaches leader board.


Just trying to help CC out. (none / 0) (#40)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 04:54:25 PM EST

You know how she likes to come correct.

Bowden--that's just a shame.


: Huh? Could you try that (none / 0) (#42)
by Towanda on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 08:10:58 PM EST

in English? Thanks.
And no, no thanks; I don't jump off cliffs for the NCAA. I don't like nasties like them or other sorts.

Isn't the SEC the only (none / 0) (#41)
by oculus on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 07:33:02 PM EST

League that matters?


Penn State (none / 0) (#11)
by ScottW714 on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:29:29 PM EST

I have to say, Penn State is really doing what they should. Surely there has to be parts of the Freeh Report they dispute, and this penalty is surely something they could fight and reduce. But Penn State is taking their lumps and not making excuses for any of it.

I think that is a great start in restoring their reputation. I really thought the Freer Report was a formality that was going to exonerate Penn State and that the NCAA would follow suit and not get involved. Penn State didn't follow these men, they sucked it up, hired an investigator, and let the chips fall where they may.

It's too bad a couple folks failed the school and effected so many lives, namely the kids, but at least they should be proud their school isn't trying to pretend those men didn't fail those kids or that the school is responsible. One can only hope the Paterno family and some of the students will follow suit and except what happened.

In addition to the Clery Act... (none / 0) (#14)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:49:39 PM EST

Doesn't PSU's Consent Decree (PDF) open them up to potential civil liability?

Reading it now (none / 0) (#16)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:51:43 PM EST

to see if there is an admission of allegations section.


: Not tightly written for Penn State (none / 0) (#17)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 12:53:51 PM EST

only a passing "for the purposes of this document" statement.
I think it does Penn state a great deal of harm in its defenses.
I wonder if the NCAA simply refused to accept the standard "no admissions" language.

I note that the fine cannot be paid (none / 0) (#19)
by Towanda on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 01:01:42 PM EST

by reducing or eliminating budget for other athletic programs.

If that means that it is to come from academic programs, then shame on the NCAA. Require that it come from the endowment, as at least that would have only an indirect impact on academic programs. Or require that Penn State raise the fine from the rah-rah alumni and other who still protest that all of this just isn't faaaaaair.

re: $$660 million in federal aid (none / 0) (#20)
by Compound F on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 01:12:10 PM EST

the football penalties are pleasantly surprising in a world otherwise devoid of accountability. Has Eric Holder stirred from his coma? I'd guess Clery violations include revoking NIH funding; wiping out decades of research (and career scientists) should really be taken under serious advisement.

: That such a result (none / 0) (#21)
by Towanda on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 01:22:18 PM EST

would affect the funding of many graduate students will not be raised by football fanz. My prediction.

Something to keep in mind... (none / 0) (#23)
by heidelja on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:18:29 PM EST

...if accepting the NCAA sanctions against Penn State as being "appropriate" can be found here.

I have no problem with the ... (none / 0) (#24)
by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:18:37 PM EST

... severity of the sanctions leveled against Penn State today -- the probation, four-year bowl ban, significant loss of revenues and scholarships -- save for one, the vacating of 111 Penn State victories over 13 seasons.

If the NCAA wants to strip the late Joe Paterno of his record as its winnigest Div. 1 coach, fine. Given what he was apparently involved in with the cover-up, I believe that to be entirely appropriate. But was it really necessary for the NCAA bureaucracy to vacate all those victories from the program itself, rather than just from its coach?

Regardless of whatever we now think about Coach Paterno as a result of his moral failing in the Sandusky rape case, there is no question that he was renowned for his strict adherence to NCAA rules and guidelines when it came to running the Nittany Lion football program. His players were recruited properly, they went to class, and among Div. 1 coaches, Paterno's record of having players graduate with their college degrees speaks for itself.

But nevertheless, the athletic accomplishments of hundreds of Penn State players during the period 1998-2011 have now been determined to be nothing more than necessary collateral damage, as a result of the NCAA's bureaucratic inability to find some way to separate the moral failings of the head coach in an off-field criminal matter involving a retired assistant, from the on-field performance of his players, who as far as we know are innocent of any involvement in the cover-up.

These young men had nothing to do with the sins of either Jerry Sandusky or Sandusky's institutional overlords. And as I said above, there were no questions ever raised regarding the eligibility -- academic or otherwise -- of any of those hundreds of players during the period on question.

Yet as Slado noted earlier, it's indeed ironic that the last Penn State QB who's now on record with a win for the Nittany Lions is Mike McQueary, from November 1997. Thus, NCAA has apparently chosen to completely wipe out all records of the college playing careers of hundreds of Penn State players, in order to serve its own institutional public relations purpose.

In short, anyone who played for the Nittany Lions during the the period of 1998 to 2011 has been deemed guilty by association, and are now duly punished themselves by having their own college careers deleted from any official mention in the history of NCAA football.

Is that really fair?

: As my co-worker said (none / 0) (#26)
by jbindc on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:53:58 PM EST

(Who is a Penn State fan):
"I was at the game where JoePa won his 400th game. I stayed for the celebration after the game and saw highlights of his career up on the scoreboard. They can never take that away from me or the other 100,000 people that were there that day."

: Yes, since the NCAA erases victories (none / 0) (#28)
by Towanda on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 03:40:59 PM EST

by teams with ineligible players.
Paterno made himself an ineligible coach, one of many adminstrators complicit in an ineligible program at an ineligible campus.
He was not adhering to strict NCAA rules.

What do you mean all players can transfer (none / 0) (#25)
by Darby on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:19:21 PM EST

Immediately? Are they guaranteed being offered positions and similar scholarships elsewhere? Wouldn't the rosters and scholarships at other schools already be filled?

I understand the financial penalty. I don't understand punishing the current players. Maybe all football revenues for the next x number of years should be part of the fine instead.

: More info re transfers of scholarship (none / 0) (#27)
by oculus on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 02:54:14 PM EST

players from Penn State to other schools: pennlive.com

Now that the plantation owner (none / 0) (#29)
by Gisleson on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 04:35:40 PM EST

has punished the foreman for mistreating the slaves, it's nice to know that the slaves can transfer to other plantations.

The NCAA is the world's largest institution for the preservation of slavery. In no other field of endeavor (certainly not the law or medicine) are grown men (and women) treated in such a manner. NCAA athletes cannot accept gifts, jobs or anything else that might put food on their family's tables.

They risk grievous injury each time they take the field, and for that they get a watered down education that's widely known to be watered down, and therefore without value.

The NCAA is not punishing Penn State. The NCAA is trying to save face.

They do, however (5.00 / 1) (#30)
by jbindc on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 04:41:43 PM EST

Get the opportunity to get college degrees for free.


Most people who work that hard (none / 0) (#32)
by Gisleson on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 05:33:33 PM EST

get the opportunity of cashing a paycheck.


$100,000 education (none / 0) (#34)
by jbindc on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 08:37:51 AM EST

Plus room, board, and books.


You are serious, aren't you? (none / 0) (#35)
by Gisleson on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 11:51:53 AM EST

A room, which is just that: a room. When non-students live under such conditions, it's usually called a flop house.

Board? Athletes get fed very well for much the same reasons we never skimped on feed when feeding cattle back on my family farm.

Books? I wonder what the resale value is of a book on how to weave baskets? Also, I don't think the NCAA allows them to resell their books.

Yes, ideally an athletic scholarship is a wonderful thing, but few who receive them are in a position to take advantage. It's like a hedge fund trader giving tips to the kid who parks his car. What good are they if you have no money to invest, and don't know anyone who does?

These kids can't take advantage of these educational opportunities because they're simply not in a position to. Many don't have the necessary reading skills, others don't have the time (if you're really preparing for a professional career, you're working out twice a day and studying game footage).


Well, then (none / 0) (#36)
by jbindc on Tue Jul 24, 2012 at 01:24:35 PM EST

That is a choice they make, isn't it?

Many don't have the necessary reading skills...

This is a societal problem,a nd the university does bear some responsibility for this. Here's a thought, don't recruit kids who can't read past a 5th grade level just because they can play football.

But as to the rest of it - athletes are given more than every opportunity to be successful, considering most of them will not play professionally. Their schooling is paid for, they have access to good nutrition and health professionals, they have mandatory study halls and access to tutors. Unlike most college students, they (supposedly) have people who are checking up on them. What more should they get - a salary? Only if they have to pay for their education out of it. (Maybe some of them would take their studies more seriously, then).

And I say this as someone who thinks they should be paid a small stipend for expenses, since they can't work during the season - enough to let them buy sundries, go on a date, order pizza, put gas in their car, etc. Say maybe $1000 for the semester.


So you're saying that a star collegiate athlete (none / 0) (#43)
by Gisleson on Wed Jul 25, 2012 at 12:46:18 PM EST

who literally helps a university make millions of dollars, should consider a $1000 a semester stipend generous?

I suspect you're also four-square in favor of unpaid internships, no minimum wage and other measures to make sure that only the right people get a living wage in this country.


Hyperbole much? (none / 0) (#44)
by jbindc on Wed Jul 25, 2012 at 12:57:31 PM EST

: Well given your support for the status quo (none / 0) (#45)
by Gisleson on Thu Jul 26, 2012 at 03:00:08 PM EST

I certainly can't accuse you of hyperbole.
No, nothing to see here. Let's just move along, just like we've been doing for decades now.

Wait. (none / 0) (#31)
by Addison on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 05:15:52 PM EST

Students can transfer without penalty for all sports? Football was funding all student athlete scholarships across all sports at PSU. In the end I think they'll make up the shortfall in some way, but I hope it's not through additional fees or cutbacks to non-football scholarships (which may or may not be protected, I'm not clear on that).

What's the evidence that Paterno was involved (none / 0) (#33)
by Green26 on Mon Jul 23, 2012 at 07:40:04 PM EST

in the cover up? Besides knowing that Paterno was large presence at PSU, this is all I saw in the report. Looks a bit thin to me.

Here is what Freeh says shows Paterno was involved in the decision to cover up what Sandusky had done. It's an email from Curley (the AD) to Schultz (the VP) and Spanier (the president). Note the first few words in particular; these are what supposedly brings Paterno into this decision.

".... After giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe yesterday--I am uncomfortable with what we agreed were the next steps. I am having trouble going to everyone, but the person involved. I think I would be more comfortable meeting with the person and tell him about the information we received. I would plan to tell him we are aware of the first situation [presumably the 1998 matter, for which he wasn't charged]. I would indicate we feel there is a problem and we want to assist the individual to get professional help. Also, we feel a responsibility at some point soon to inform his organization [Second Mile] and maybe the other one [Family Services] about the situation. I need some help on this one. What do you think about this approach."

Note that nothing is said about what Joe said to Curley. Curley doesn't go on to say this is what Joe wants. Curley says "I think" and "I would"--not "Joe wants".

Curley and Schultz did not talk to Freeh. Obviously, Freeh didn't talk to Paterno, as he had died.