Penn State (possible death penalty)

[Dossenator]

NCAA president interviewed on PBS by Tavis Smiley: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr- ... ncaaf.html

Does not look good for Penn State.

I have been listening to ESPN talk about the report that was released a few days ago. What a bunch of slime balls that were running Penn State University and the athletic program (and that included Joe Pa). Report shows that Joe Pa was involved in the cover up, and signed off on Sandusky still having access to the athletic facilities. Showed there was a cover up in 1998 before this past cover up. So when Joe Pa was told of Sandusky in the shower this was not the first time such allegations had been brought up. And he still allowed this evil human being to come and go as he pleased.

Just blows my mind that well educated adults would have info about kids being sexually assaulted and do absolutely nothing to stop the abuse and help these kids. The administration was too worried about Penn State image (and what it would mean financially to the school) and Joe Pa was more concerned about putting his name in the record books. Just makes me sick.

[Spence]

It shouldn't have happened. It is the worst kind of coverup - one that hurt people, kids even. Every school has had issues with the NCAA. Some are large and some are small. There is nothing as bad as what Penn State employees did - nothing.

Here is my problem with the death penalty for Penn State or any other school - the people who are going to be punished here (by the NCAA) do not work for the school any longer. Granted these guys will probably never work in a similar position again, but coaches and administrators caught breaking rules to gain a competitive edge can an do move to other schools and work without penalty while the school they left suffers. Why not enact the death penalty for the coach who breaks the rules, or the administrator, or the player who is still in school?

There is no possible excuse or justification for allowing a predator to prey on children. Joe is answering for what he did now. The rest that participated in this cover up will be punished and will never be able to work again in their profession again. I don't think punishing the kids who are on the football team, the alumni, or the many fans of that school is going to help fix anything. They need to change the culture that allowed this to happen, but banishing them from a sport isn't going to teach anyone a lesson. Let the victims go to court and punish the school. They are the ones that need to have their measure of justice.

[bama_girl]

The administration was too worried about Penn State image (and what it would mean financially to the school) and Joe Pa was more concerned about putting his name in the record books. Just makes me sick.......

agreed. they should all have to be locked in a room with the victims families for a few hours.
and i used to be a joe pa fan but i hope he rots.

[armchairqb]

We exist in a 24/7/365 sports media cycle, something SMU did not have the benefit of to get off the hook with public opinion.

One will argue that SMU was a repeat offender and that's why they received the death penalty. And Penn State isn't a repeat offender? The offenses were repetitive and over a large span of time.

Spanier, Shultz and Curley need to get their punishment, as well.

Enough clever legalese, this needs to be a punishment for Penn State. This has to be harsh, even to the point where innocent employees are affected. This way, one would hope that something this awful NEVER happens again.

[Spence]

We exist in a 24/7/365 sports media cycle, something SMU did not have the benefit of to get off the hook with public opinion.

One will argue that SMU was a repeat offender and that's why they received the death penalty. And Penn State isn't a repeat offender? The offenses were repetitive and over a large span of time.

Spanier, Shultz and Curley need to get their punishment, as well.

Enough clever legalese, this needs to be a punishment for Penn State. This has to be harsh, even to the point where innocent employees are affected. This way, one would hope that something this awful NEVER happens again.

I don't think you have to be a repeat offender if the offense is child molestation or the cover up of something so heinous as the rape of a child. What happened at Penn State is terrible. I don't think the offense itself should be a NCAA issue. I think it is a legal issue. Now I do believe the culture of keeping everything under a hat, that allowed this to happen, is a NCAA issue and that should be dealt with harshly. Maybe with an in house moniter that works for the NCAA.

[donovan]

I don't think what happened at Penn State is a football issue. The idea of punishing the program gives the false sense that justice is now be meted out. This is a criminal case and teachers, administrators and employees of the school, violating well established rules in the reporting of the type of behavior Sandusky did. If there is guilt on the part of the aforementioned, they should be fired, punished according to the law. I do not believe any sanction should be given Penn State football program. If a school violates NCAA rules, OK, they get to punish their members, but to think the NCAA is supplanting the legal system and therefore all is righted, is wrong.

In all of this I think son Jay Paterno, had the best analysis of the report.

(Heads should roll, there should be personal accountability according to the law. But that is it.)

[GoBoilers]

The Big Ten is thinking of eliminating PSU as a member! http://www.examiner.com/article/report- ... te?cid=rss

[Spence]

I don't think what happened at Penn State is a football issue. The idea of punishing the program gives the false sense that justice is now be meted out. This is a criminal case and teachers, administrators and employees of the school, violating well established rules in the reporting of the type of behavior Sandusky did. If there is guilt on the part of the aforementioned, they should be fired, punished according to the law. I do not believe any sanction should be given Penn State football program. If a school violates NCAA rules, OK, they get to punish their members, but to think the NCAA is supplanting the legal system and therefore all is righted, is wrong.

In all of this I think son Jay Paterno, had the best analysis of the report.

(Heads should roll, there should be personal accountability according to the law. But that is it.)

We agree. As bad as this all is it really isn't a football issue or a sports issue. Penn State probably should get punished because of the culture that allowed this, same reason Ohio State got punished. The rest is legal and the people involved should be prosecuted. People break the rules and laws. No institution does.

[WoVeU]

Agree with Spence and donovan, the laws that were broken are federal and should be handled by those in federal authority. The NCAA can mete out justice for NCAA rule infractions, that is their jurisdiction. This kind of thinking seems to be gaining steam of recent, entities stepping outside of the frame work and set processes in order to "because something needs to be done." This, to me, is actually criminal. Both creative and knee jerk responses are just the type of behavior that has put our society in peril. True leadership, management, and judgment must stay the course, it can evolve, but adding niche intricacies or multiple and complex courses of action just strain things and serve to break the whole down.

[Dossenator]

Penn State getting pressure to shut football down completely for a year or two to sort through this mess.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow ... 0621.story

[Derek]

I'm sorry. I don't think this is enough. SMU got the death penalty for paying players.

There were school officials that knew what was going on, along with Paterno. I just think there is no way out of this but to shut the football program down for a year or two.

Let the players go elsewhere if they want, but the consequences must be paid, both in and out of the courtroom.

And as armchairqb said.... Innocent people are going to suffer, and that is the reality of our society. Nevertheless, federal and School justice need to be done.

If your football program is more important than academics or the lives of some kids, then you need to shut down on your own accord, and if you don't when something like this happens. You'll get shut down.

Shut them down.

[Dossenator]

Well, NCAA putting sanctions not only on the football program but also the University. Press conference will be Monday morning.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... e-football

From the article:
"A source told CBS News correspondent Armen Keteyian that Penn State will suffer "unprecedented" punishment for its collective failure to report Sandusky, recently convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse, to the proper authorities.

"I've never seen anything like it," the source told Keteyian, indicating that both the football program and the school itself would face sanctions.

Per Dodd, a person with knowledge of the process said there is a way to impact Penn State's competitive ability in football without applying the so-called “death penalty.” That term could be mere semantics by the time the NCAA sanctions are announced according to a source. Penn State, the source said, may prefer the death penalty.

A source confirmed for CBSSports.com that there are indications the penalties could be so unique they would be different than any previously applied by the NCAA. They could last beyond one season."

And on a side note they did remove the Paterno statue:

[donovan]

I'm sorry. I don't think this is enough. SMU got the death penalty for paying players.

There were school officials that knew what was going on, along with Paterno. I just think there is no way out of this but to shut the football program down for a year or two.

Let the players go elsewhere if they want, but the consequences must be paid, both in and out of the courtroom.

And as armchairqb said.... Innocent people are going to suffer, and that is the reality of our society. Nevertheless, federal and School justice need to be done.

If your football program is more important than academics or the lives of some kids, then you need to shut down on your own accord, and if you don't when something like this happens. You'll get shut down.

Shut them down.

This is the problem...as I see it. Sanctions and penalties do not work, they don't make things better. If the school can not self correct all of this, then nothing is going to change. Want a real penalty....Have schools refuse to play Penn State until something changes...and be willing to take the loss on principal......and you say?

[armchairqb]

1. $60M fine.
2. A bowl/postseason ban for four years.
3. Scholarships are reduced from 25 to 15 each year for four years.
4. Every Paterno win for THIRTEEN seasons is vacated.
5. Players can transfer to another school without sitting out a year.


1. This is supposed to be what the football program grosses in a season. This money is supposed to be placed in an endowment fund for children's causes.

2 & 3. This is more of a zinger than on the surface. Try recruiting a player with no hope of playing for a championship for four years. It doesn't mean they won't be able to recruit decent players; they might be able to get a few HT's(highly-touteds) because they are simply in the Big Ten. But kiss the VHTs goodbye. I do admire Bill O'Brien for staying on; not that he could make a move with this short of notice, but he knowingly walked into a circumspect situation.

4. To me, this is a big deal. Their most ubiquitous fixture in the program's history has been tarnished.

5. This could arguably be the harshest penalty that they have to face if not the second harshest. Players presently on the squad can transfer to another school this year. There is no restrictions from them transferring to another school in the Big Ten! The feeding frenzy which will start today if not very soon for Penn State's players by Big Ten squads could get interesting, if not downright embarassing. Count on this especially sticking in the craw of Penn State fans.



At least Wisconsin doesn't have to recruit the ACC for their starting QB next year!

But in all seriousness, I wish that the overall culture at Penn State changes for the better. Hopefully, the fans will do things on their own to support children's causes.

I lobbied for the death penalty in this matter, but these penalties leave a sting that could have ramifications for a decade.

If the NCAA starts enforcing these type of matters via Penn State, it would be good if they reigned in situations where arrests are rampant among players. As much as the NCAA felt they needed to send a message, they've just opened themselves up to having to enforce situations at other schools where there are parallel issues of lack of institutional control.

And there are still civil and criminal trials forthcoming.

[Spence]

This isn't the death penalty, it is worse.

The NCAA had to deal with the culture around the program that allowed this to happen in the name of saving face. No amount of embarrassment anyone faces is worth a human being's life - especially one that is innocent. While I don't like that hundreds of people's lively hood depends on the football program (people who had no knowledge of wrong doing) are going to suffer dearly from this, I don't know how the NCAA could have tried to change the culture without doing this. I have no problem with the vacating victories. If Joe knew, and I don't see how he couldn't have, then he sealed his legacy - not the NCAA. This is the worst example of a college football program run amuck. How anyone could turn a blind eye to a guy like Sandusky is beyond me.