NCAA Drops Hammer
The dilemma of the Joe Paterno statue reached its conclusion Sunday morning just after dawn. The statue was no longer an honorable representation of a great coach; it would serve as a constant reminder of an elaborate, more-than-decade-old cover up of child sexual assault. Common sense persevered, thankfully. It was deconstructed, and we are left with the iconic image of the now infamous Joe Paterno being carried away. Penn State officials got this one right. Next up: the NCAA.
Much discussion has existed about the possibility of the NCAA levying penalties on the Penn State football program in the aftermath of the Sandusky case. Some argue the only way to handle this disaster is to let the proper legal authorities have their way with the university and the scandal’s key members, and that the NCAA should not meddle in such non-sports related issues. And why punish so many people for the crimes of only a few, especially when said crimes occurred away from football?
Until recently, I was on the fence on the issue. I considered all the innocent bystanders, and there will be many, that would be penalized from actions that occurred years ago, and actions they had zero knowledge of. I understood the effects of the possible sanctions and how long they could potentially bring down the university’s athletic department. I also wondered if the NCAA would be overstepping its authority. After all, what did all this have to do with the product on the field? It’s the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This wasn’t an athletic issue. It’s not like any of this gave the Nittany Lions an unfair on-field advantage. It had nothing to do with football.
Then I realized how wrong I was, how moronic that sounded. This is not just a legal issue. It’s about the university administration, the dictatorial culture of the program, and it is most definitely about football. All about football, actually. Why? The main catalyst for hiding years and years of child rape was to protect the squeaky clean facade of the football program, the football program Joe Paterno worked tirelessly to protect and uphold. And he was more than capable of single-handedly dictating the process following the first account in 1998. He had ultimate sovereignty in State College, Pennsylvania. He exercised it, too, all in the name of the football program. The entire coverup was football motivated. Every time, since he gained knowledge of Sandusky’s actions, Paterno sat down in living rooms of recruits to pitch the Penn State football program, he lied to them, and he lied to their parents. Paterno would often send letters to recruits claiming PSU as “the cleanest program in the country.” It was about his image, the program’s image, football revenue, and wins. The victims were not only an afterthought, but seemingly not even entered into the decision-making equation.
The NCAA reached their ruling, and they delivered the news Monday morning. In my opinion, their sanctions are justified.
Penalties levied by the NCAA:
It’s not the death penalty that many were speculating, but Penn State football had all their limbs lopped off. These sanctions could potentially set the Penn State football program back a decade or more. Revenue, recruiting, coaching, fan support, perception – everything will be greatly affected.
To the Penn State fans, students, alumni, and current football players, you got a raw deal. You’re upset, and rightfully so. You don’t deserve this, and you have my sympathy. Just remember something, though – the NCAA is not to blame here. Your university’s administration, and more directly, the man pictured above who is being so aptly cloaked and carried off to pasture is. He pulled the cloak over your eyes for over a decade, and many child sexual assault victims were the result – all because of college football.
Follow me on Twitter @RogerDornTFM
FREE SANDUSKY
13 years ago at 9:03 am^this guy
13 years ago at 9:08 am^^ sandusky’s first and most willing victim
13 years ago at 9:26 am^^^ I laughed
13 years ago at 11:19 am^^^^ What a dick head.
12 years ago at 2:47 pmHere is the official Consent Decree signed by the NCAA and Penn St. http://www.ncaa.com/content/penn-state-conclusions
13 years ago at 9:07 amdorn you old fuck, are you developing a moral conscience?
13 years ago at 9:07 am“dictating the the process following the first account in 1998”
13 years ago at 9:08 amThanks.
13 years ago at 9:10 amI think the 60 mill fine is great because it’s going to help victims of child abuse. The part I have a problem with is the scholarship reduction. The men that were involved in the acts or the cover up are either dead, fired, or in jail. Penn State hasn’t been relatively competitive for 10 years and now they go from 85 scholarships a year to 65? Their program is done for at least 10 more years which hurts all the people who weren’t involved in the scandal in any way.
13 years ago at 9:13 amThey are allowing current players to transfer immediately without penalty. So there’s that.
13 years ago at 9:14 amAs they should, but I think this is just a nice way of giving the program the death penalty. I in no way condone the actions of Sandusky, Paterno, or the administration, but I think this is going to unfairly all but ruin the program for many years to come.
13 years ago at 9:22 am^^ just because they can transfer doesn’t mean someone will take them, or that it won’t hurt their chances for success. Imagine if Tom Brady, Dwight Clark, Shannon Sharpe, or Terrell Davis had to transfer their senior year. They wouldn’t be in the NFL today I guarantee it. These punishments are hurting the innocent players more than the real culprits, and that’s a damn shame.
13 years ago at 10:58 amThey can stay and play at PSU if they want. The season will go on.
13 years ago at 11:03 am^^ “These punishments are hurting the innocent players, more than the real culprits.”
Well, welcome to college sports! It’s not this is a new concept, people. Look at USC getting screwed as Pete Caroll hightailed it. Look at tOSU with Tressel, Pryor, and Clarett. Look at the entire SEC (and seriously, go to hell, PSU, for taking away my ability to look down on the SEC.) But there is no other plausible solution than a retroactive one; that’s just the reality, folks. All the NCAA can do is try to deter future admins and staffs from covering up, collateral damage be damned.
13 years ago at 11:11 am^^^^If you think this is nicer than the death penalty you are a moron.
13 years ago at 3:20 pm^ How is it not nicer than the death penalty? This punishment will ruin the football program for probably ten years but it will give them a shot and will allow them to make revenue from the football program. The last only death penalty was SMU in 80’s and they never recovered from that.
13 years ago at 10:49 pmNice read.
PSU fans shouldn’t be upset; they should consider themselves lucky. State College still gets to be Pennsylvannia’s 3rd biggest city on Saturdays, and businesses in the area still get to enjoy the revenues that otherwise would’ve diappeared. The school still gets to rake in millions from the gate. The university still gets to be a part of the conference whose reputation they tarnished (membership was talked about being revoked), and still gets a slice of the most lucrative television (Big Ten Network) and revenue sharing deals (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) in the nation (to the tune of $5.6 billion in research money).
And you still get the memories of going to the games. So, Lions fans- would you please shut the hell up.
13 years ago at 9:14 amthey dont get any money from the big ten network or revenue sharing deals, that money is now going to a foundation for preventing child abuse
13 years ago at 9:27 amThey still get money; they now just get to keep less of it.
13 years ago at 9:31 am^^They get the money, it just goes to the foundation, but it counts for the 60 million they have to give back.
13 years ago at 9:37 amHow nice that they get to donate the blood money they receive for legal sl(avery).
13 years ago at 10:14 amTo everyone mad about this: just look the other way and pretend nothing is happening.
13 years ago at 9:17 am^ Can I get confirmation that something was done here?
13 years ago at 9:41 amYes something was done
13 years ago at 9:49 amMaybe TFM will just cover the whole column up?
13 years ago at 9:53 amThat’s not a rational statement whatsoever. The people who were involved in the scandal are either dead, fired, or in jail. They are already giving 60 million to abuse victims, why decimate a program as well? So many people who had nothing to do with the scandal are negatively affected by this ruling.
13 years ago at 10:09 amAnd if they’re still mad, they can go to the Joe Paterno Library, keep their heads down, and stay quiet.
13 years ago at 10:09 am^ I chuckled
13 years ago at 11:22 amBy bitchslapping every part of the program, the NCAA is showing that it is everyone’s responsible for keeping the program from pulling insane shit like this. Even down to the players. They aren’t kids; they are men and need to hold their superiors accountable.
13 years ago at 12:30 pm
13 years ago at 3:18 pm^This guy gets it.
13 years ago at 9:56 pm^^
13 years ago at 12:43 amThe bowl ineligibility was a bit of overkill. With all these penalties imposed PSU wont make it to a bowl for the next decade.
13 years ago at 9:20 amI think the word you are looking for is redundant
13 years ago at 10:15 am^^I think the word you are looking for is century.
13 years ago at 3:22 pm^ Something. Here. Done
13 years ago at 4:31 pmSo, they’re Indiana for a decade. Big deal.
13 years ago at 10:02 amIf I wasn’t team Dorm before, I am now
13 years ago at 9:21 amDorn*
13 years ago at 9:28 amTeam Dorm. TGDIM
13 years ago at 9:56 amor maybe he meant team Dorm?
13 years ago at 3:17 pmTeam Door.
13 years ago at 9:59 pm#TEAM DORN.
13 years ago at 9:28 am