PSU and the Freeh report.

[dpwspringer 0]

What, if anything, should the NCAA do to PSU?

[boknows84 0]

What, if anything, should the NCAA do to PSU?

Suspend the football program indefinitely until the lawsuits are settled and the wrongs have been set as close to right as possible.  Send the message nationwide that protecting your institution against bad publicity at the expense of someone's (especially a child's) well being will not, under any circumstances, be tolerated.  I hate this so much for the players and alumni but if ever there were a time to send a message, this is it.

[dpwspringer 0]

What, if anything, should the NCAA do to PSU?

Suspend the football program indefinitely until the lawsuits are settled and the wrongs have been set as close to right as possible.  Send the message nationwide that protecting your institution against bad publicity at the expense of someone's (especially a child's) well being will not, under any circumstances, be tolerated.  I hate this so much for the players and alumni but if ever there were a time to send a message, this is it.

That would be an extreme reaction but who knows?  Arguably with the head football coach and athletic director seemingly involved in a cover up, it is a football program issue and a lack of institutional control.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

What, if anything, should the NCAA do to PSU?

The NCAA will be the least of PSU's administrations worries.  In all seriousness, those involved in this cover up should be prosecuted to the fullest the law provides in PA.  The shame and the lawsuits will undo PSU for decades to come.  People will begin denying the name of Joe Pa they once cherished.

[AU64 10,122]

IMO, this is not a football issue even though it involves some of the coaches.  No way the NCAA could explain how this gave PSU some unwarranted competitive advantage.....in fact it's likely that the stain will hang over the university for quite some time. 

NCAA has enough problems trying to keeping up with UAT and USCw violations.....don't need them getting into new areas of concern.    On the other hand, the Big Ten might be able to levy some penalties against PSU for bringing dishonor to the conference????

[AUFightingSoldiers 699]

Who cares about competitive advantage?! They protected a child rapist! An entire athletic department protected him. Death penalty... PERIOD

[Elephant Tipper 430]

Who cares about competitive advantage?! They protected a child rapist! An entire athletic department protected him. Death penalty... PERIOD

And even that is too lenient.

[COLORADOTIGER 0]

What, if anything, should the NCAA do to PSU?

The NCAA will be the least of PSU's administrations worries.  In all seriousness, those involved in this cover up should be prosecuted to the fullest the law provides in PA.  The shame and the lawsuits will undo PSU for decades to come.  People will begin denying the name of Joe Pa they once cherished.

Don't EVEN know what to say... read the definition of organized crime then listen to Freeh report again. Let evreyone transfer and SHUT IT DOWN! If they don't take that statue down, they should use the 208 million they just got for support of Jo pa and put a Sandusky statue RIGHT NEXT TO HIM!

[AU64 10,122]

Fighting...the question in my view is: what is the role of NCAA?    As I understand it, they monitor college football with goal of keeping all teams on a level field.    To my knowledge, they don't monitor the entire university.  This is a criminal matter (and soon to be a civil matter)  but I don't see the NCAA having any authority over the matter. 

The university trustees, various acreditation associations, the state government, etc. etc. ....all have their eyes on the school.  JMO, but the guilty are finally being caught...and that does not include the 17-22 year old kids in the athletic program and NCAA has no role here..

[dpwspringer 0]

Fighting...the question in my view is: what is the role of NCAA?    As I understand it, they monitor college football with goal of keeping all teams on a level field.     To my knowledge, they don't monitor the entire university.   This is a criminal matter (and soon to be a civil matter)  but I don't see the NCAA having any authority over the matter.   

The university trustees, various acreditation associations, the state government, etc. etc. ....all have their eyes on the school.  JMO, but the guilty are finally being caught...and that does not include the 17-22 year old kids in the athletic program and NCAA has no role here..

As I understand it, the NCAA could go after PSU over institutional control and ethics violations.

http://www.psu.edu/ur/2011/NCAA.pdf

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Whether the NCAA does anything or not, anyone who buys tickets to a football game and supports PSU until they totally clean house and make serious amends should be ashamed of themselves. If I had a child at that school, they would be in the process of transferring.  Having any association with a school that would knowingly put their image over the well-being of children, and intentionally protect a man like Sandusky should be an embarrassment.  Even taking the field against them seems wrong.

I say don't wait for the NCAA or any other organization.  Time to fire everyone even remotely connected, take a few years off of any kind of public display (including all sports), change their name (yes... I think it goes that far), and start over.

[ChattAU 0]

If the NCAA doesn't shut down the football program for 2-5 years as a punishment, then they not only fail to do their jobs, they let the cover-up succeed. Paterno and co. sacrificed the victims in exchange for keeping the football program's reputation clean, and keeping the money coming in.

Why so severe? We aren't talking about recruiting violations, but a group of people who chose the football program over protecting children. Many people think that it just needs to be a legal issue, and certainly, those involved should be prosecuted fully. But the football program, and all association with the Paterno era need to be cleansed. For the good of the school, and to have any hope of redeeming its name down the line, they need to stop playing football for a few years. Maybe even other sports, but I'm not totally sure how connected this coverup is to the other sports.

That said, I think part of the ruling should either make the school honor the scholarship promises to existing players, or allow them to transfer without any penalties.

[wareaglexx 34]

I believe they should shutdown the program, kick out all the administration officials, Not recognize Joe P. in the ncaa football hall of fame.  Throw  all the guilty ones in prison and let BUBBA have his way with them till they die... It is such a shame what the kids and their families had to go through and will have to deal with the rest of their lives....

Prayers out to those young men and their families.

[gravejd 3,304]

This is a tough question.... before I could answer that with any conviction I would need the answer to this question: Why did they not do more to call Sandusky out a long time ago??

Was it to protect the football program (avoid bad pub) or was it out of loyalty to their friend? Neither is reason to protect a child rapist, but if it was the later then I would agree this isn't a Football issue. The people who protected the individual should be punished to the full extent of the law and of course removed from their positions with the school.

However if the reason they covered this up had anything to do whatsoever with protecting Penn State's image then the football program should be shutdown for however long in takes so that the priorities of the people in charge will never again be that f'd up.

I can understand Peterno not carrying the rope to string up Sandusky but how he let that scumbag continue to be around the Penn State program after he knew even somewhat of what was going on is beyond me. Either Paterno was in denial or he was just as big a scumbag as Sandusky. I imagine we'll never know for sure....

[Autigers71 0]

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State received more than $208 million in donations for the fiscal year that just ended, the second-highest total in university history despite the upheaval after the arrest of Jerry Sandusky on child sex abuse charges.

I can't see why anyone thinks that the judicial system should be the only one handing out punishments over this. Its pretty obvious that the alum are ready to stroke the checks to pay for any retribution that is going to come from civil suits. So I say hit em where deep pockets don't matter. Shut the football program down for 2 years and let the players transfer out if they want to. Strike JoPa's name from any NCAA records and see how that tickles their fancy.

[AUGoo 2,699]

I know not how well they are recruiting this year, but I can't imagine any kid wants to be associated with the Fighting Pedophiles of Penn State.  JoPa's name is fecal in the eyes of the country and I can only think/hope that the stain of this will in effect be it's own death penalty.  I agree that I do not see how PSU will not be linked to pedophilia for generations and can not see how the school would not shut the program down and even need to change the name of the school to help erase this horrible association.

There's even a question about removing JoPa's statue? 

His name should be left in the record books and HOF with big * pointing to his preference to shielding this perversion vs. the wellbeing of these children.  A giant sign would forever be a reminder of his dishonor.  To just erase his name would allow this to possibly fade into oblivion and allow the deniers to talk.

[dpwspringer 0]

This article will not help PSU's cause with the NCAA, it suggests football players got treated differently in matters that affected their eligibility from other students:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/07/former-penn-state-dean-not-surprised-by-freeh-report/1

"During her tenure, Triponey held direct oversight of the Office of Judicial Affairs, the disciplinary arm of the university. When football players ran afoul of school policy, Triponey said Paterno interfered with the discipline process."

[alexava 6,974]

This is no business of the ncaa. Period. Arrest and charge whoever has committed crimes and move on. Institutional control is a mute point. If anything there was too much institutional control.

[COLORADOTIGER 0]

This is no business of the ncaa. Period. Arrest and charge whoever has committed crimes and move on. Institutional control is a mute point. If anything there was too much institutional control.

It will be a slap to the face for the victims every time they take the field. They did this OVER football!! To PROTECT the PROGRAM, to MAKE MONEY!

[Elephant Tipper 430]

Just heard on the news that Bobby Bowden has called for PSU to remove Paterno's on-campus statue.

[around4ever 4,139]

Pat Dye agreed with him on the Sports Czars today.  He also thinks all games since Paterno was advised of the first offense should be forfieted. 

[bigbird 60,938]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--penn-state-civil-suits-sandusky-victims-cost-joe-paterno-freeh-report.html

[dpwspringer 0]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--penn-state-civil-suits-sandusky-victims-cost-joe-paterno-freeh-report.html

Reading that article makes me wonder whether PSU football is all that important in the grand scheme of things because PSU itself might be on the line. Whoever is in charge at PSU has their hands full and best understand what is worth fighting for and what is not. It is hard to believe that things will not significantly change at PSU and their football program will just go on with only a minor hiccup or two.  The Freeh report was commissioned and paid for by PSU and it might just sink PSU.

Ted Roof should have stayed at USF or whatever school in Florida he went to, coaching at PSU looks a lot different today than it did months ago.

[Wareagletd 0]

PSU probably won't get the death penalty but you can bet that they will be broke.

[AU64 10,122]

PSU reportedly has an endowment of $1.7 BILLION ....they will probably survive.  Plus, if the USCw recruiting success is any indication they will continue to get their share of athletes....right now they are about 15th on Rivals.

IMO, the right guys are being penalized....the current staff and players had nothing to do with this...and it would be a major stretch to say that PSU's football program benefited in any way from what went on with Standusky. 

And FWIW, I like ole Pat Dye, but he might want to be careful talking about NCAA penalties.