Penn State sanctioned for the child molestation incidents.

[ARtraveler]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

Penn State football was all but leveled Monday by an NCAA ruling that wiped away 14 years of coach Joe Paterno's victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties, crippling a program whose pedophile assistant coach spent uncounted years molesting children, sometimes on university property.
PENN STATE REPORT

• NCAA reveals Penn St. punishment
• Statue gone | Family reacts | Pics
• Nick Saban: Tax Penn State sports
• Death penalty? NCAA not ruling it out
• Paternoville to be renamed
• Paterno family rips Freeh report
• Artist covers halo on JoePa mural
• Penn State to renovate abuse areas
• Experts: JoePa could've faced charges
• Freeh Report: Penn St. ignored victims
• The complete Freeh Report (pdf)

The sanctions by the governing body of college sports, which capped eight months of turmoil on the central Pennsylvania campus, stopped short of delivering the ''death penalty'' of shutting down the sport. But the NCAA hit Penn State with $60 million in fines, ordered it out of the postseason for four years, and will cap scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for four years. The school also will be on probation for five years.
Any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.
''Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,'' NCAA President Mark Emmert said as he announced the penalties at a news conference in Indianapolis.
The sanctions all stem from the case of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted last month of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years. An investigation commissioned by the school and released July 12 found that Paterno, who died in January, and several other top officials at Penn State stayed quiet about accusations against Sandusky in 1998 and 2001.
The NCAA ruling holds the entire school community accountable for failing to protect children.
''Against this backdrop, Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA,'' Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a statement. ''With today's announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward.''
The Big Ten announced that Penn State would not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenue during the NCAA's postseason ban, an estimated loss of about $13 million. And the NCAA reserved the right to add additional penalties.
Emmert fast-tracked penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings. The NCAA said the $60 million is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at Penn State.
''The sanctions needed to reflect our goals of providing cultural change,'' Emmert said.
By vacating 112 Penn State victories from 1998-2011, the sanctions cost Paterno 111 wins. Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will now hold the top spot in the NCAA record book with 377 major-college (FBS) wins. Former Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson holds the record for Division I-AA (FCS) wins with 408, while Saint John's John Gagliardi has the most wins of any coach in college football history with 484. Paterno, who was fired days after Sandusky was charged, will be credited with 298 wins.
The scholarship reductions mean Penn State's roster will be capped at 65 scholarship players beginning in 2014. The normal scholarship limit for major college football programs is 85. Playing with 20 less is devastating to a program that tries to compete at the highest level of the sport.
In comparison, the harsh NCAA sanctions placed upon USC several years ago left the Trojans with only 75 scholarships per year over a three-year period.
The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four-year ban to Indiana football in 1960.
Bill O'Brien, who was hired to replace Paterno, now faces the daunting task of building future teams with severe limitations, and trying to keep current players from fleeing to other schools. Star players such as tailback Silas Redd and linebacker Gerald Hodges are now essentially free agents.
''I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead,'' O'Brien said. ''But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.''
Players left a team meeting on campus in State College, Pa., without talking to reporters. Penn State's season starts Sept. 1 at home against Ohio University.
The sanctions came a day after the school took down the statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium and was a rallying point for the coaches' supporters throughout the scandal.
At a student union on campus, several dozen alumni and students gasped, groaned and whistled as they watched Emmert's news conference.
''It was kind of just like a head shaker,'' said Matt Bray, an 18-year-old freshman from West Chester, Pa. ''You knew it was coming, but it was hard to hear.''
Emmert had earlier said he had ''never seen anything as egregious'' as the horrific crimes of Sandusky and the cover-up by Paterno and others at the university, including former Penn State President Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley.
The Penn State investigation headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said school officials kept what they knew from police and other authorities for years, enabling the abuse to go on.
There had been calls across the nation for Penn State to receive the ''death penalty,'' and Emmert had not ruled out that possibility as late as last week - though Penn State did not fit the criteria for it. That punishment is for teams that commit a major violation while already being sanctioned.
''This case is obviously incredibly unprecedented in every aspect of it,'' Emmert said, ''as are these actions that we're taking today.''
Penn State football under Paterno was built on - and thrived upon - the premise that it did things the right way. That it was not a football factory where only wins and losses determined success. Every major college football program tries to send that message, but Penn State built its brand on it.
Paterno's ''Grand Experiment'' was about winning with integrity, graduating players and sending men into the world ready to succeed in life, not just football. But he still won a lot - a record-setting 409 victories.
The NCAA had never sanctioned, or seriously investigated Penn State. Few, if any, national powers could make that claim.
Southern California, Ohio State, Alabama, all have run afoul of the NCAA. Even Notre Dame went on probation for two years after a booster lavished gifts on players in the 1990s.
The harshest penalty handed down to a football program came in the `80s, when the NCAA shut down SMU's team for a year. SMU football has never gotten back to the level of success it had before the ''death penalty.''

The article says it all.

[Littlebadwolf]

As much as this seems to be overly harsh on Penn State I believe it's justified considering the abuse of all the children and the trust of everybody else involved, not even considering all the cover up by members of the Penn State Staff. This will hopefully deter any similar actions by anybody in the future...The Lord only knows how many young boys suffered in thier youth and beyond..Predators take heed...

[d.o.spyder-rts]

I can see some of the sanctions. Limiting the scholarships and no bowl appearances. But to vacate all of the victories from '98-2011 is a bit much. It wasn't the coaches/administration that won those games, it was the players. Dale

[Bob Denman]

A sad situation... They didn't get what they could have got, so I guess that the best that can be hoped for is that everybody will now be more alert to these kinds of crimes.

[Firefly]

A sick, disgusting situation that I think we can all agree should get the harshest punishment available for all involved......

[dancogan]

A sick, disgusting situation that I think we can all agree should get the harshest punishment available for all involved......

If we just knew all the facts. But the Freeh report was a bit short on facts: wait until some of the criminal trials begin. Then we may know who knew what, actions taken or not taken, and when.

[spyder3]

I would like to have seen tuitions being frozen for the 4 years also....They will make that 60mill up on the back of new students. Who is getting punished here?

[Bob Denman]

This one's a real crap sandwich for everybody; whether they were involved or not... None of these coaches will be able to work anyplace, the student athletes won't be remembered for what they did, but for where they did it.
Everybody gets painted with the same broad brush!

[vampyregirl]

This one's a real crap sandwich for everybody; whether they were involved or not... None of these coaches will be able to work anyplace, the student athletes won't be remembered for what they did, but for where they did it.
Everybody gets painted with the same broad brush!

I just can't believe no one informed the police about it when they found out..... They could have gotten the whole mess taken care of back then (including firing Sandusky) and been done with it!

[arntufun]

HUT HUT HIKE.............

penn state.jpg

[rc51ny]

IMO--this is a sad situation for all involved--but mostly--the young boys who will live with the emotional pain the rest of their lives. This is a classic situation where sports (football) and winning was more important than the health and well being of the educational institution. The coach and athletic director were able of yield more power than the college administration. And it was allowed to happen. So now--let the dynasty fall.

[DR Buck]

Yep I agree Why don't we just round-up all the players and staff that were on the team since 1998 and execute them. Come on people, only a handful knew what was going on and the NCAA and those that agree with them have unjustly punished everyone. If the Penn State board of directors had any gonads, (which they don't) they'd withdraw from the NCAA and tell them where to stuff their sanctions.

[d.o.spyder-rts]

I respectfully disagree, the overwhelming evidence is that JoePa turned a blind eye ("Those kids will get over it").
It was not the player's victories that were vacated by the NCAA but those of the "winningest coach in college football" and his legacy.

I'm hoping they melt down that bronze statue and make urinals out of it.

I don't disagree with your point either. Football is a team sport and victories/losses are shared by the entire team including the coaching staff. I should have added this to my original post, I don't think it is fair the players should be penalized because of this. Dale

[boborgera]

. This is a classic situation where sports (football) and winning was more important than the health and well being of the educational institution.
.

When the Football program was pulling in 50/60 mil a year no one not even St.Joe would want to rock the money boat.

[Bob Denman]

This one's a real emotional time-bomb to be tinkering with it; Kind of makes the whole helmet usage thread seem tame in comparison!
I don't know much about college sports; but I suppose that Penn State USED TO BE lauded for their accomplishments on the field.
No more.
The coaches are all pariahs now...
The athletes now have this stigma attached to them
The School's athletic programs have all been turned upside-down...

All of this because of one very sick animal who should be put down at the earliest opportunity!
I hope that he gets his as soon as the bars close behind him!

[Buttsy]

What do you believe the NCAA should have done?

On the fence a little but the monetary fines as well as the punishment of all seems a little unjust. What would I have done.........I think I would have immediately suspended anyone left that is and was suspected of a 'coverup". I then would have allowed the courts to decide through the judicial system who was guilty and who was not. What appears to have happened (coverup) is a criminal offence and is punishable like any other criminal activity. The victims of the crime of course have the ability and the right to seek monetary retribution on the offending parties through cival action.

It seems the NCAA has taken this situation a little like a booster club that breaks the competitive rules by giving recruits additional gifts and monies to ensure the team gets the most talented recruits. This is "cheating" in my view and football sanctions should be instituted. But the actions of this group although horrendous and far more damaging then cheating really have little to do with the competitive aspects of a football team?

This appears to be a Public Relations move by the NCAA to say to the general public "look what we did", please continue to support our brand and products with your hard earned cash?

2 cents I guess but anyway you look at it just horribly sick and sad. Thoughts go out to the victims of the crimes and may you heal and try and move on in your lives "pain free".

[zrc]

This one's a real emotional time-bomb to be tinkering with it; Kind of makes the whole helmet usage thread seem tame in comparison!
I don't know much about college sports; but I suppose that Penn State USED TO BE lauded for their accomplishments on the field.
No more.
The coaches are all pariahs now...
The athletes now have this stigma attached to them
The School's athletic programs have all been turned upside-down...

All of this because of one very sick animal who should be put down at the earliest opportunity!
I hope that he gets his as soon as the bars close behind him!

We might even get Fly to agree to shoot this guy.

[Bob Denman]

I was wondering about that myself... Why don't you throw a PM to him and invite his input?
The moral quandry:
Taking a life versus taking the life of some who can't find any justification to keep breathing??

[CyncySpyder]

All of this because of one very sick animal!

Yes, one person did the atrocities, but the ppl in power that could have stopped it looked the other way. There's WAY more than just one problem here

[Bob Denman]

It never should have had to be stopped; it simply never should have hapened in the first place...
One damage control got in the way of justice; that's another issue that has had to be dealt with.

[spyder3]

That this creep had the audacity to do this in the locker room makes it seems like he had cart blanche around there. Just a disgusting human being with no remorse....sick

[Bob Denman]

When you put it that way; it starts making more sense to me! Thanks!

[bcoulter19]

Well folks here's the right answer:

While it is true that there was one perp and a few enablers who chose to look the other way.
It was who those enablers were.



JoePa had so much power at Penn State he could have gotten anything he wanted.
If JoePa said he wanted all the buildings painted Fresca Pink they would have been painted.
He could have cancelled Sandusky's contract at any time.
He didn't.
He wanted to keep his well oiled win machine cooking along.

All this point to problems in the culture of the institution.
It was okay because Penn State had a winning team & coach.

The problems were institutional.
The only way an institutional problem can be addressed is by finding a way to correct the wrong thinking the pervades the culture.
Fines and sanctions will do that.

I applaud the actions of the NCAA.
It sometimes takes tough & bitter medicine to make an institution healthy.

One thing I don't understand is why no one is talking about what mccreary did. yes he did report it to Joe Pa but when nothing happened after that what did he do. NOTHING. Why is he not also being crucified over this. If he had gone to the police when this happened think of the number of kids tha would not of had to go through what they did.

[dancogan]

I'd like to suggest that you reach your own decisions after you read the Freeh Report. I'm working my way through it now, and it's very lacking in facts that point the finger at Paterno, although other members of the administration are most definitely in a bad light.

[arris]

I just can't believe no one informed the police about it when they found out..... They could have gotten the whole mess taken care of back then (including firing Sandusky) and been done with it!

Back in 1998 a boy went to his mother and told her thar sandusky molested him. She went to the police and they claim it never happened. Our governor knew about this because he was attorney general at the time. That is when they should have been investaged. I am not saying that what they did was right. But if they checked further, they would have stopped. Instead they swept it under the rug.