NCAA Punishes Everyone But Sandusky

[Lucky]

It's hard to understand the action taken by the NCAA in response to molestations by a football coach at Penn State:

From the NY Times:

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 N.C.A.A. stopped short of shutting down Penn State’s program, but officials insisted that the breadth and significance of the penalties were nearly as debilitating. It is expected to be almost a decade before Penn State will be in a position to attempt to regain its place as one of the sport’s elite programs.

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.

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An awful lot of people who never molested anyone must now suffer for Sandusky's behavior. No scholarships for some deserving students. The loss of victories by football players who knew nothing of Sandusky's behavior. A school where no one but a very select few knew of this behavior sees its football program devastated. And how does $60 million undo the damage that Sandusky did? Who gets that money?

To me, it's a ridiculous response. Why not more education of youth on how to avoid molesters? Why not counseling programs for those who do not avoid it? Maybe that $60 million will go toward these goals, but I will believe it when it happens.

[Guest EXPAT]

The school and it's officials deserve this punishment and more for the following reasons:

1. Ignoring many reports of abuse because they put the coaches and the sport above the children!

2. The school once again putting sports programs above doing what's right for the children.

I find it dispicable that anyone doesn't understand why the school is being punished. Students shouldn't want to go to a school that behaves this way. And I hope that other schools will learn from this what their priorities should be.

[Lucky]

The school and it's officials deserve this punishment and more for the following reasons:

1. Ignoring many reports of abuse because they put the coaches and the sport above the children!

2. The school once again putting sports programs above doing what's right for the children.

I find it dispicable that anyone doesn't understand why the school is being punished. Students shouldn't want to go to a school that behaves this way. And I hope that other schools will learn from this what their priorities should be.

You find my disagreement with this punishment "despicable?" Really?

[MsGuy]

It's hard to understand the action taken by the NCAA in response to molestations by a football coach at Penn State:

,,,An awful lot of people who never molested anyone must now suffer for Sandusky's behavior... A school where no one but a very select few knew of this behavior sees its football program devastated.

Random observations:

1- Next to farming Federal research/grant money, the NCAA sports business is likely the largest single source of free cash to the universities. The Penn State scandal is damaging the value of the brand for all, so much so that the NCAA bypassed its own proceedural rules so it could be be seen to be acting decisively to resolve the problem. The last thing the NCAA needs is for this hoorah to drag on into the Fall football season.

2- Notice that a lot of the initial response from students and alums was to close ranks to protect the football program. A legitimate argument can be made that something like the punishment provided (which includes Penn's submission to independant outside monitors appointed by the NCAA for the next five years) was necessary to break the hold of the football program on the University's administration.

3- As for the $60 million, that's about one year's football revenue for Penn State. As it's to be paid out @ 12 million a year, that should be doable for the program. Also, I did hear a couple of commentators speculate yesterday that any fines would be passed through to charities offerring services to abused children but, as you say, time will tell on that.

4- As to vacating the wins back to '98, big whoop. I read this as the NCAA making sure that this scandal doesn't get revisited by the media every time in the next 30 years that some coach gets within hailing distance of Paterno's record.

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But I do think it's something of a reach to call you out as despicable, Lucky, LOL.

[Lucky]

So if ten guys lose a scholarship, does that even the score for ten guys molested? Why do these guys have to pay for what Sandusky did? There is no way to undo the damage done, but the NCAA action doesn't do much to punish the people who need the punishment.

I can buy banning the team from bowl games if that is seen as a lesson to future molesters. Take down Paterno's statue, consider his legacy ruined. Punish the admins who did nothing. Keep Sandusky locked up. Hang his wife in the public square. But why punish football players who knew nothing of this? Why steal scholarships from kids who knew nothing of this?

[Guest Judd]

So if ten guys lose a scholarship, does that even the score for ten guys molested? Why do these guys have to pay for what Sandusky did? There is no way to undo the damage done, but the NCAA action doesn't do much to punish the people who need the punishment.

I can buy banning the team from bowl games if that is seen as a lesson to future molesters. Take down Paterno's statue, consider his legacy ruined. Punish the admins who did nothing. Keep Sandusky locked up. Hang his wife in the public square. But why punish football players who knew nothing of this? Why steal scholarships from kids who knew nothing of this?

Well Mr. Lucky, you can't punish the dead. And while you might find these punishments out of line - this isn't about Penn State. It's about the NCAA and The Big Ten and their credibility.

Personally, I was more offended that the university used a tarp and security detail to protect and remove his statue, which was more than they ever cared about protecting those who now exist as victims.

[Guest samfitzpatrick]

So if ten guys lose a scholarship, does that even the score for ten guys molested? Why do these guys have to pay for what Sandusky did?

As I understand the penalty, no scholarships are being taken away from anyone that already has one, only limits offering of ones to new recruits. And like Watergate, the penalty isn't severe for the crime, but it is severe due to the cover up.

There is no way to undo the damage done, but the NCAA action doesn't do much to punish the people who need the punishment.

I do think the penalties punish the people who need it, the administration of university. The culture allowed a coverup for over ten years of these crimes that were reported not once but a second time a few years apart. The penalties against the culture of the university are appropriate given that it had the opportunity to act and chose to do nothing.

[Guest Judd]

And as an aside, when you punish the bacteria with an effective antibiotic, you hopefully eraticate that bacteria which caused the sickness to begin with in the first place, from ever becoming a silent toxin to rise again within the innocent and naive ever again.

Already, we have young people staying away from this University, giving up scholarships to put themselves first, due to the sanctions placed upon it. If nothing else learned here is the fact that young people should never suffer because of their elders actions, this is it.

Bravo. This could not have been a more important sanction since the Catholic Church decided to arrest and banish priests who......Oh wait. Still waiting on that one, aren't we.