WSR Gridiron Report

Hi wato, I don't disagree with anything you said, but I have not heard a word mentioned by anyone on any actions to be taken by the NCAA and that is really my question. Do they have the authority or the willingness to do anything?

I believe everyone will be waiting for a few things. Former FBI director Freeh's investigation wichcouuld lead to federal sanctions effecting the acredidation of Penn State. They could lose all federal education funding which owuld be devastating and in addition law suits could wipe charges were brought up by at least their 1.8billion endowment fund. Next the PA AG will pursue charges on the AD, VP and Possibly the past President of the University and if this results in convictions then the NCAA is likely to move in with sanctions which could at maxx be a Death Penalty for football, but is more likely to include a multi yeaar bowl ban(3 to 5 years) and large reduction in football scholarships. Some would say this is unfair to the players, but any player that goes there now should kn ow this is coming and they should choose the school more czrefully. the trial proved that Sandusky aided and abetted by Curley, Schultz, Paterno and Spanier was allowed access to the campus for over 15 years to repeatedly abuse minors and that charges had been brought at least by 1998 if not 1995 that should have been pursued by authorities and tht Paterno and others in charge knew of these charges and chose to protect the footballl program to he detriment of the victims.

I assure you that 10 victims were found to have been victimized but there is almost certainly another 30 ro 40 victims who could not find the ability to come forward and put on the stand to be victimized again. Penn State football deseves the max
on this and don;t give sympathyto the players and current coaches as they do not deserve itgive it to the many victims of this travesty brought to us by Sandusky, and he Penn State leaders who supported him.

Jim

Wato, I disagree with you on this.

It should go without saying that I am, like everyone, morally outraged.

The death penalty for the school, as BP notes, does not punish the guilty, in fact in punishes the innocents. Let's say this was Jim Rosborough (and I apologize to Rosborough for having to use that example). Would you want the death penalty for AZ BB? That is roughly the same time frame and similar situation.

Years and years of good will and flat out excellence in football are integral to that community, and the FB program, per se, was NOT the culprit here.

Penn State gained no competitive advantage by covering up Sandusky's actions, if anything it served as a distraction. Auburn and USC won national titles behind Cam Newton and Reggie Bush who were paid to play. Thats where I want to see the NCAA step with more than taking wins away. Big difference.

Penn State's healing process should include football. If the civil suits do as much damage as expected to the school, it will need the revenue that football can provide. 94,000 students, 24 campuses...imagine how many lives could be effected even by small budget cuts and where do those cuts lead?

Further, if you punish the USC program for paying players to pay, they might learn their lesson and not do it again. But if you punish Penn State Football or any football program for the actions of a pedophile - it will not prevent or deter any child rapists from their crime. The crime and it's cover up should all be dealt with. Everyone involved should get punished. I just don't think the institution had much do with or control over this. If a few key people decided just to sweep it under the rug, it's on them. If Penn State has a known policy of covering up crimes of it's employees, then the institution would be at fault.

The further this can be distanced from college athletics the better for all schools and athletic departments. This belongs in the world of crime and law enforcement - not the NCAA, IMO.

I work with a few Penn State grads and they have been wrecks since this whole quagmire unfurled.

Honestly, I don't know how I would cope if Arizona were to suddenly have its pride and reputation extinguished in the manner that PSU has with its president and athletic director as protagonists to this scandal.

Compared to SMU or the Baylor Dave Bliss fiasco, this PSU issue is exponentially worse.

What's not been reported much is PSU's where-with-all with its one and a half billion dollar endowment.

There are personal injury lawyers who have wet dreams about such the situation.

What NCAA rule has been violated that hasn't been addressed by the legal system?

Further penalties affect only those people that had nothing to do with the situation.

Black Mountain thatis easy to answer lack of institutional control. I believe when Former FBi director Freeh delivers his repoort we will see a pattern of willful instituaitonal abuse by Joe Paterno, theaD thethe VP and the President of the university and possibly other football coaches who knew what was going on and did nothing and stiffled any attempts to bring this to light. The first obvious signs in 1997 and 1998 were deliberaately ignored by these Penn State powers and Joe Paterno did nothing to make it stop even though he was the most powerful person at Penn State. Even when presented with what McQuerry saw he only presented it to Schultz and Curley who burrried it and he still did nothing. If we are going to hit SMU with a Death Penalty for much less and major bans on USC, Ohio State and next Miami of Florida for much less important findings then we must do something to Penn State and its football progfram. This scandal is a hundred times worse than what happened at USC, SMU, Ohio State and Miami combined and cannot be tolerated. Personally I would like to see the Federal Education powers takke away the credentials of Penn State and cause them to be shut down but at a minimum we must hit their football program so hard they never recover. I know this hurts innocent players but they should be allowed to go elsewhere and be eligible immediately. JOe Paterno and the others knew they had child molester intheir midst and not only did nothing to stopp him but covered for him for 14 years. That is intolerable. We cannot punish Joe Paterno now but as practicing Catholic I believe God took care of what needed to be done in his case.

Jim