Penn St. Punishment. Thoughts?

[rackranch]

... (clapping)

I dont think the school itself should have been punished.  I think those in charge that swept things under the rug should have been punished, but not the school itself.  All this did in my opinion was create more victims.  Is it fair to all those players who worked their rear ends off to win those bowl games that now suddenly because their coach was a sleeze bag all their accomplishments have been nullified.  What about those kids whose families are full of tradition at Penn State and they want to go to Penn state because its where their father, grandfather, great grand father went.  Now if the want to go and play football their, they have to make the choice between following tradition that may near and dear to them, knowing that they will never get in a bowl game, thus meaning nothing will advance beyond playing for an obsolete team. Or make the choice to break a tradition to be allowed any chance at success.
In my opinion yes people needed to be punished for their actions, but Penn State is not a person. It is a school that had a lot of tradition and history before this sleezebag ever even dreamed of being a coach.  I think some penalty to the school monetarily would have been good, but what I think would have been more fitting would have been for the NCAA and every other college accrediting group to come in and force Penn State to fire every scum bag that had any knowledge of this and didnt say anything, no severance package, no notice, just pack your crap and get out.  I think they should all be banned from working in any field even remotely related to this ever again, and I think the fines should be instated on the people not the school.  After all it was a crime for them to have knowledge of this and not say anything.  I think the courts should also dictate those people must pay the fines or face jail time as well, since them knowing about this without saying anyting was in fact illegal.

 

[wiseguy]

I am really torn on the situation.  This whole thing doesn't fit Paterno's character, it still baffles me.  I agree more with twistedstock, why are we not hearing about the people who actually did leg work to cover it up having their heads rolled?  My beef is with them, not the football program and players.  At the same time you need to set examples to prevent this from happening again, however I highly doubt it is these punishments that will prevent this in the future.

I agree with you and twisted stock for the most part. I still don't see this as something that Paterno would let go on. I had a great amount of respect for that man. However, when I think of how I would feel if this happened to my son..... well lets just say there is no punishment great enough for what those children had to go through. I pray for them and their families. This whole thing really makes me feel sick.

 

[oakview]

I'm not sure the penalties are severe enough.  I would have supported suspension of the football program for a few years.  It sounds like the players are free to go elsewhere if they choose.  I have some difficulty understanding how this whole thing happened.  I cannot understand how a head coach and administrators would allow such behavior to continue after it was originally discovered.  I want to believe that those in charge didn't actually know the severity of the situation.  Apparently, though, they did.  Apparently they knew what was going on and somehow allowed it to go on.  Worst of all is that they evidently allowed Sandusky to continue in his position and interact with young people, under the shield of the football program.  To me, that is putting the football program above all else.  According to what we've been told, the coach and the administrators placed the football program first at all costs.  SMU paying players is worse?  These big time athletic programs, particularly football, are the tails that wag the dog at far too many "institutions of higher learning."  How many Deans earn half as much as the football coach at a BCS school?

 

[stick]

I think the football program got what it deserved. This is probably worse than the so called death penalty. But, in the long run this will have a trickle down effect on all sports at PSU. At most major universities the football and mens basketball programs are the cash cow to the athletic departments and supply the funding for all the non revenue sports.

 

[jason]

I think the football program got what it deserved. This is probably worse than the so called death penalty. But, in the long run this will have a trickle down effect on all sports at PSU. At most major universities the football and mens basketball programs are the cash cow to the athletic departments and supply the funding for all the non revenue sports.

Yeah this is essentially the death penalty, 4 year bowl ban and everyone free to transfer.  Any top recruit won't get touch that program while a bowl ban is in place.  I am surprised they didn't get a tv ban, but I am guessing the big 10 probably lobbied against it.

 

[pjkjr4]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but my feeling in this situation is that the NCAA is punishing the wrong people. None of the current administration, athletic dept. officials, coaches, or athletes had anything to do with this. Why punish them? What did they do? I agree with the financial fine, and the win/loss record from 1998-now wiped out (although we all know who won and lost those games......not a big fan of that, but I know why they did it), but what about the parents of the current student-athletes?

Nothing could ever take back what that very hanus man did. I'm all but sure that if he's in the general population in prison, he will get what's coming to him, not to mention what's in store for the after-life. This whole thing just sickens me, but I have to trust that the current administration needs support from everyone.

 

[mark tenenbaum]

Penn State just became the equivalent to a MAC school. They won't be relevant for a long time. And rightfully so. I hope Sandusky gets tossed into general population. Shower time won't be nearly as fun. I think PSU will eventually get tossed from the big ten.///Well put and (pop) MY sentiments-theyll be laying for him-Jeffry Dahmer didnt live very long in the Gizmo-go figure. O0 (pop)

 

[Texas Dude]

I think Jay Paterno should dig a hole and jump in. I am tired of him trying to defend his family's "honor"
When he is prepared to drop his kids off at a known pedophile's house for the weekend, give me a call.
Until then, shut up.

If the sanctions had been worse, I would be ok with it.
If the sanctions had been less. I'd be pissed.

My .02c

 

[mark tenenbaum]

I think Jay Paterno should dig a hole and jump in. I am tired of him trying to defend his family's "honor"
When he is prepared to drop his kids off at a known pedophile's house for the weekend, give me a call.
Until then, shut up.

If the sanctions had been worse, I would be ok with it./// WELL put cowboy, (clapping)If the sanctions had been less. I'd be pissed. (clapping) (clapping) O0

My .02c

 

[chambero]

Paterno at 50 would not have ignored it (I dont think).  You cannot leave very old men in these positions of power.  As you get old, your mind is not the same as it was and I think you tend to migrate towards the extremes of your personality - people that are kind of ornery can get plain mean, selfishness can really rear its head, and pride can really go too far.

The forfeiture of games was the one thing they could do posthumously to Paterno.  I hope the money goes to a good cause related to the issue.  The rest of it was to make an example to other programs to never put sports over basic humanity.

Yes, the Paterno family needs to shut up.  You cant tell me he never mentioned this to his family.  Someone should have had an intervention with daddy.

 

[Telos]

The wrong doers are the only ones that need to be punished. Putting sanctions on a program is just silly. But that's how it's is done here in the USA (overkill). Penn State IMO should just eliminate the program. They'll be better off. Give scholarships to academics instead.

 

[twistedhshowstock]

I guess my biggest thing is I just dont see what this accomplishes other than making more victims.  They are punishing the school and the program in an attempt to make an example because of what a few people in position of power knew and didnt come forth with.  But the fact is most of the people who did wrong are already gone, some are dead, some retired, whatever reasons they arent there anymore.  Punishing the school and the program doesnt in any way punish those people. It mostly punishes the innocent.  The fact of the matter is that Penn State is huge, even the football program encompasses a lot of people, the vast majority of the people and the leadership at Penn State and probably the vast majority of the people in the football program most likely didnt know anything about any of this until the rest of the world did, when it came out in the news.  I feel sorry for the victims, I know what its like, but trust me punishing the school isnt accomplishing anything but making the University as a whole and its students and alumni victims also.  Take it from someone with experience, punishing the program isnt bringing any solace to the victims.  The only solace they will ever get was when Sandusky was found guilty and went to prison for the rest of his life because they know he will not do this to anymore kids now.  All this accomplishes is satiating the public, who were in now way affected by this, taste for blood after hearing the story.
I agree the NCAA was doing it more to make an example, but come on people this is simple morality, we shouldnt need to make an example.  If there is a need to make an example then college sports have sunk so low that they should really just be cut across the board, nation wide.  Like I said, I agree there is more punishment that needs to be handed out than just Sandusky, but it should have gone to those people, from top of the university to the lowest student, that had knowledge of this and didnt say anything.  Punishing the program doesnt punish those people who deserve it enough, and it mostly punishes people who were innocent and knew nothing of this.

 

[hamburgman]

The punishments may be guilt by association but when the entity "Penn State Football" was the entity that benefited from this not blowing sooner I feel you must punish the entity, and also the people who did the cover up all those years.  I would rather the entity punishment be a little less severe and the people's punishment be public and harsher.

 

[Telos]

I think they should have just killed the program for a period of time. I'm talking about Penn State. They had the opportunity about four months ago. With this  mandate, it will probably take at least 10 years to get back on their feet. The whole University will suffer from wrong doings of what a handful of men did.