Should Penn State get the 'death penalty' for the Sandusky scandal?

[Marty Ward]

All right - for the sake of the (arguably) few, I'll endorse the destruction of the football program,

Where do you think they are going to get the money to pay the fine? Do you want the University to cut $60 million from what it normallly would use to educate the students in order to pay the fine?

 

[Dave68124]

Well using that logic the NCAA should never place sanctions on any program. Hey OSU and USC you get your scholarships back. The programs at OSU, USC and PSU were rotten at the top and as institutions should pay for there breaking of NCAA rules.

Look, I don't have any issue with the penalties that the NCAA handed out, but your argument above misses a key point. The cover up at Penn State while related to the football team had nothing to do with creating an unfair edge in competition unlike the USC case and to a lesser extent Ohio State. Personally, I am glad they are knocking the crap out of Paterno's legacy - he deserves everything he is getting. I hope the administrators will also face the music as well.

 

[Dave68124]

Bad taste joke warning:

They call women who prey on younger men, Cougers.

They call old men who prey on young boys, Nittany Lions.

 

[Marty Ward]

Well using that logic the NCAA should never place sanctions on any program. Hey OSU and USC you get your scholarships back. The programs at OSU, USC and PSU were rotten at the top and as institutions should pay for there breaking of NCAA rules.

What did the football team gain by Sandusky raping those kids? Did they get better players to come to the school? Did Paterno's covering up the incidents give the team a competative advantage over their opponents?

You are right PSU was rotten to the top in covering this up. The only ones who seem to have had nothing to do with it are the players.

 

[Marty Ward]

Look, I don't have any issue with the penalties that the NCAA handed out, but your argument above misses a key point. The cover up at Penn State while related to the football team had nothing to do with creating an unfair edge in competition unlike the USC case and to a lesser extent Ohio State. Personally, I am glad they are knocking the crap out of Paterno's legacy - he deserves everything he is getting. I hope the administrators will also face the music as well.

I agree with this. I'm not sure there is a way that the players can escape all effects of the punishment but there is no reason to totally eliminate the football program.

 

[wrongway149]

Individuals did this...not the football program.

Bad cops don't mean the police department is forever banned.

But what if chief of police and even mayor covered it up to protect thier reputation?

 

[Dr Zaius]

The cover up at Penn State while related to the football team had nothing to do with creating an unfair edge in competition unlike the USC case and to a lesser extent Ohio State.

Agreed. But I would just like to say that lumping Ohio State in here with Penn and USC is ridiculous as that whole thing was blown so far out of proportion it was beyond silly. Ohio State had a very small number of players who sold some of their own memorabilia and got discounts on tattoo work -- that's it. All total, we're talking about a few hundred dollars worth of unfair profit. Is this against the rules and did it need to be dealt with? Sure. But anyone who doesn't think very significant sums are changing hands behind the scenes in college football is fooling themselves. There have been scandals with recruiters buying houses and cars for players' mothers and free vacations and all sorts of shady "scholarship" payoffs, and none of this has stopped, the schools have just become a lot more crafty about hiding it. The entire OSU "scandal" added up to about what I spent on my new video cards last year, and IMHO vacating the school's victories on account of these massive crime lords was pure politics.

I have a family member who is a recruiter for one of the NFL teams so he hears all sorts of interesting things. No one wants to rock the boat because college football is BIG money for a lot of people, so the public gets to see what the schools want the public to see.

 

[Fort]

But what if chief of police and even mayor covered it up to protect thier reputation?

Then they are accomplices and should be prosecuted as well...the police station should not be burned to the ground and forever banned from the town.
Tear the statue of the accomplice and criminals down, destroy their legacy...don't burn the institution.
A couple of others made a reply similar to what I would to the comparison with USC and OSU etc...there is a difference and the NCAA is not a law enforcement agency nor a branch of the Justice Department.
I have no problem with removing in every way possible the legacy of Paterno and company...destroying the football program and athletic department is not appropriate punishment for the crime.

 

[Martin Mayers]

Then they are accomplices and should be prosecuted as well...the police station should not be burned to the ground and forever banned from the town.
Tear the statue of the accomplice and criminals down, destroy their legacy...don't burn the institution.
A couple of others made a reply similar to what I would to the comparison with USC and OSU etc...there is a difference and the NCAA is not a law enforcement agency nor a branch of the Justice Department.
I have no problem with removing in every way possible the legacy of Paterno and company...destroying the football program and athletic department is not appropriate punishment for the crime.

It's called taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut
You're quite right Fort

 

[MLaPanzer]

Agreed. But I would just like to say that lumping Ohio State in here with Penn and USC is ridiculous as that whole thing was blown so far out of proportion it was beyond silly. Ohio State had a very small number of players who sold some of their own memorabilia and got discounts on tattoo work -- that's it. All total, we're talking about a few hundred dollars worth of unfair profit. Is this against the rules and did it need to be dealt with? Sure. But anyone who doesn't think very significant sums are changing hands behind the scenes in college football is fooling themselves. There have been scandals with recruiters buying houses and cars for players' mothers and free vacations and all sorts of shady "scholarship" payoffs, and none of this has stopped, the schools have just become a lot more crafty about hiding it. The entire OSU "scandal" added up to about what I spent on my new video cards last year, and IMHO vacating the school's victories on account of these massive crime lords was pure politics.

I have a family member who is a recruiter for one of the NFL teams so he hears all sorts of interesting things. No one wants to rock the boat because college football is BIG money for a lot of people, so the public gets to see what the schools want the public to see.

The penalties to OSU had nothing to do with the tattoo and selling of jerseys. The penalties were because Tressel (the head coach) knew about the infraction and COVERED it up because he thought he had a chance to play for a national championship with those guys. He knew of the infractions before the start of the year and did not report them.

I do not know the bylaws of the NCAA but I do believe the organization is in existance to do more than just create a level playing field and to make sure no one get an advantage. 22 school heads and PSU agree that what happened at PSU falls under there perview.

 

[Marty Ward]

Could this actually be true?

"Graham Spanier, former Penn State president, gets job with federal government

In yet another shocking development in the Penn State story, ousted president Graham Spanier will soon begin working with the federal government on projects related to national security, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., first reported."

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-07-25/penn-state-graham-spanier-president-federal-government-job-national-security-fre

 

[Markdv5208]

Could this actually be true?

"Graham Spanier, former Penn State president, gets job with federal government

In yet another shocking development in the Penn State story, ousted president Graham Spanier will soon begin working with the federal government on projects related to national security, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., first reported."

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-07-25/penn-state-graham-spanier-president-federal-government-job-national-security-fre

IF it's true--and I have little reason to doubt it--then it merely fits into more of my personal bias against Admin types, and how they have a way of looking out for each other.

When I was a teacher aide, my former principal was released....for urinating in drinking fountains. Notice, I didn't say fired. The public school district didn't want the bad publicity that would come with that. Last I heard, he was a principal at a charter school about 60 miles north of my residence.

JMHO, liberally supported by facts.

Mark DV
Ada, MI

 

[Morbii]

How can you contribute to national security and protecting against unknown threats when you couldn't even secure children on a college campus against a known threat?

 

[Kevin Kenneally]

How can you contribute to national security and protecting against unknown threats when you couldn't even secure children on a college campus against a known threat?

Real easy; have a Master Degree and you can work anywhere in the US Government.... That and have a friend or two that will hire you....

 

[Psycho]

How can you contribute to national security and protecting against unknown threats when you couldn't even secure children on a college campus against a known threat?

He's real good at keeping secrets or sweeping blown ops under the rug?

 

[Tater]

More than that, it says that collegiate sports are more important than justice for the rape of children.

The NCAA is not an elected or duly appointed body for meting out criminal justice. If that is what they were doing then they are over reaching their authority. The criminal justice system of the USA is more than able to deal with the perpetrators of these crimes.

As a non-football fan, I'm horrified that this is even a question. I would disband the program, dynamite the stadium and salt the field with radioactive cobalt, just as a warning to other schools not to try to cover up crimes of this magnitude. That students can no longer play a game is so low on the scale of appropriate punishments for child rape that I can't believe it is even being discussed.

But if Sandusky were butchering kids before they were born you would shake his bloody hand and give him a plaque with his name on it. So your concern for the welfare of a child is more about timing than anything, eh.