The Penn State mess

[cactuswatcher]

One thing is certain Jerry Sandusky betrayed everyone. It's his behavior above all else that caused everything. After Joe Paterno's disgrace and quick death and Sandusky's criminal conviction the rest of the matter is not quite as cut and dried.

I don't think it really was a surprise that Joe Paterno tried to bury the story back in 1998, (After all our blameless media had championed stories of loyalty to one's friends above all since the birth of television.) I think Paterno might have been justified in thinking that it was some kind of smear campaign. But even so, it is difficult to understand from any stand point, why Paterno did not approach Sandusky then and tell him that he was forbidden from bringing children with him to the Penn State athletic facilities one at a time or even in very small groups. Whether the original accusation might be proved true or not, the risks were far too great to continue this odd practice. This would not have helped any of the victims then or future victims, but it would have at least protected the University from sharing in the disgrace. It would have meant that the 2002 incident would have never festered into clearly criminal wrong-doing on the part of Paterno and other University officials who had no other connection with Sandusky's crimes.

The NCAA imposed stiff sanctions on the Penn State football program this morning. Most notably, Penn State has been fined $60 million, and banned from the post season for four years. Symbolically, the most staggering penalty was the "vacating" of all Penn State victories since 1998. Practically that was a meaningless gesture, since even in the days when the NCAA had the courage to impose forfeits the penalized schools cheerfully ignored them and published their forfeits as unblemished wins. It means that for a season or two TV announcers will talk piously about how Paterno was once the all-time leader in college football coaching wins. After that though they will happily forget the penalty ever happened. I would say the most devastating penalty would be the loss of 10 of the maxim 25 football scholarships per year for 4 years, But the recent experience at USC tends to support the position that there are enough players out there willing to play for a first-class BCS conference team whatever the cost, that there may or may not be any effect.

I would not be surprised if Penn State goes to court over the fine, especially if the Big Ten imposes any penalties. There really isn't any precedent for that kind of fine, let alone for one that large, and I think Penn State might have a case for lack of due process from the NCAA. I doubt the court would be much interested in looking at the other penalties, since even though they are extraordinarily harsh, they do fall within the kinds of penalties the NCAA has been imposing on its members for decades. It would be naive to think the money to pay the fine would come from the football program any way. Eventually the state of Pennsylvania and future students of the University will have to foot the bill, if and when it is ever paid.

ETA: As I was typing the above, the Big Ten conference announced that it will withhold Penn State's share of the conference's bowl pool for the next 4 years. Currently the total of that is valued at around $13 million dollars.

Comments

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Paterno didn't already suspect even before 1998. In the early-mid 1990s, Sandusky was frequently listed as a favorite for various coaching jobs, notably Maryland and Virginia, and his name would mysteriously disappear from the coaching search list with no explanation. (I worked in the MD Athletic Dept during the 1996 search) At the time, we just assumed he was waiting for JoePa to go. In retrospect, we think MD was warned off of him.

Certainly the decision to protect him the first time made the University more and more wedded to him later, though it certainly doesn't explain just how far PSU was going for the guy - giving him regular facilities access and box seats. I guess they were afraid that any break would have been immediately noticed and would get people asking why. They could have thrown him under the bus earlier and no one would have blamed them. Unless, Joe couldn't in '98 because he already knew. Wild speculation, but I doubt the 98 case was the first time Sandusky had molested a kid, and it wouldn't necessarily be a shock if Paterno, who was legendary for knowing *everything* that happened around the program...

If it were only 2002, well, by then Penn State was really bad and Paterno may have circled the wagons to protect his job, but he was still riding high in 98. He didn't have to protect Sandusky, and it's clear that JoePa drove the bus in regards to his program at the school.

It's still a big hit - much bigger than USC or Ohio State. Next year's recruits may not want to go to a school if they know they're under the microscope and won't go to a bowl. Penn State's fine will probably be paid by it's most loyal boosters. And those same boosters will be determined to get back on top. And in ten years they probably will be...

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

The only problem with the boosters footing the bill is that sooner or later they are going to expect something for all that money. It only would take catching one rogue booster getting too free with his money around the players or straight out paying someone to go to Penn State instead of anywhere else and Penn State would get the death penalty, no question.


Yes, you have to wonder when Paterno knew. It gives me the creeps thinking back on Brent Musburger calling games and saying what a wonderful guy Sandusky was and how he was the heir apparent. Of course, Musburger was dead wrong about a lot of those wonderful guys he had drinks with a time or two.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Boosters are what paid for the team plane, the athletic facilities, and expansions that made Beaver Stadium one of the largest in the country. Aside from bribing players, they pay for access, for seats, and to try to build programs. Like T Boone Pickens at OkState or Phil Knight at Oregon, who spend millions on their Athletic Department without any particular whiff of direct cheating. (not that Oregon or Ok State are necessarily clean...)

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

With Penn State's reaction to the penalties and their statements that they wouldn't use tax payer money to pay the fines, it certainly does look like they had donors lined up to cover it all and perhaps more. These are some sick football fans!