By now you know the penalties that Penn State were given by the NCAA for their role in the Jerry Sandusky cover-up.
- 60 million dollar fine- Heavy loss of scholarships- 4 year bowl ban- 5 years probation after the bowl ban- Vacation of 14 years worth of wins
Basically, it was the death penalty without the death.
Penn State's reputation has been permanently damaged by Sandusky's crimes, but their football program has been further decimated by Joe Paterno.
Some will argue that it's not enough, and some will say it's too much. Personally, I feel the sanctions are just right.
Killing the program would do more damage than is necessary (hear me out on this). Revenue from the football program does more good than harm - it funds scholarships in many sports beyond football. It funds scholarships for low-income families, and academic scholarships. The football program provides jobs to hundreds, if not thousands of people in Happy Valley. The bars and restaurants in town thrive on Saturday business in the fall.
Killing the football team would kill the community.
But knocking down the culture of "win at all costs" was important, and these penalties will do that.
Penn State instantly becomes an average team on their best day, and a bad team the rest of the year. Their depth has been destroyed, and the best players in the nation will not attend PSU for a long, long time.
The record books are changed instantly, something that PSU fans argued was the ultimate honor, when they should have been protecting the children of the community.
In other words, after sacrificing all their integrity to get a few more wins for their former coach, the worst thing you can do to this community is to make them experience really bad football and see what their crimes have wrought. They demanded victory at the price of innocent lives - this is the karmic payback.
As for the penalties being too much, you've got to be kidding?
As they say, the fish rots at the head (they do say that still, right?). The head of the school and the head of the team were complicit in hiding Sandusky's crimes, and, as a result, the entire organization must pay. Yes, that includes the former players.
Braxton Miller wasn't at Ohio State when Terrelle Pryor got cheap tattoos, but he gets the penalty too. Same for Matt Barkley being in grade school when Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo were making bags of cash at USC.
Collateral damage goes with the territory in crimes this big. You cannot cease all punishment just because there's a few players who will get punished from it.
Furthermore, the NCAA has given the players an out - they can transfer today if they want. They have a choice - leave now and play tomorrow on another team, or stay and sit down.
Besides, if you're upset about the kids on the team getting punished, your focus is on the wrong group of kids in Happy Valley.
Kudos to the NCAA for handing down the right sanctions.
- Jeff Seemann
