Earlier this morning the president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, made public the sanctions against Penn State university for their administration’s action and inaction in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. They are as follows:
1. A fine of $60 million dollars to be held in trust for child abuse awareness and prevention organizations. The monies cannot be taken out of the athletic department funds nor can it impact any of the sports teams at PSU. This is what he meant when he said the sanctions would also be “against the school” as opposed to only the football program.
2. Four-year reduction of grants-in-aid. For a period of four years commencing with the 2013-2014 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 academic year, the NCAA imposes a limit of 15 initial grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 25 allowed) and for a period of four years commencing with the 2014-2015 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 academic year a limit of 65 total grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 85 allowed) for football during each of those specified years. In the event the total number of grants-in-aid drops below 65, the University may award grants-in-aid to non-scholarship student-athletes who have been members of the football program as allowed under Bylaw 15.5.6.3.6.
3. A four year ban on playing post-season bowl games.
4. All current players can transfer without eligibility restrictions.
5. Vacating of all wins from the 1998 season to the 2011 season and recorded in the record books. This appears to be completely punitive but IMO fits the transgressions. This drops Paterno to 5th in all time D1 wins.
The key punishment here as far as playing football goes is the cap of 65 scholarships on the roster starting with the 2104 season and for four years until the 2017 season. Suffice to say the quality of Penn State football will be down for at least a decade
These sanctions are serious though and will certainly impact not only the play on the field but will influence high school football player’s opinion about playing football in a crippled program. It also brings current players to a decision point regarding their future at Penn State. The NCAA has allowed current players to transfer if they so desire and the next few weeks are going to be interesting to watch and see what happens on that front.
One startling aspect of all this was the swiftness the NCAA’s formal response was to these PSU infractions. Usually these cases take months or even years to play out but the NCAA circumvented normal procedure to expedite the process.
One of the reasons Emmert felt they could get this done as quickly as possible and without the normal NCAA committee reviews was that Penn State provided the needed ammunition themselves in the form of the Freeh Report. PSU chartered that investigation and subsequent report then accepted all of its finding publicly. After that all the NCAA had to do was point directly to PSU’s own acceptance as justification of their sanction decisions.
That is the reason the PSU won’t fight these sanction, nor should they. It was as if the PSU administration was practicing self-flagellation on the way to the woodshed to get spanked by the NCAA. It was in their own best interests to accept these punishments, which they did in writing and move on.
It is important to note, contrary to PSU fan’s beliefs, that Emmert did not act unilaterally in this. He recommended these sanctions to the Executive Board and the NCAA Board of of Div I directors, comprised of university presidents and chancellors, who then accepted them unanimously.
This was not a Mark Emmert decision alone.
In the long run PSU really had no choice but to prepare itself for this punishment and for the other impacts that took place before and will take place after today. Yesterday they removed the statue of Joe Paterno from outside Beaver Stadium. The more cynical of us may say that PSU did that to show contrition and get out in front of the NCAA. If that was the case they underestimated the NCAA’s desire for swift and brutal action.
Today’s sanctions are just another act in this ongoing drama. There will be other, perhaps even more serious, ramifications coming down the pike when other investigations release their findings and take action. In fact the Big Ten just issued sanctions of their own most notably that PSU will not share in the conference bowl revenue.
Football was the kudzu on the Penn State tree of learning for the past 62 years and had to be completely removed by the roots to allow the rest of the university to see the authentic and important aspects of the university. Remove it and let it begin again with different footing and a lesser place at the table.
The Penn State board of Trustees, administrators and the whole of the Penn State family will have to reach deep and work hard to restore the university’s reputation, severely tainted by this scandal. In addition they must also accept and understand that too many people depend, in many positive ways, on a truly healthy and well rounded university to allow this to happen again.
But for now contrition is the name of the game in State College, PA and acceptance of the ramifications of the Administration’s crimes must be truthful and open minded. Otherwise this last year is more then a tragedy but is another blinding instance of misplaced hubris and startling stupidity on Penn State’s part.
Finally, let’s make no mistake about just what Emmert, the Executive Committee and the D1 Board of Directors did today. They sent a strong and clear message that college football should not rule the university roost. I’ve read and listened to thousands of fans over the years spout off about how “College Football is nothing but a big business” and “The rah-rah days are over, this is a minor league for the NFL”. I advise to re-think that. The current administration of Penn Sate has been forced to make the change, others schools may well be advised to reassess and follow suit.
If you have any doubts about where college football’s place and intent should be and I’ll venture to say will be in the future all you have to do is re-visit this morning proceedings where the NCAA told the world that the roles must be reversed from when the football kingdom dictated to the university itself.
This is where we pat ourselves on the back for being fans of an university where this doesn’t happen.
gdodson – the Big Ten gave them a slap on the wrist.
I wonder if Emmert had two summary judgements in his coat pocket: one (even worse) if the statue stood this morning, and a lesser one — bad as it is — if removed.
The $60M fine is a bit of a joke for that place: sez here the Nits will simply double ticket prices on the blue kool-aide drinkers for one year, pay it off in one year, and still reap the annual expected revenue.
This is the punishment for “the school” that was talked about.
The real key is that for four years staring from the 2104 recruiting class to the 2107 recruiting class PSU is capped at 65 total scholarships on roster. That is a total loss of 20 scholarships players on roster per year.
That is what is going to set Penn State back a decade in football.
Lets say there isn’t a mass defection from the team over the next year. If going into the 2014 recruiting season they still have, let’s say 70 underclassmen on scholarship and they are only allowed a total of 65 then they can’t recruit anyone at all.
This is the same for every succeeding year until the 2017 class.
It would be one thing if they were limited to 15 scholarships per year and still be allowed to have 85 on roster but that isn’t the case here.
The 65 limit per year is a pure death penalty in itself.
“Hello, Dorian Johnson? Ummm, a Mr. Paul Chryst is on hold for you.”
As much as I like to win on the field and court, I am more proud of PITTs academic standing.
H2P
PSU is limited to 65 per year.
Here is what he agreed to in exchange for the biggest coaching challenge of his career. Seems like PSU got him on the cheap which is good considering they now owe 15M per year for 4 year and forfeit 13M in B10 bowl revenue per year for 4 years.
“5-year contract runs from 2012-2017?
“Base compensation of $950,000 per year with built-in 5 percent increase annually”
“Regular executive benefits offered by University”
“Additional compensation from radio and television as well as Nike contract for each of five years”
“Performance incentives not to exceed $200,000 for each year”
“Additionally, the NCAA is considering waiving scholarship limits for programs to which these football student-athletes transfer, provided they reduce proportionately in the next year. For example, the limit is 25 new scholarships per year to a total of 85 scholarships. If the limits are waived in 2012-13 to accommodate one Penn State student-athlete who wishes to transfer to a particular school already at the limits, in 2013-14 the school will be limited to 24 new scholarships and 84 total scholarships.”
The NCAA was smart to close that loop hole that USC took advantage of. NCAA penalized USC 10 scholarships per year for three yeas WITHOUT a limit (max) on any given year of scholarships (PSU has a limit/max).
USC exploited the loophole by
1) appealing the sanction for 2 years allowing them to stockpile scholarship player in that 2 year appeal period
2) stockpiling of “young” or “redshirt” scholarship players allow them to maintain scholarships levels near 85 and most notably young players with many years of eligibility.
Also could care less if we get any of there PSU recruits/current players. I will leave up to the Pitt administration and not the athleitc department…
any way if true and he leaves he wont be comeing to PITT not if mom doesent want him there.
Both Emmert and Ray stated numerous times that every college president and chancellor agreed that the NCAA should take action – back in Nov of 2011!!
That was after the Grand Jury report and way before the Freeh report.
The Presidents and Chancellors across the country recognize that the beast of college football had become was slowly killing the reasons the university exists in the first place.
I’d love to see a poll of current and past PSU professors regarding these sanctions – I bet it would be overwhelmingly positive.
O’Brien may just be in a win-win situation here. Since the team will suck everyone will know it’s not his fault but the result of the sanctions.
On the other hand, if he sticks with PSU football now and until it turns the corner he’ll be a hero to the PSU faithful.
Look, no one was beating his door down to hire him as a HC. He’s getting probably $1.3M in total compensation for being there and he’ll be loved by all the PSU faithful.
Not a bad gig really.
That was done as a gesture by the NCAA for the victims and advocacy groups.
Imagine this was any BE school or other smaller school other than PSU – that would be a major hurt on their budget.
I think Emmert did a pretty good thing in ensuring that money loss couldn’t hurt other PSU sports programs.
I dont think they lose more than 5 players all ready on the team and not more then 3 commits from this year and i dont think we get any of them
they may not even lose that many.
I agree with FRANKCAN in that I don’t expect a mass exodus out of PSU given the kool-aid culture there, but I think there will be some, mainly young underclassmen that will re-consider especially given the fact that they are allowed free and easy release.
