OT: Paterno statue taken down

[pap49cba]

LINK

 

[msf22b]

It was inevitable

 

[OneTrickPony]

Guess 900 lbs was a little too much to have disappear over night...wise and timely...

 

[justML]

That statue was an icon at Penn State. Its removal proves how grievous Paterno's lack of action was.

The sorrow these victims, their families and the innocent Penn State families have had to endure because of these men still sickens me.

 

[Kibitzer]

The word is that the NCAA will announce its sanctions tomorrow (Monday, July 23). One purportedly knowledgeable person said the sanctions are unprecedented. Already there is speculation about whether a deal has been cut between PSU and the NCAA.

It is apparent that the NCAA is basing any actions or sanctions on the Freeh report, not on its own traditional investigation procedures. It is also noteworthy that the NCAA is not relying on its Infractions Committee, for the very obvious reason that they are not dealing with mere recruiting violations.

I persist in my belief that the NCAA will not administer the "death penalty" (I wish there were a more appropriate term for schedule cancellation) if only because of the calendar. NCAA rules provide for a response by the punished institution, then a hearing, and all this rigmarole takes months.

The statue is now gone, a few trustees have been replaced (many more to go, in my view) and other forms of punishment could be meted out by the NCAA (e.g., vacating of all football victories between, say, 1998 and 2011, a reduction in football scholarships, and no bowl games for a few years) and digested by a new administrative leadership at PSU.

Stay tuned.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Have to wonder what penalties the NCAA will levy on PSU on Monday. Don't think they will shut down the program. Could levy post season and television bans.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/22/ncaa-to-announce-corrective-measures-for-penn-st/
Link

 

[alexrgct]

Postseason and television bans are not unprecedented. Unless it was like for a decade or something.

So did they remove the statue or are they just going to have it look the other way?

 

[Husky Luv]

They may get the Death Penalty, its been a while since the NCAA handed that out.

 

[UConnCat]

ESPN reporting loss of significant scholarships and multiple bowl games but no death penalty.

 

[EricLA]

Too bad. The Death Penalty would have been appropriate. Let's hope it's actually a real punishment that hurts the program, not just some fluff to try to appease the victims.

 

[Husky Luv]

Too bad. The Death Penalty would have been appropriate. Let's hope it's actually a real punishment that hurts the program, not just some fluff to try to appease the victims.

Agreed

 

[cardfan]

I'm glad they took the statue down, but I'm torn about whether they should get the death penalty (agree with Kibitzer about needing a new term) because of the negative effect it would have on all PSU sports.

 

[Husky Luv]

Just the Football Program needs to be punish, I'm looking forward these upcoming games vs Penn State. Coquese is a great Coach and I love what she has done with the Program so far

 

[Bestiarius]

The fact that the NCAA will announce their sanctions so soon leads me to believe they will go relatively easy on Penn State. A quick resolution favors the school, because there is nothing worse than the unknown.

 

[vtcwbuff]

The school, not the football team, needs to be punished. I hate it when sanctions end up hurting athletees that had nothing to do with the crap perpetrated by the creeps in charge. There is an old military saw about how screw ups are dealt with. I can't remember all of it but I remember the last line distinctly - "Punish the Innocent"

Incidentally, there is a web site called Find A Grave that has a memorial page to Joe Paterno. They had to take down the "add flowers" feature because so many people were adding wilted flowers. A cautionary tale for all the other coaches that are anxious to protect their legacy.

 

[cardfan]

Just the Football Program needs to be punish, I'm looking forward these upcoming games vs Penn State. Coquese is a great Coach and I love what she has done with the Program so far

agree, but loss of ftball $, hurts other sports. That said, PSU raised a lot of $, even after the Sandusky scandal so they may be okay.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Without the revenue that football generates and the $$ the football boosters donate, many other sports would not exist. Women's basketball would not exist since its a money loser and would go by the wayside with a couple of other male sports to equal out to Title IX requirements.

 

[cardfan]

Without the revenue that football generates and the $$ the football boosters donate, many other sports would not exist. Women's basketball would not exist since its a money loser and would go by the wayside with a couple of other male sports to equal out to Title IX requirements.

all sports would go away then, except men's bball.

 

[EricLA]

The school, not the football team, needs to be punished. I hate it when sanctions end up hurting athletees that had nothing to do with the crap perpetrated by the creeps in charge. There is an old military saw about how screw ups are dealt with. I can't remember all of it but I remember the last line distinctly - "Punish the Innocent"

Incidentally, there is a web site called Find A Grave that has a memorial page to Joe Paterno. They had to take down the "add flowers" feature because so many people were adding wilted flowers. A cautionary tale for all the other coaches that are anxious to protect their legacy.

Couldn't disagree more. On the UCONN men's side, kids from years ago left without finishing coursework, wrecking the APR and causing the current players to suffer. Guess what? 2 players transferred and 2 jumped to the NBA.

Kids can leave PSU any time they want and go to a program that doesn't try to sweep child molestation under the rug. Again I get that there is almost no middle ground on this, so it's pointless to argue one point or the other. I do get that current players will suffer, but it happens to EVERY school that gets punished for past transgressions. USC had to miss two years of postseason due to the Reggie Bush recruitment, and future players paid the price.

To me this is much more egregious than boosters paying stuff for a star recruit. That is why I hope the punishment is much much more severe than a simple 2 year postseason ban.

 

[vtcwbuff]

It is way more egregious than boosters and money under the table. It's criminal and those involved have to pay. But some kid that just got a scholly should not be the one to pay. The players had nothing to do with anything that happened. Are they supposed to become additional victims in a desire to punish the program? What about the staff? Most of them weren't around when all of this happened. Should they pay too?

To me it's like some guy robs a bank and another guy sees him do it and refuses to testify. So you put the witness's family in jail for 20 years as a way to punish him.
IMO The NCAA should stay out of this entirely. It's a criminal case and that's where justive lies.

 

[Kibitzer]

Too bad. The Death Penalty would have been appropriate. Let's hope it's actually a real punishment that hurts the program, not just some fluff to try to appease the victims.

The death penalty rould be the least appropriate penalty. Here's a partial list of innocent people who could be punished:

• About 5,000 workers in or near Beaver Stadium, earning paychecks and in some cases livelihoods.
• About a half a million PSU alumni. The entire current student body.
• All players on the PSU roster. Sure, they could transfer but maybe they spent their youth wanting to grow up and attend Penn State.
• Every team on the PSU schedule. They would all lose money and all non-revenue producing sports (including women's basketball, for sure) would face budget cuts at best and possible extinction.
• Thousands of Pennsylvanians who operate restaurants, motels, or shops.
• Suppliers and vendors (how many hot dogs with buns and napkins and mustard or ketchup can 105,000 people consume).
• New coaching staff at PSU. The list above is partial but comprises only innocents who may have been guilty of loving a coach who won a lot of games but who could not possibly have had a clue about Sandusky's crimes or those in positions of power who kept a lid on.

It's not like it's either the death penalty or nothing. The NCAA has many options and I hope they exercise them in such a way as to punish sufficiently to set PSU up as an example, yet do it with focus on reform. Few things would be better for college sports than for PSU to become a shining example -- in all respects -- rather than merely a disgraced giant.

Punishment, yes. Reform, absolutely. Death penalty, not practical and unfair to too many innocents. There are abundant alternatives that will surely be effective. I hope the NCAA applies them immediately and unflinchingly.

 

[cardfan]

CNN headlines now state the NCAA will hit PSU for $30M in fines.

 

[UConnChapette]

CNN headlines now state the NCAA will hit PSU for $30M in fines.

My opinion....that is not enough.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

My opinion....that is not enough.

That is not supposedly the only thing. Money is not enough, but I am pretty sure (CNN articles) that there are expected to be scholarship reductions, bowl game ineligability, and more, and none of this for a paltry year.

Sadly, the only direct enablers affected will be the trustees (and it isn't all of them) that I feel need to go. Hopefully, it provokes change in the culture going forward.

 

[SubbaBub]

My opinion....that is not enough.

Not enough for what? That statement implies an objective. What exactly is it you hope the NCAA will achieve by altering the lives of innocent students and local businesses that the judicial system won't.

I find it interesting that in a case where the administrators took it upon themselves to dispense justice according to their own judgements, there are so many that are so eager to do the same. There are penalties to levied but the NCAA is the last organization that should be involved.

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