Should Penn St. Get the Death Penalty

[Mexmustang]

Just to add to your comment, it was also Turner. He didn't do anything but make promises for his first eleven years! Remember "The Commitment" when he an his AD asked us to make a financial commitment to become competitive again. Well that was money I would love to have back.

Anyway, regardless of everyone's position on the DP, I thought everyone's various comments on this topic were well put. This was the best debate in that I have read on this board in years. It illustrates the dilema we all face when morality conflicts with sport, and business as well.

[mr. pony]

am i missing something in terms of when the death penalty is applicable? i thought it was only applied in cases of repeated violations when a school had been on probation previously. is my understanding incorrect?

Sandusky was a "repeat violator," no?
School previously on probation? Make an exception here. Hang 'em.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Hang those self righteous bastards!!

[PoconoPony]

Yes.

DP was for "lack of institutional control".

Penn State had the 4 top guns who knew what was going on and conspired to ACTIVELY CONCEAL what was going on. If this isn't "lack of institutional control", then there never will be.

One of the major issues facing PSU with regard to the NCAA will be institutional control. Early in the investigation local media determined that during a 4 or 5 year period in the mid 2000s that roughly 22 football players had been arrested for various reasons most not henious. There was considerable dispute regarding who and how to deal with these players. PSU's chief compliance official became locked in a very serious debate and conflict with Paterno believing that these football players were to be considered student athletes and were subject to all university rules, regulations and established sanctions. Paterno maintained they were football players and that he would deal with them. A major show down ocurred in roughly 2007 with then university President Spanier mediating the situation with Paterno and the female compliance officer clashing head on. Spanier ultimately instructed the compliance officer that she was not responsible for the football team or any player issues as Paterno was in a far better position to understand and that he would decide on any disciplinary actions. The compliance officer was so upset with with football players being removed from the university process that she resigned on principle and protest. In effect, the university President removed all institutional control from the football team and players who were not to be handled as student athletes, but handled inconsistently based only on what ever subjective sanctions were imposed by Paterno. This is a blatant example of loss of institutional control and the NCAA should go crazy because football players at PSU were exceptions to all university rules and regulations and were not to be treated as "student athletes".

[WildBillPony]

In addition to the crimes, the matter was concealed by the athletic dept. and school administration for years. Student athletes were recruited to PSU during that time based upon false pretenses - i.e. the existing atrocities and cover-up by coaching staff, all unbeknownst to the recruited athletes. To issue sanctions on those grounds is totally within the scope of the NCAA. If the school has to be on probation already, put them on probation this year, then give them the death penalty next year.

[well travelled pony]

Read another story on yahoo sports on the hypocrisy of psu. Such a joke. As they get exposed,then let the hammer fall.

Go Ponies!

[stc9]

I don't think that Pedophile State should get the death penalty. I am incensed at Sandusky's crimes. I am even angrier that Spanier, Paterno and company covered this up. In this world there is black and white with 50 shades of grey separating the two. This wasn't in any shade of grey. The morally, ethically and legally correct thing to do were not hiding in one of those 50 shades of grey. The crimes that were committed are so heinous and so vile that I wouldn't weep over a lynch mob marching through Happy Valley to take care of business.

That being said, I just don't think it is right to penalize the current players to that extent. The kids didn't do anything wrong. What about the women's Tennis Team that is financed through football? They certainly didn't do anything wrong. Should they lose their funding as well? In these tough economic times the State budget won't be increased to cover the budget shortfall due to the scumbags in charge.

Instead of the Death Penalty, I would remove home games from PSU's schedule for at least two years and ban them from TV for three years. I would also limit the number of players that can come for official visits and place the school on probation for 5 years. Finally, I would allow players to transfer without penalty. This will have a long term lasting effect on the program. What the conference partners lose in TV revenues, they will make up for it with an extra home game. The other sports still get access to some revenue.

No matter what is decided. The reputation of the university is going to be tarnished for decades.

[SMUer]

So basically, the death penalty...lite

[Corso]

Lite? No way.

Shut that dump down.

[covok48]

Instill the death penalty for multiple years. The PSU fans, students, alumni, and administrators are infected with the disease of tying their identity and self worth into a sport that only plays 12-15 games a season. So much so that they will cover up, marginalize, and outright deny the most despicable football scandal in the history of the sport.

I don't mean to sound like Pye here but at its core, football is a game of tackling and moving a ball across grass. It is meant to be enjoyed by an audience, not obsessed over, not to be the backbone of entire economies, not used as a means to institutionalize crime.

Here the NCAA has a real opportunity to reverse a steady current of winning at all costs that is destroying the game as we know it. If anything less than the death penalty is instituted, it is an admission that our collective temporary entertainment for 1/4th of the year is more important than the victims who are and will be damaged for as long as they live.

[Digetydog]

This is why Penn State needs to be punished. Instead of protesting in favor of the victims, they have students sleeping out in tents to protect the statue of Saint Patpervo. It's hard to see in this picture, but the wall to the left describes Patpervo as a "Humanitarian."


http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/eye-on-college-football/19605991/PHOTO:-Penn-State-students-camp-out-to-protect-statue

[RGV Pony]

Roll some tanks in there Tianemmen square style

[leopold]

I used to think that PSU shouldn't get the DP - what does NCAA sanctions have to do with felonies? - but I'm beginning to change my mind. If the report has ANY truth to it, then:

- The football program was used as open bait for gaining access to unsuspecting children. The Penn State name, the facilities, the association with children's charities were all a lure to legitimize and facilitate bringing in victims and then, I'm sure, applying pressure to them to keep their mouths shut and protect the perpetrators.

- More people around the program had to have known what was going on. Paterno himself said there were 'rumors' surrounding Sandusky, not mention McQuery and the janitors very may well have opened their mouths to someone out of guilt and concern. The leaders are taking the fall, but in reality many people at least suspected or possibly knew what was going on and did nothing.

If these things are true then it was a program-wide problem and should be punished as such. A program that allows itself to be used as a vehicle for despicable acts performed regularly over a decade and a half deserves the Death Penalty.

[EastStang]

Nah give Penn State a choice, Option 1- all fans entering the stadium have to let Jerry Sandusky baby sit their children without supervision. Option 2 - suspend the program for 2 years. Which would you choose? No TV either.

[Harry0569]

/And scene

http://deadspin.com/5927065/here-is-the ... rno-statue