Should Penn St. Get the Death Penalty

[NY Pony]

Have we learned nothing? No one should get the Death Penalty.

[ponyte]

I respectfully disagree NY Pony. Sandusky should!

[Digetydog]

They are Perv State!!

[Comet]

This could get worse than any athletic death penalty, and us college sports fans really need to see beyond the sports ramifications of this scandal:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr- ... ncaaf.html

[mustangband27]

Emotional reaction is yes, logical reaction is no. Is what they did horrible and wrong in several ways? Absolutely. However none of those guys currently on the team or coaching staff had anything to do with this. Don't punish them, the students of the school, the fans, etc. It was before my time, but I'm sure many of you can speak to how devastating it was to endure the DP - for many years, too.

Again, not defending Penn St. in any way shape or form, but the DP would be devastating to a university and community that has already lost so much. Sanctions/fines/other penalties should follow, but they're going to be a down-and-out program for a while as it is. Let them be.

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

I hear what you're saying mustangband27. The problem is that's the excuse every program that gets into big trouble makes. You shouldn't punish us futher because the people who did this aren't here anymore and you're just going to be punishing innocent people who had nothing to do with that. Personally, I'm getting sick and tired of the chronic lawlessness in big time college athletics. The NCAA has totally lost control and now the question is becoming one of the NCAA's relevance. They've got to draw the line somewhere.

I understand that this is not the typical "gain a competitive advantage" type of scandal. But it is a crystal-clear example of massive wrongdoing and coverups perpetrated by the highest authorities in the football program, the athletic department, and the university administration at PSU. And these acts were committed with one thing in mind. . .protecting the football program at all costs. A decision about priorities was clearly made at PSU. The football program was prioritized over the safety and well being of innocent children, and the football program was prioritized over the mission of the university and its moral obligations to the community it serves. That is completely outrageous. PSU deserves the DP big time.

[soccermom]

Really good article, IMO, about this in Sporting news NCAAF...it's calling paterno a cowardly lion. Wish I knew how to put it here for those who haven't seen it.

[soccermom]

IMO, Paterno chose his football program and his legacy over doing the right thing. I say DP for all involved....

[RyanSMU98]

Forgetting NCAA regs, etc. for a second, and assuming the DP is on the table, I am of two minds about this. On one hand, I can see the argument that the four people deemed most responsible for the cover-up are either dead, in jail, or headed there in the not-too-distant future (not to mention open to any number of civil judgements against them). One could say that given this, the current players and the students were not a part of this conspiracy and therefore should not be lumped into the punishment phase of this tragedy, hence they don't deserve to have football taken away from them.

But here is the other side, and it is based on a fundamental question about PSU culture: take football out of the mix for a second, and swap in a high profile academic member of the institution. Had that person been caught doing what Sandusky did, would the university have gone to the same lengths to protect said person's image and reputation at the expense of the victims? Having worked in higher ed for 14+ years, at some of the highest regarded schools in the country, I find it extremely hard to believe that someone on the academic side of the house would have received this kind of executive "support" for two main reasons: first, even the most renowned professors do not bring the name recognition on a global scale that the most renowned sports figures do. Second, it is much easier to quietly release a staff/faculty member (who isn't in the limelight of the 24-hour news cycle) than a coach whose every move is observed.

Add to that the deification of Paterno and PSU athletics as a whole (almost Aggie-cult like), and it would suggest that it is most important to staff, students and alums to protect the athletic institution above all else (as evidenced by the record-setting athletic giving despite everything that has transpired). If that is the case, then perhaps taking away that institution for a season or two serves as a "reset switch" among those affiliated with the school to get their priorities squared away and recognize that their responsiblity to their community is of greater importance than their allegiance to "the program".

The Death Penaly is, and always will be, the "nuclear option" of college athletics and should be treated as the option of last resort given the damage it can do. Perhaps a better solution is to let the team continue to play, and for the next 5 years take all revenues (TV, merchandising, bowls, etc.) generated and put them in a trust to be distributed to victims of sexual abuse. This should be done separately from any damages assessed due to suits related to Sandusky. Whatever the answer, there needs to be a penalty leveled with enough severity to ensure that this never happens again. If shutting it down is what is necessary to drive the point home, then so be it.

[austinponie]

Looks like the NCAA is cranking up....

http://www.statesman.com/sports/college ... 15816.html

[EastStang]

You know there's another entity out there besides the NCAA that could do something, the Big Ten. They could say to Penn State, you're suspended as a conference member for two years. We won't play you for those two years and you won't get any TV monies those two years. Funny, the Big Ten has stayed relatively quiet in all of this.

[Junior]

no

[SMULaxer]

no

I echo this.

Sanctions sure, death penalty no. Don't kill another school's program. Its bogus.

[Samurai Stang]

no

I echo this.

Sanctions sure, death penalty no. Don't kill another school's program. Its bogus.

What is "bogus" is that Penn State could not maintain an athletic department without resorting to hiding the actions of a serial rapist. Penn State suffers from a culture problem to the extreme, and the root cause of that problem is the football team. If Penn State continues playing football without interruption, it is only a further indication that the university still values football above all else.

There are things in this world more important than football. It is disgusting to think that it is somehow important that Penn State not be forced to shut down its football program for any length of time because it would be disappointing to students and fans. The culture of Penn State football allowed a known pedophile to have free reign over campus. That concerns me far more than a fan's happiness.

What happened at Penn State is a crime against humanity. If this happened at SMU, I would demand that the football program be permanently dismantled, and I would never again claim any connection to the university.

Out of basic human decency, Penn State should not play football for a minimum of one season. For the first time in fourteen years, Penn State should do the right thing and put football second. This would not only represent a drastic cultural shift, but would also give the university time to overhaul the athletic department and conclude any ongoing legal issues, of which there will be many.

[Vitale]

We all (and even the morons who run the NCAA) can see that Sandusky and whoever helped cover up his behavior are the lowest forms of life.

But does the NCAA or the Big 10 have any jurisdiction here? Sure, Sandusky, Paterno, etc., are disgusting almost-human beings, and some of those involved (Spanier, Curley, etc.) might well be subject to legal punishment. But does all of this scumbaggery violate any NCAA or Big 10 rules?