The NCAA slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties this morning, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all former coach Joe Paterno’s victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Other sanctions include a four-year ban on bowl games, the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years and probation for five years. The NCAA also says any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school. NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the sanctions at a news conference in Indianapolis. Though the NCAA stopped short of imposing the “death penalty”—shutting down the Nittany Lions’ program completely—the punishment is still crippling for a team that is trying to start over with a new coach and a new outlook. Emmert fast-tracked penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings. The NCAA says the $60 million is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at Penn State. “Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,” Emmert says. The Associated Press has the full story here.
Today’s poll question: Do you think the punishments handed down to Penn State this morning are appropriate?
