$60 million fine. No bowl games for 4 years. All wins from 1998 - 2011 vacated (JoePa is no longer the winningest coach, now Eddie Robinson is again). Loss of 15 scholarships each year for four years.

But, NO Death Penalty. I'm betting this is because no football in State College would financially harm the hundreds of vendors and small businesses that depend on football games to survive.

Forbes has said this is not a "financially significant" blow to the value of the team, but the blow in terms of prestige is uncountable.

Trust me, I've been there on that one.

I'd say it's a fair punishment.

uPtoWnNY said:

I'd say it's a fair punishment.

I don't.

Should have booted them.

It's a death penalty by another name. More "death by a thousand cuts" than one clean blow. Which, in some ways, might even be worse. Now, they'll be second rate for a good, long time - a decade, at least.

It's a bit extreme. Cot damn - 60 mil? That will affect students' scholarships

undoubtedly who had nothing to do with Sandusky and Paterno's cover up.

I think a more fair "punishment" (the NAACP's power has always confused

me) would have been to cancel this year's football season.

Penn State: Like a Frog Running from A baseball Bat

duccichucka said:

It's a bit extreme. Cot damn - 60 mil? That will affect students' scholarships

undoubtedly who had nothing to do with Sandusky and Paterno's cover up.

I think a more fair "punishment" (the NAACP's power has always confused

me) would have been to cancel this year's football season.

It comes out of the athletic program - not academics.

And anyone who's there now on a football scholarship is immediately a free agent. They can pack up and go to any other school that will have them - no requirements that they sit out a year.

Genesia said:

duccichucka said:

It's a bit extreme. Cot damn - 60 mil? That will affect students' scholarships

undoubtedly who had nothing to do with Sandusky and Paterno's cover up.

I think a more fair "punishment" (the NAACP's power has always confused

me) would have been to cancel this year's football season.

It comes out of the athletic program - not academics.

And anyone who's there now on a football scholarship is immediately a free agent. They can pack up and go to any other school that will have them - no requirements that they sit out a year.

Thanks for correcting me & clarifying this Genesia. I'm glad and agree: hit the athletic program

but leave the rest of the students alone.

I still do not think this is a fair punishment. What the heads of the football program did (or didn't do, I should say) resulted in many more children being raped, molested, and traumatized. These children will have to live the rest of their lives just trying to overcome the trauma they've endured. They have essentially been given a life sentence from this football program not stepping in and doing what they should have done back in 1998. The football program should have been given the death penalty (a year for every victim, or at the very least, a year for each year the program continued to run while this abuse was going on). The loss of money is but a slap on the wrist. No bowl games for 4 years, is nothing compared to what these children have to endure. A loss of prestige occured the moment everything came out and became public. I know this was an unprecedented case, and the penalties are unprecedented, but this is a case that has far greater consequences than to merely bribe players with incentives to join the team. We are talking about the value of these young men lives. So these young men are worth $60 million and a loss of 4 years worth of bowl games? I'm sorry, but this just isn't fair at all to the amount of suffering these young men had to endure at the hands of a monster that was allowed to roam free because the heads of a football program chose to turn a blind eye.

I was listening to the radio and they brought up the reprecussions to the community. I don't know if I think that's fair, but then I don't know another solution.

This Sandusky/Paterno mess has absolutely nothing to do with the students. Penalty is too harsh to me.

Beautifulstarr123 said:

This Sandusky/Paterno mess has absolutely nothing to do with the students. Penalty is too harsh to me.

What price are the students paying, exactly? That they now have to go to a university that doesn't have much of a football program? Awwwwww...poor babies. Maybe their focus will be on getting an education.

And if attending a school with a winning football team is that important to them, they are always free to go somewhere else. Hell, they don't have to leave the Big 10 - or even Pennsylvania - to do so.

But let me suggest that, if they do that, then they are part and parcel of a culture that allowed something like this to happen in the first place.

Genesia said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

This Sandusky/Paterno mess has absolutely nothing to do with the students. Penalty is too harsh to me.

What price are the students paying, exactly? That they now have to go to a university that doesn't have much of a football program? Awwwwww...poor babies. Maybe their focus will be on getting an education.

And if attending a school with a winning football team is that important to them, they are always free to go somewhere else. Hell, they don't have to leave the Big 10 - or even Pennsylvania - to do so.

But let me suggest that, if they do that, then they are part and parcel of a culture that allowed something like this to happen in the first place.

Two bad apples don't have to spoil the whole bunch, but oh well, it does. There's other schools, true.

duccichucka said:

It's a bit extreme. Cot damn - 60 mil? That will affect students' scholarships

undoubtedly who had nothing to do with Sandusky and Paterno's cover up.

I think a more fair "punishment" (the NAACP's power has always confused

me) would have been to cancel this year's football season.

While it's been confirmed it's only for sports scholarships, I agree. Don't punish everyone who goes there. They had nothing to do with Sandusky's perversions and Paterno's unwillingness to take action.

Hotels all over State College would go from being overbooked as soon as the football schedule is released to wondering where all the guests have gone.

Bars, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, beer distributors and gas stations would instantly feel the pinch if the parade of Penn State alums ceased their pigskin pilgrimages.

The head of the Central PA Convention...ors Bureau, which promotes tourism in and around Penn State, sees the death penalty for football as nothing short of a natural disaster.

XxAxX said:

Penn State: Like a Frog Running from A baseball Bat

I love that visual!

morningsong said:

Hotels all over State College would go from being overbooked as soon as the football schedule is released to wondering where all the guests have gone.

Bars, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, beer distributors and gas stations would instantly feel the pinch if the parade of Penn State alums ceased their pigskin pilgrimages.

The head of the Central PA Convention...ors Bureau, which promotes tourism in and around Penn State, sees the death penalty for football as nothing short of a natural disaster.

That's why they didn't get the Death Penalty, IMO.

But their football program is screwed for the next decade.

RodeoSchro said:

morningsong said:

Hotels all over State College would go from being overbooked as soon as the football schedule is released to wondering where all the guests have gone.

Bars, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, beer distributors and gas stations would instantly feel the pinch if the parade of Penn State alums ceased their pigskin pilgrimages.

The head of the Central PA Convention...ors Bureau, which promotes tourism in and around Penn State, sees the death penalty for football as nothing short of a natural disaster.

That's why they didn't get the Death Penalty, IMO.

But their football program is screwed for the next decade.

Yeah, they said for at least a generation. But the businesses with still suffer since there will be no bowl games. Most of their good players will probably transfer out, which means a serious drop in revenue draw. I don't know all the statistics but I can see how this is going to seriously affect the surrounding community.

uPtoWnNY said:

I'd say it's a fair punishment.

I strongly disagree. The only real fair punishment that should happen is Jerry Sandusky being sentence to death via firing squad.

Jerry was the one that raped/molested/violated those kids, NOT Penn State University.

morningsong said:

Hotels all over State College would go from being overbooked as soon as the football schedule is released to wondering where all the guests have gone.

Bars, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, beer distributors and gas stations would instantly feel the pinch if the parade of Penn State alums ceased their pigskin pilgrimages.

The head of the Central PA Convention...ors Bureau, which promotes tourism in and around Penn State, sees the death penalty for football as nothing short of a natural disaster.

I agree. The NCAA should re-consider how a $60 million dollar fine affects not just

the athletic program but the businesses that survive because of Penn State's football

team. Now, it is fucking ironic that the NCAA will not pay college athletes who rake in

millions of dollars for college football tv rights but think its fine to levy the program with

that big ass fine. Genesia tells us that the athletic program must pay but I'm thinking

that te student population and the outside businesses, who were innocent, are gonna

feel the sting too or maybe even more so...

Throw the people who covered up and for Sandusky out on their ass but $60 million is

kinda steep and has to affect the university and town as a whole - it's not fair.

TonyVanDam said:

uPtoWnNY said:

I'd say it's a fair punishment.

I strongly disagree. The only real fair punishment that should happen is Jerry Sandusky being sentence to death via firing squad.

Jerry was the one that raped/molested/violated those kids, NOT Penn State University.

Yeah, I agree.

And what are the legal grounds that the NCAA has in order to fine the university that

much money? Let the legal system handle the Sandusky trial; the NCAA is always

trying to retroactively stick it to athletes and schools like it's a federal program with

federal powers.

I hate the NCAA. A lot of student athletes are poor black kids who are on scholarships

making schools and universities, head coaches, and conference commissioners millions

of dollars - and then act like the goddamn Spanish Inquisition when a student gets a free

pair of shoes or tattoos because they are broke. Fuck them righteous assholes.

Cut Sandusky's balls off and then get him some counseling. Leave the students alone.

Excellent news.

To quote Gus Johnson: "HA HAAA!"

TonyVanDam said:

morningsong said:

RodeoSchro said:

That's why they didn't get the Death Penalty, IMO.

But their football program is screwed for the next decade.

Yeah, they said for at least a generation. But the businesses with still suffer since there will be no bowl games. Most of their good players will probably transfer out, which means a serious drop in revenue draw. I don't know all the statistics but I can see how this is going to seriously affect the surrounding community.

There aren't any bowl games played at Penn State, so that shouldn't be much of an effect.

But yes, if I were a freshman, sophomore or junior football player, I'd definitely transfer. For those guys, that means no more bowl games ever in their football career if they stay. Seniors might stick around, mainly because they've already got three/four years invested at Penn State.

One thing no one has mentioned is that the value of a Penn State degree has been devalued by a lot. Maybe not in Pennsylvania, but everywhere else. What Sandusky did, and what Paterno et. al. covered up, is going to negatively affect every Penn State student and graduate.

[Edited 7/23/12 15:34pm]

RodeoSchro said:

morningsong said:

Yeah, they said for at least a generation. But the businesses with still suffer since there will be no bowl games. Most of their good players will probably transfer out, which means a serious drop in revenue draw. I don't know all the statistics but I can see how this is going to seriously affect the surrounding community.

There aren't any bowl games played at Penn State, so that shouldn't be much of an effect.

But yes, if I were a freshman, sophomore or junior football player, I'd definitely transfer. For those guys, that means no more bowl games ever in their football career if they stay. Seniors might stick around, mainly because they've already got three/four years invested at Penn State.

One thing no one has mentioned is that the value of a Penn State degree has been devalued by a lot. Maybe not in Pennsylvania, but everywhere else. What Sandusky did, and what Paterno et. al. covered up, is going to negatively affect every Penn State student and graduate.

[Edited 7/23/12 15:34pm]

Okay, mistake on the bowl games. Maybe they meant it would drive players away who wouldn't be able to participate in those games.

This will definitely be an example to any other programs that for sure.

It doesn't appear the sanctions against Penn State will be that big of a burden to them:

Despite controversy, Penn State University earned almost $209 million in donations in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

The more than $200 million donation is the second highest annual amount in school history.

Penn State said the donations sent a loud and distinct message in what has been a particularly challenging time for the school.

The University was thrust into the national spotlight after accusations emerged against Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse.

The scandal's fallout included the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno as well as the University's president.

[Edited 7/26/12 18:59pm]

SavonOsco said:

In addition , PSU is going to get killed in civil suits by the victims... Missing going to a bowl game will be nothing compared to that...

They won't be killed in civil suits, unfortunately. They received $209 million in donations in the 2011 and 2012 years. I'm sure they will receive many more donations before it's all over with.

$60 million fine - with the donations that leaves $149 million to pay out to the civil suits, plus whatever new donations they may get.