anyone else think the Penn State penalties were not harsh enough?

[zoo youk]

was a slap on the wrist IMO. 60 million fine, they make that one year. 4 year bowl ban? just brutal. shoulda been about 6 years. first of all all their top recruits will transfer and no one is going to go and want to play football there for a long long time and with a whole new coaching staff its very possible they won't make a couple bowl games out of those 4 years anyway. almost like giving a pitcher a 1 game suspension when its his off day in the rotation.

think they shoulda dropped the hammer much harder.

[SBR Lou]

60 million + 4-year bowl ban (much bigger hit to pocket?) + wiping away a decade of victories from the record books and removing a statue seems about right to me. They'll also be on 5-years probation after.

[mintpicks79]

Yeah they might as well have given them the death penalty.

[zoo youk]

60 million + 4-year bowl ban (much bigger hit to pocket?) + wiping away a decade of victories from the record books and removing a statue seems about right to me. They'll also be on 5-years probation after.

i hate that taking away his wins argument. kids were raped and a win loss record matters?????????

[SBR Lou]

Yeah they might as well have given them the death penalty.

That wouldn't be fair to the players. This form of punishment addresses the bigwigs.

[gamble]

loss of scholarships (80 in 4 years i believe) absolutely cripples the program

[SBR Lou]

i hate that taking away his wins argument. kids were rapped and a win loss record matters?????????

The wins are every bit as symbolic as that statue. Removing both acknowledges that he's a disgrace.

[zoo youk]

loss of scholarships (80 in 4 years i believe) absolutely cripples the program

is it that many? if thats the case than I would probably agree with it cause that essentially means they aren't making the post season for a long time even after the ban is up.

[zoo youk]

The wins are every bit as symbolic as that statue. Removing both acknowledges that he's a disgrace.

understandable. but i really don't think the victims or the victims families really get any sense of peace or justice from a man who turned a blind eye to child rape, getting his statue taking down and wins taken away, I just don't think that does anything for them, but in the same sense, neither does bowl game suspensions. i dont know. trying not to look at it from a pure football standpoint.

[Brock Landers]

Any player worth a shit needs to transfer now and can play immediately, no need to go down in flames there

[Trident]

Statement by the Paterno Family in response to the NCAA Sanctions

Sexual abuse is reprehensible, especially when it involves children, and no one starting with Joe Paterno condones or minimizes it. The horrific acts committed by Jerry Sandusky shock the conscience of every decent human being. How Sandusky was able to get away with his crimes for so long has yet to be fully understood, despite the claims and assertions of the Freeh report.

The release of the Freeh report has triggered an avalanche of vitriol, condemnation and posthumous punishment on Joe Paterno. The NCAA has now become the latest party to accept the report as the final word on the Sandusky scandal. The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best.

That the President, the Athletic Director and the Board of Trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the Committee on Infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the University and the 500,000 alumni. Punishing past, present and future students of the University because of Sandusky’s crimes does not serve justice. This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did.

The point of due process is to protect against this sort of reflexive action. Joe Paterno was never interviewed by the University or the Freeh Group. His counsel has not been able to interview key witnesses as they are represented by counsel related to ongoing litigation. We have had no access to the records reviewed by the Freeh group. The NCAA never contacted our family or our legal counsel. And the fact that several parties have pending trials that could produce evidence and testimony relevant to this matter has been totally discounted.

Unfortunately all of these facts have been ignored by the NCAA, the Freeh Group and the University.

[zoo youk]

Any player worth a shit needs to transfer now and can play immediately, no need to go down in flames there

oh they will. most likely 100% already been in discussions with other schools.

[convick]

Too harsh in my opinion. Everyone that was guilty here is dead, in jail and facing civil lawsuits.

[zoo youk]

Statement by the Paterno Family in response to the NCAA Sanctions

Sexual abuse is reprehensible, especially when it involves children, and no one starting with Joe Paterno condones or minimizes it. The horrific acts committed by Jerry Sandusky shock the conscience of every decent human being. How Sandusky was able to get away with his crimes for so long has yet to be fully understood, despite the claims and assertions of the Freeh report.

The release of the Freeh report has triggered an avalanche of vitriol, condemnation and posthumous punishment on Joe Paterno. The NCAA has now become the latest party to accept the report as the final word on the Sandusky scandal. The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best.

That the President, the Athletic Director and the Board of Trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the Committee on Infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the University and the 500,000 alumni. Punishing past, present and future students of the University because of Sandusky’s crimes does not serve justice. This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did.

The point of due process is to protect against this sort of reflexive action. Joe Paterno was never interviewed by the University or the Freeh Group. His counsel has not been able to interview key witnesses as they are represented by counsel related to ongoing litigation. We have had no access to the records reviewed by the Freeh group. The NCAA never contacted our family or our legal counsel. And the fact that several parties have pending trials that could produce evidence and testimony relevant to this matter has been totally discounted.

Unfortunately all of these facts have been ignored by the NCAA, the Freeh Group and the University.

WOW. I can not believe they still have the balls to stick their chest out and defend this. "How Sandusky was able to get away with his crimes for so long has yet to be fully understood,"

cause your father and 3 other men turned a blind eye too it jerk offs!!!!

[MUHerd37]

What top recruit is going to want to play there even after the bowl ban and probation? Penn St. is now known for child rapists. Who the fukk is going to want to play there?

[Skidcom]

I would like to have seen PSU busted down to Division III.

[Big Bear]

they should have kicked penn state out of the big 10

[k13]

People get raped everyday in colleges and no one gets any penalties....

[slambam]

The people who need to be punished are going to jail. I'm sure I'm in the minority but, I don't see the need to punish the current athletes and coaches because of what their predecessors did. Yea, they can transfer out, but I'm sure a lot of these kids grew up cheering for and wanting to play at Penn St all their lives. No need to punish them. If the bowl ban is to limit them financially, they coulda made it where anything they earn from bowls goes directly to child abuse victims. NCAA always does this dumb shit though.

[hydrosmak]

People get raped everyday in colleges and no one gets any penalties....

Really not sure what you are getting at here....

[tatommack]

Some people just don't understand the higher ups including joe did nothing and boys were raped for years. No punishment will be enough.

[tatommack]

I just wish joe was alive to see his legacy destroyed.

[rsnnh12]

Effectively kills the program for the next decade, maybe longer if the B1G decides to kick them out. I'm sure they'll have a vote on that soon enough. Definitely sends the message that this stuff won't be tolerated, and hopefully this punishment helps prevent other leaders from hiding/ignoring other criminal acts.

Pretty fair punishment IMO

[paranoyd androyd]

What top recruit is going to want to play there even after the bowl ban and probation? Penn St. is now known for child rapists. Who the fukk is going to want to play there?

yeah, this is the real issue - the school's brand value to recruits has been absolutely destroyed for at least the next 10-15 years.

the lost scholarships and bowl bids over the next 4 years are meaningless, the program has been in the tank for sometime anyway and wouldn't have done squat over the next 4 years even if the scandal never broke.

[brooks85]

punishments were pointless, its ridiculous its 2012 and people still think laws or precedents deter people from doing things.

[cant call it]

They should sacrifice paterno's body by stuffing it in a tire and rolling it down a long hill while its in flames.

[BuddyBear]

IMO, it's way too harsh. As has been mentioned, the people who perpetuated the crime are either in jail for life, dead, or facing harsh legal actions which in effect means their careers and probably lives are over. From Day 1, it has always been a legal issue not an NCAA issue. The people who are being punished are the student-athletes, current students/faculty/staff at PSU, and the PSU community and business who rely on those football Saturday's. I agree with the Paterno family in their critique of the PSU administration accepting the penalties without due process.

I believe the issue is a legal one and the NCAA should just let law enforcement and courts handle it. IMO, the NCAA way overstepped their boundary on this issue.

[Mr. Jones]

Any player worth a shit needs to transfer now and can play immediately, no need to go down in flames there

Not so fast my friend! Current players have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put an end to the 64 game losing streak.... longest Div 1 FBS losing streak ever. OHIO U on Sept 1st at Happy [lol] Valley. Can't wait!!

[Mr. Jones]

Wait a minute. The losing streak is probably twice as long as what I wrote above. Win against OHIO not a lock either. Solich has a nice defense coming back and I like Mickey Tettleton's kid at QB also. Tough little SOB he is.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

Just by the NCAA quotes, they got this thing wrong.

They said 'no amount of penalties or sanctions can make it up to the victims of Sandusky' or something like that.

That isn't the NCAA's job to make it up to the victims. I doubt any of the victims care whether PSU's football team is successful or not successful going forward. If they do, their priorities are messed up.