Penn State
I am of two minds regarding the NCAA sanctions in the Penn State situation.
Let me get the less complicated side out of the way. Nothing Jerry Sandusky did affected play on the field. He garnered no competitive advantage. Nothing the football staff, athletic department, university leadership or board of trustees did in covering up what Jerry Sandusky did (and let's face it, the coverup is what they're being punished for. It's always the coverup that gets you) gave any of their teams a competitive advantage on the field.
In this light, punishing the teams going back and going forward seems silly.
On the other hand, it is absolutely imperative that no school ever perpetrate this sort of coverup again, and any way Penn State can be punished to discourage future bad acts by other schools is good for me.
As I see it, the historical vacating of wins is basically to gut Joe Paterno's legacy. I'm ok with that.
What I'm not sure about is how the future sanctions are going to play out with other schools.
What I would have liked to see from the outset was a complete turnover of every nonacademic leader at Penn State. I would like to have seen the board of trustees replaced, the president replaced and the athletic director replaced. I believe we're at one out of three on that. I would also like to have seen the school itself shelve it's football program until such time as new leadership can be assured that the athletic department in general and the entirely new football staff can be trusted to be subservient to the school hierarchy rather than insisting that it's rightful place was at the top of it.
I have pointed out before that this coverup and refusal to bend to the oversight of the university as a whole is not something new to the Penn State athletic department. In 1980 then Penn State athletic director Joe Paterno hired Rene Portland to coach the women's basketball team and continues to be her public champion throughout her tenure though shortly leaves the athletic director's position. In 1986 Rene Portland publicly proclaimed to the Chicago Sun-Times that she would tolerate no lesbians on her team. In 1991 Penn State changed its policies to include sexual orientation as a protected class. By all accounts Portland failed to change her team policies to comply. In 2005 Portland and the school were sued by an former basketball player on the basis that Portland's policies violated the school's. During the suit Paterno was publicly supportive of Portland. Shortly after the suit was "amicably" settled in 2007, Portland resigned as coach.
I include so many dates, because it's rather amazing to see that as Jerry Sandusky was abusing young boys and Paterno knew about it (while there is great debate about how early Paterno and the school knew about Sandusky's behavior, there is no doubt that everyone who could have done something about it knew no later than 2002) Portland was flagrantly violating school policy and Paterno wasn't just turning a blind eye, but vocally endorsing her behavior.
There is a rotten core at Penn State. There are too many people who allowed too much to happen. There is an entirely rogue athletic department and an administration addicted to the money they think it makes. Perhaps when the lawsuits start rolling in and the money being made on football flows right back out to these kids something might change, but right now I don't think there's anything the NCAA can do to fix Penn State. I just hope everything they've done will keep other schools from heading down the same path.
Let me get the less complicated side out of the way. Nothing Jerry Sandusky did affected play on the field. He garnered no competitive advantage. Nothing the football staff, athletic department, university leadership or board of trustees did in covering up what Jerry Sandusky did (and let's face it, the coverup is what they're being punished for. It's always the coverup that gets you) gave any of their teams a competitive advantage on the field.
In this light, punishing the teams going back and going forward seems silly.
On the other hand, it is absolutely imperative that no school ever perpetrate this sort of coverup again, and any way Penn State can be punished to discourage future bad acts by other schools is good for me.
As I see it, the historical vacating of wins is basically to gut Joe Paterno's legacy. I'm ok with that.
What I'm not sure about is how the future sanctions are going to play out with other schools.
What I would have liked to see from the outset was a complete turnover of every nonacademic leader at Penn State. I would like to have seen the board of trustees replaced, the president replaced and the athletic director replaced. I believe we're at one out of three on that. I would also like to have seen the school itself shelve it's football program until such time as new leadership can be assured that the athletic department in general and the entirely new football staff can be trusted to be subservient to the school hierarchy rather than insisting that it's rightful place was at the top of it.
I have pointed out before that this coverup and refusal to bend to the oversight of the university as a whole is not something new to the Penn State athletic department. In 1980 then Penn State athletic director Joe Paterno hired Rene Portland to coach the women's basketball team and continues to be her public champion throughout her tenure though shortly leaves the athletic director's position. In 1986 Rene Portland publicly proclaimed to the Chicago Sun-Times that she would tolerate no lesbians on her team. In 1991 Penn State changed its policies to include sexual orientation as a protected class. By all accounts Portland failed to change her team policies to comply. In 2005 Portland and the school were sued by an former basketball player on the basis that Portland's policies violated the school's. During the suit Paterno was publicly supportive of Portland. Shortly after the suit was "amicably" settled in 2007, Portland resigned as coach.
I include so many dates, because it's rather amazing to see that as Jerry Sandusky was abusing young boys and Paterno knew about it (while there is great debate about how early Paterno and the school knew about Sandusky's behavior, there is no doubt that everyone who could have done something about it knew no later than 2002) Portland was flagrantly violating school policy and Paterno wasn't just turning a blind eye, but vocally endorsing her behavior.
There is a rotten core at Penn State. There are too many people who allowed too much to happen. There is an entirely rogue athletic department and an administration addicted to the money they think it makes. Perhaps when the lawsuits start rolling in and the money being made on football flows right back out to these kids something might change, but right now I don't think there's anything the NCAA can do to fix Penn State. I just hope everything they've done will keep other schools from heading down the same path.