Big Ten Letter to PSU Re: Sandusky/Paterno/Spainer
Link to source, copy/pasting the entire thing because it's a press release, not ESPN content.
The Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors express their sincere concern for any harm done to innocent young victims and their families. Protection of our children is one of society’s most central responsibilities and institutions of higher education should be particularly vigilant. We are committed to examining our own institutions to assure that effective measures are taken to assure the safety of children on our campuses.
It has been approximately one month since the initial release of the Grand Jury report in the Penn State matter and a number of federal, state and institutional investigations have been launched. While it is premature to reach any conclusions regarding civil or criminal liability arising out of these events, there does appear to be sufficient information to raise significant concerns as to whether a concentration of power in a single individual or program may have threatened or eroded institutional control of intercollegiate athletics at Penn State.
As a result, the COP/C has determined that:
- It will gather and review the facts arising out of the allegations in the Grand Jury report that pertain to matters of institutional control, ethical conduct and/or other compliance related issues
- It will request from Penn State University and the NCAA that Big Ten legal counsel be allowed to participate in the investigations or reviews, as the case may be, being conducted by Penn State and the NCAA as pertain to these issues
- It will reserve the right to impose sanctions, corrective or other disciplinary measures in the event that adverse findings are made in the areas of institutional control, ethical conduct and/or other Conference related matters
In addition, the COP/C discussed the imperative of maintaining the public's trust in the integrity of its member institutions and, in earning and deserving this trust, the importance of asserting each institution’s control over its intercollegiate athletics programs. The COP/C recognized and acknowledged that from time to time its institutions have failed to maintain the proper control of their athletics programs and that whenever this occurs at one institution in the conference, due to the common bonds and shared values of the members of the Big Ten, each other member of the conference is impacted. Accordingly, the COP/C has directed the conference to initiate an immediate review of the fundamental issues and systems affecting intercollegiate athletics, including the serious issues relating to the institutional control of athletics. It intends for this review to lead to the consideration of a common set of "stress tests" or other criteria that could be applied by the conference to its member institutions (a) to insure that each member is responsible and accountable to the collective membership of the conference for the control and operation of its intercollegiate athletics programs as well as (b) to prevent anyone, whether a trustee, administrator, faculty member, athletic director, coach, booster or otherwise, from eroding the effectiveness of an institution’s practices and procedures designed to protect the institution’s integrity and control over its intercollegiate athletic programs. The COP/C intends for the review to be completed and for the proposed standards, stress tests and other criteria, along with the proposed enforcement procedures and penalties, to be presented to it for consideration at a special meeting to be held in spring 2012.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:14 PM ^
December 8th, 2011 at 6:16 PM ^
close to zero
December 8th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^
Brian Bennett, one of the co-writers on the B1G blog at ESPN, wrote a reaction piece and said the following:
Rumors have circulated that at least a few league schools were so angry and disgusted by the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal that they lobbied to kick Penn State out of the Big Ten altogether, and the Nittany Lions don't have the kind of history with the league that would make that impossible. I still very seriously doubt that would ever happen, since the conference just put so much work into getting to 12 teams and would likely have to deal with all kinds of thorny legal issues to expel a school. Besides, Penn State has taken steps to clean house by firing its president, athletic director and Paterno. The school needs to keep cutting ties to those who were culpable.
December 8th, 2011 at 9:54 PM ^
Hmm. I wonder about those rumors and who he means when he said a few "league schools." Who were the people who were making the noise? ADs? Presidents?
High-level academic administrators in the B1G were having their annual meeting in Chicago the very weekend the story blew up. These people know each other; they are not just names in the newspaper.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:24 PM ^
As others have said near zero. The only way this happens is if PSU decides to go down in flames and tells the PA Gov and Feds to f off. Of course at that point getting booted from the B1G would be the least of their worries.
About the only option I can see on the table is if their fanbase ends this. Drop by Black Shoe Diaries and everyone is screaming how this is a witch hunt. If that element of their fan base is vocal enough, then the B1G might decide PSU does more harm than good to the brand. Alternatively, if that element of their fanbase is powerful enough they might pressure PSU to leave the B1G.
I think though that the PSU faculty likes its ties to the B1G and will pressure the school to accept whatever athletic sanctions are handed down.
December 8th, 2011 at 10:12 PM ^
Fairly high. This statement will make it very difficult for PSU to land a decent coach. The Big Ten would not cripple a member school in such a way unless they were considering expulsion. Some people are speculating that the Big Ten would suspend PSU's football program for a year. That would guarentee their football program is a doormat for 10+ years. Why kill their program and then shackle yourself to the corpse? Just let them rot somewhere else.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:18 PM ^
Rumor has it that there were a number of chancellors/presidents (ie, more than 1) so disgusted by the Sandusky allegations and the reports that Paterno stonewalled PSU's dean in charge of undergraduate discipline (in regard to disciplining athletes, not to Sandusky) that they favored kicking Penn State out of the conference.
That said, Ohio State should have received this same notice in re point (b) of the last paragraph.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:19 PM ^
Beaten to the punch.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:20 PM ^
a copy of this letter from the Big Ten.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:31 PM ^
I hope you're not equating what PSU did to what OSU did. It somewhat sounds like you are.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:02 PM ^
There is a difference between equating it and saying that both deserve the same treatment from the Big Ten. Just because tax evasion and rape both require due process doesn't mean that they are equal in the eyes of the law.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^
Leaving aside the differences in the offenses at the two schools, do you really think the problems at OSU are the result of the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual?
Tressel's position at Ohio was completely different from Paterno's at Penn St. I don't think this particular letter is appropriate there at all.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:08 PM ^
Gordon Gee hoped tressel didn't fire him? Gee knew who held the "real" power at tsio ... and simply admitted it.
Go Blue!
December 8th, 2011 at 8:17 PM ^
Oh, for sure. I posted on that at some length at the time--Gee came back to Ohio hard on the heels of some pretty radical changes he made to the athletic department at Vanderbilt, and I think it was made clear to him when he took the job that he would be doing nothing of the kind at OSU; whatever the formal reporting responsibilities might be, the athletic department was not his concern.
But things were already rotten when Tressel got there. He certainly didn't have Paterno-like power his first year, when the Clarett crap was going on.
There's a difference between a coach accumulating power over time because he's been at the school longer than most of his co-workers have even been alive, and a coach being handed nearly unlimited power by deliberate board-level decisions.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:29 PM ^
"[T]here does appear to be sufficient information to raise significant concerns as to whether a concentration of power in a single individual or program may have threatened or eroded institutional control of intercollegiate athletics at Penn State."
That's not an accidental choice of words. This is a necessary finding for a NCAA "death penalty."
Am I crazy for thinking that the B10 wants the Penn State football program to die for a few years? Do they have that power? And if not, what if the Big 10 (as opposed to the NCAA) finds that these concerns -- i.e., a lack of institutional control -- existed? Can the NCAA bootstrap onto the finding? Should I stop asking questions?
December 8th, 2011 at 6:35 PM ^
I don't think the Big 10 could prevent PSU from fielding a football team. It could however prevent them from scheduling Big 10 games (effectively a conference death penalty), or could rule that Penn State couldn't play home conference games.
And they certainly could sanction them in any of the other ways the NCAA can... loss of scholarships, bans from the championship game or bowls.
Don't think the conference has ever done that (and if it even has an enforcement staff) but we've never really seen a scandal like this.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:34 PM ^
Lack of institutional control is very serious in the eyes of the NCAA, but a lot of schools are accused of that and only one division 1 football program has been prevented from fielding a team.
That said, an obvious attempt to whitewash or stonewall the findings could lead to some things I never would have thought would happen in the Big 10. If it's bad enough, the conference (or worse for Penn State, the CIC) could attempt to expel them.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:31 PM ^
and this press release or correspondence seems to hint that the cover up of these crimes ran deep into the fabric of Penn State and involves Paterno in much more than just a mere meeting with a graduate assistant and a phone call.
And knowing of Sandusky's actions; and thus, his future propensities, Paterno continued to serve as an honorary member of Sandusky's organization.
Paterno's reputation will be eternally soiled.
Lets hope that the Big Ten takes appropriate action to prevent this atrocity from occurring again in the conference.
As the saying goes: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Apparently, this proved true with Paterno's regime.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:43 PM ^
This goes even beyond the Sandusky case. I think the conference is also concerned about this email, from PSU's former standards and conduct officer to PSU's president...
Paterno "is insistent he knows best how to discipline his players ... and their status as a student when they commit violations of our standards should NOT be our concern ... and I think he was saying we should treat football players different from other students in this regard," Triponey wrote in the Aug. 12, 2005, email. "Coach Paterno would rather we NOT inform the public when a football player is found responsible for committing a serious violation of the law and/or our student code," she wrote, "despite any moral or legal obligation to do so." "He knew better than anyone how to discipline them. We wanted to show him the (disciplinary) data and suggest that 'Well, whatever it is we're doing, it's not working.' They're getting into trouble at a greater rate than they should. We wanted to find a way to address that," she said. "The meeting ended up being a one-sided conversation with the coach talking about his frustrations, his anger, his not being happy with the way we were running the system."
That to me reads like what the conf may be talking about when they refer to "eroding the effectiveness of an institution’s practices and procedures designed to protect the institution’s integrity and control over its intercollegiate athletic programs."
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7268172/penn-state-nitta…
December 8th, 2011 at 6:33 PM ^
This is going to make PSU's coaching search that much harder. Glad to see the B1G is going to lean on them though.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^
I know we went back and forth when this was the NCAA talking, but I do feel like the Big Ten involvement is more appropriate than the NCAA's. At least in the Big Ten's case they're not the regulatory body and thus were harmed by PSU's ridiculous response to Sandusky's (alleged) crimes. Every school in the Big Ten has paid for their inexcusable actions, and I'm more than fine with the Big Ten taking it out on them, in a way that I wouldn't be with the NCAA.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^
...is with Paterno's alleged interference with university disciplinary actions against his players. That's a regulatory matter; Sandusky's solely a criminal and civil matter and I'd prefer it were left to the legal authorities to deal with it (and any cover up).
December 8th, 2011 at 6:49 PM ^
It is also an interesting thought exercise to think who PSU fears more. The Feds can really drop the hammer on them, but they have to go through the legal system to do it. The B1G can drop a smaller hammer, but only needs 7 Presidents voting Yes for it to happen.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
I have to think DoE; if it's as bad as some people think, they could probably do anything with carte blanche. PSU would be humiliated if they were expelled from the conference/CIC, but the DoE could effectively shut the school down if they felt strongly enough about institutional misconduct.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:47 PM ^
The idea the DoE would shut down an enormous state school is virtually unimaginable. Those schools have a mission to educate a lot of people and it would, perhaps irrepairably, harm the students and future students very severely.
That said, the people who knew should be fired, have their benefits stripped, be liable in court, and have to bear the full weight of the US justice system's sledgehammer.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:53 PM ^
I don't think they would. I think that's the harshest thing they could do, just like expulsion is the harshest thing the Big Ten can do (and I highly doubt that happens either). Given the "either-or" game CRex proposed, I think it's pretty relevent to look at worst case scenarios, though.
To me it's a little like a bad medical malpractice case and then wondering whether it would be worse to have the AMA or the police after you; looking at worst case scenarios, I'd much rather no longer be a doctor than be in jail for manslaughter or something. The DoE and cops would both scare the hell out of me in those cases, the Big Ten and AMA would be secondary, even if the final penalties might be roughly equal.
December 8th, 2011 at 6:45 PM ^
I cannot believe how the Big Ten officials are reacting to PSU. What a bunch of BS. You never hear about PSU in the same breath as "Recruiting Violations" or "Lack of Institutional Control". Now they send this letter and are going to investigate. This is a legal matter that is being investigated by the police and prosecutors. Get your nose out of it. You want to investigate someone? Get your ass to Columbus and investigate. Send your sorry ass letter to tsio. My God are they stupid. This is so far from NCAA violations I can't believe it. Tsio should have their nuts cut off and the Big Ten is taking on this issue. Yes it is a shame this has happened. I feel for the victims. They should and will get their day in court. PSU will be hurt for years but for the Big Ten to get all righteous is too much. The victims don't care about this so called investigation. I am sure the school will take care of matters involving children on campus with coaches, etc. But for the Big Ten to totally ignore tsio and throw up this big "We Care" smoke screen is a joke. Put your efforts into things you can and should control. Get you ass to Columbus and deliver your letter in person to the school that has more secondary violation than most schools in the NCAA. Agh!!!
December 8th, 2011 at 8:00 PM ^
significantly worse than tp driving a new car, or players receiving cash for signatures.
We are talking about sexual abuse...RAPE. A crime that could result in the death penalty in some states. If the allegations are true, 10 people are now living a ruined life because of PSU. PSU might as well lynched these people at high noon. I bet some of the victims would rather be dead.
Murder and rape are the two crimes against our fellow man that should result in automatic death (IMO). How can anyone try to compare any cheating from players to what PSU did? Even if ohio took a dive for financial gain would not compare.
The 1919 Sox scandal is considered the worst form of cheating ever. This is laughable compared to PSU. I dont care if Pete Rose bet against his team, it does not compare.
If JoePa (or others) knew about this and didnt report this to the police, should receive life in prision as accesories to the crime. They did not want to smear the reputation of PSU and JoePa. Are you kidding me?
I hate ohio as much as anyone on this board. I agree ohio should be punished severely. But PSU should be removed from the Big Ten and the NCAA Athletics (if allegations are true). The penalty should not even be in discussion. The only discussion should be about the facts.
PSU receives the Athletic Death Penalty for All Sports
May God bless the victims and may He hold their hand the rest of their lives. Lord knows PSU didnt give a $hit.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:43 PM ^
the entire University as a result of unimaginable lack of perspective and righteousness of those in power at PSU. You cut out the "cancer" and move forward. I had a daughter just graduated from PSU last May. She was accepted at U of M too, but choose PSU because of her major interest. I also had a son graduate from U of M in 2010. As a parent ... I can tell you what a great place PSU was for her. Does every University have issues ... absolutely. I grew up in Ann Arbor during the 1960's and trust me U of M had plenty of issues during that decade. You are casting out the "baby with the bath water".
Go Blue!
December 9th, 2011 at 2:20 AM ^
A rape victim's life isn't "ruined"
there are plenty of opportunities for them to lead normal lives. Don't make it out like they can't, christ.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
Paterno likely didn't report anything because he didn't want to ruin his empire. Penalties don't do any good after the fact; they are meant as a deterant. In this case, any penalties that are levied are meant as a deterant for any coach or member of the athletic department from any school from upholding the law in order to preserve their football program. In the eyes of the Big Ten, this has caused damage to the Big Ten's reputation, and thus hurt the other schools in the conference. They need to do what they can to make sure that this doesn't happen again to prevent further damage to the reputation or the conference and it's members.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:19 PM ^
this is why it is more disgusting. Who the f^ck cares about JoePa's empire? There are kids being raped in the football locker room. 10 human beings had their lives destroyed because of JoePa (in part). F^ck JoePa, death to Sandusky, death to Athletics at PSU.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:36 PM ^
It is shocking when you think about it.
When they found out about the incidents, all Penn State did was tell Sandusky that he could no longer bring young boys on campus. Go rape them somewhere else.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:42 PM ^
Sorry, your priorities are out of whack.
This isn't about NCAA violations, it's about things which are much, much more significant. If PSU's culture was so messed up that several people with knowledge didn't even bar the guy from campus, there is something seriously wrong with the athletic department and the entire university's culture.
Remember, NCAA rules, whether or not you agree with them, are arbitrary. If Terrelle Pryor, Jim Tressel, Gordon Gee, or everyone in the athletic department took money or tattoos or whatever else, it was a free exchange between willing parties. Yes, it's against the rules, but at most it gave them a competitive advantage in recruiting and on the field. The allegations at Penn State are of a widespread coverup that protected and enabled a child rapist to continue his criminal behavior. The Big 10 institutions have every right to reexamine their association with a school that would act in this manner.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:38 PM ^
That the situation at PSU is horrible. Nothing can be done to give back what these children have lost. The Big Ten heads have many duties and they have every right to protect the integrity of the conference. My problem is with their timing. This story is weeks old and the Big Ten is responding quickly and responsibly. But they did nothing to tsio for violations that went on for months. I do not believe they can be selective in their purpose and they are doing just that. PSU deserves everything and every punishment they are sanctioned with. My complaint is the Big Ten appears to have turned the other cheek when it comes to tsio. Maybe I should not have tried to compare the two situations but without the ability to post my own threads at this point, I tried to express my discontent for the Big Ten here. My priorities are not out of whack. Being a retired police officer I have known too many victims just like the ones in PA. I hope the court system does it's job and holds everyone accountable for their part in this matter. That includes the Big Ten. But the Big Ten also needs to address the other situation like it is important and not shove it in a corner. Sorry. No intent to disrespect the PSU situation. Far from it.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:03 PM ^
or even the Big10 looking at it from a sports perspective, I'm sure the US Dept of Education is going to weigh in on institutional responsiblilty and control from their perspective.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:33 PM ^
is beyond all but perhaps a few members of this community, specifically in terms of knowledge and experience in the field of Academic Institutions and their alliance with an athletic conference.
I do not wish to equate the actions of one entity to another ... however the reference in the notice to PSU talks specifically of "institutional control" of athletic programs by all parties - would absolutely be justified in the behavior of one Jim Tressel because he knew these players were hanging out at the tatoo parlor AND tressel knew that the owner of the parlor was under investigation by the FBI for drugs and money laundering. And that players evidently had been going to this tattoo parlor since 2001. tsio says they didn't know it ... isn't this the definition of Institutional Control?
If the B1G is going to now make "policy statements" about member institutions - then it needs to apply to ALL schools in the conference.
Go Blue!
December 8th, 2011 at 9:06 PM ^
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rene_Portland
Not that this is on the same level, but their women's basketball coach ruined a few lives herself. She hid behind Paterno and the athletic department who protected her from not only running lesbians out of town, but promising them that they would never be able to play again.
Watch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_Rules
Her actions, which PSU protected, were dispicable.
December 8th, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
This reads to me not as a threat to throw PSU out, but rather to try to protect the Administrations of B1G schools from the inexorable power creep of athletics.
Gordon Gee's joke about who fires whom was an utter embarrassment, yet it tapped into a very real concern, and one we may have seen played out (to worse ends) at PSU. I don't think anyone is in danger of being kicked out of the conference or forbidden to schedule games. Rather, this is a chance for the academic & administrative Kahunas to wrest back some of power that may have been ceded (unwillingly, or sometimes unknowingly) to coaches and (in some cases) ADs over the past years/decades. It is an opportunity they will take.
"Control" appears many times in that document and it's not just to mirror NCAA language, IMO. It's a very real concept to Chancellors and Presidents -- they want it, and they are acting to ensure they get it.
December 9th, 2011 at 12:07 AM ^
For some reason this strikes me as a fairly hypocritical cover-your-ass response to the question, "Why doesn't the Big Ten do something about this?"
And it goes beyond PR, as it gives school administrators the cover they need to assert more control over their athletic departments.
There's nothing here for the victims of child sex abuse. It's all about strengthening president/chancellor control over athletics. Please explain how this does one single thing to protect a child?
Not saying having more control is a necessarily bad thing, but let's call it what it is.
December 9th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
But also very open. They want to be included on everything, but are promising nothing. I don't expect much beyond whatever the NCAA tacks on in the way of penalties. I DO expect the Big Ten to add a new conference wide rule, however:
Paraphrasing: "At any time, with no notice or cause given, representatives of the conference must be given complete and total access to any member institution's facilities, files and personel."
Say hello to 100% surprise, 100% inclusive inspections. This will serve to penetrate the shield that goes up around long-standing athletic departments and get information like this outside of the hands of the Old Boys group.
December 9th, 2011 at 2:42 AM ^