NCAA Contemplating Restoring Penn State Wins

Submitted by UMgradMSUdad on

The NCAA, state officials, and Pennsylvania State University are in talks to reconsider the historic punishment imposed on the school stemming from the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal, a step that could include restoring 111 victories stripped from the late football coach Joe Paterno's record, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Also under consideration is a proposal to have the state and the university use the $60 million fine levied by the NCAA, the major organizing body for college sports, for child protection, said the sources.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20150113_NCAA_said_to_reconsider_sanctions_against_Paterno__Penn_State.html

Bigfoot

January 13th, 2015 at 3:22 AM ^

Outside of Harbaugh, this has been the worst bowl season ever.

Ohio State beats Bama

Ohio State wins MNC

MSU wins a big time bowl game

Paterno gets wins reinstated? seriously?!? WTF?!?!!!

OccaM

January 13th, 2015 at 3:32 AM ^

The $60 million should go to children who need it. 

Regarding Paterno, does anyone really think Bowden is the all time leader in college wins? 

USC won the national title in 04. Reggie Bush won the Heisman in 05.  

History is history. Doesn't really matter imo... Sandusky's damage is done and he got what he deserved. Reputations have been tarnished for life deservedly so. 

What's the point? All this does is satiate the most delusional fanbase in college football. 

Jolly_Mangina

January 13th, 2015 at 4:00 AM ^

That's bullshit.  He enabled a pedophile for a decade to protect his image.

Can't wait to hear the revisionist history on this scandal in 50 years.  Paterno will probably be the hero.

Problem is public outrage has subsided and the only people that care are PSU cult members. 

East German Judge

January 13th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^

J_M, you are absolutley right.  joepa was an egomaniac, bar none, before all this hit, many in the fanbase wanted him to retire after some bad seasons, but he told people he was in charge and would quit only on his terms.  He felt he was bigger than the University. 

Furthermore, if his nephew(s) was/were the child in the shower incident, THERE IS NO DOUBT joepa would have done MUCH MUCH MUCH more than just "report it to his supervisor" - no one mentions this, but this is a fact.  Back in that era, child abuse and the whole topic of domestic violence was quietly dealt with so as to not shame the alleged perpetrator and there was a huge tolerance for it.

Madonna

January 13th, 2015 at 4:04 AM ^

Spanier, Curley, and Schultz are all still in pre-trial motions.  Not one has faced a jury's verdict.  As Paterno was the most powerful of the four of them, their trials are, morally-speaking, his post-mortem trial.

"And to be frank with you I don't know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man," 

So spake Joe Paterno, graduate of Brown University.  Maybe if Joe Paterno were a Victorian lady fresh out of finishing school, I would believe such naïvité.  But for an Ivy league man of his oft-reported erudition to feign such ignorance of human failings shows him to be a calculating liar who deserves his ostensible accomplishments unacknowledged.

Mr Miggle

January 13th, 2015 at 5:47 AM ^

Pennsylvania passed a law requiring the $60M fine be used inside the state. It's not a change in how the NCAA said the proceeds would be used otherwise, but the state has been fighting from day one about any money leaving PA.

I would hope any discussions about restoring the wins don't go anywhere. PSU and the state officials have to ask for political reasons. They want it in the news.It would be a travesty if the NCAA relented.

Joseph_P_Freshwater

January 13th, 2015 at 5:52 AM ^

the NCAA is going to consider reducing Sandusky's sentence and reinstating him as a coach.

But seriously. Fuck the NCAA

MoJo Rising

January 13th, 2015 at 6:58 AM ^

That PSU's football program got hit hard for something that had nothing to do with the program but with the University. Yet, the NCAA took nothing away from OSU for their cheating etc. It's time to replace the NCAA with something that actually resembles an ethical governing body.

Mr Miggle

January 13th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^

because they were protecting their football program. People involved in the coverup were also involved in running the football program. Doing the right thing would have risked putting them at a competitive disadvantage. There is absolutely no way to separate the school and the football team in that scandal.

NittanyFan

January 13th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^

Your post says "PSU covered it up because they were protecting their football program."

 

It has now been 3+ years and no PSU administrators have actually been found criminally guilty of a cover-up ........... is it fair to re-consider your statement that there WAS a cover-up?

 

Some may disagree, but I think the longer this goes on with no trials (for the PSU administrators) and no actual criminal guilt ........ the more the above question becomes a legitimate question.

Mr Miggle

January 13th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^

and somewhat imperfectly. But for NCAA purposes, hasn't PSU already admitted their guilt as an institution? The evidence that led to that should be good enough for the court of public opinion. There might be a movement to take it back, as they are emboldened by the NCAA's softening stance. I think it's more than fair to say that PSU and it's admimistrators were guilty of a coverup designed in large part to protect their football program. Whether the criminal role ascribed to each individual can be proven in court is another matter. Maybe they will raise reasonable doubt by blaming each other. That hardly lets PSU off the hook. 

LSAClassOf2000

January 13th, 2015 at 7:08 AM ^

I really hope that they do not restore the wins - if they really were going to do such a thing, why doesn't the NCAA just apologize for the terrible inconvenience that the sanctions must have been and back away respectfully? The program and its now-deceased leader enabled a man to do awful, awful things to kids and it should be put in a situation where they are not allowed to forget it. Restoring the wins more or less allows them to pretend all is well and that is unfair to the people whose lives have been damaged because of their inability / unwillingness to do the right thing. 

bluebyyou

January 13th, 2015 at 7:34 AM ^

Maybe they will remove McGary's one year suspension for smoking MJ also.  The NCAA is a worthless organization whose time has come.

Poor PSU....how about the kids who were brutalized by that Sandusky pig, in part because Paterno was an enabler. Guess that doesn't matter.

The_Mad Hatter

January 13th, 2015 at 8:39 AM ^

As a general rule I don't like the idea of vacating wins for anything other than actual cheating.

Punish the school and program however you see fit via fines, reduced scholarships, bowl bans, whatever.  But those wins happened.  Penn State won those games and erasing them from the record books doesn't change that fact.

 

xxxxNateDaGreat

January 13th, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^

But is this not cheating, in a way? If Paterno had thought that informing the authorities would not hurt the Penn State brand and his own reputation as well as the schools, he would have done it, no? I mean, I would imagine that recruiting hasn't fallen off THAT much at Penn State because everyone who was at fault it gone? If Paterno had come forward to the police and remained head coach, do you not think that parents would think twice about sending their kid to be coached by a guy who's close friend of 40+ years was a pedophile?

Everyone Murders

January 13th, 2015 at 8:52 AM ^

The NCAA is teaching PSU, and college football at large, a valuable lesson.  Enable and shelter an known pedophile for years and then cover it up to protect your football program, and the punishment will be swift, substantial, and firm.  Oh, and ultimately temporary.

It's like Roger Goodell paid off Mark Emmert to make the NFL seem comparitively less tone-deaf.

Steve in PA

January 13th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^

Unfortunately as acknowledged by FOIA the NCAA had no jurisdiction in the matter and was looking to stay ahead of some very bad press. This affair will be no different than Bonds having the home run title. There will always be a well deserved asterisk if the wins are restored.