Penn State bowl ban lifted

[Political Hack]

I can't think of anything more horrendous than what Sandusky did to those kids. The only thing that compares is that Paterno and the athletic department knew about it and covered it up.

Any punishment you can come up with is less than they deserve.

amen

[Quaoarsking]

So what you're saying is that universities with delusional fan bases should be punished until they're fans aren't delusional? Come on. It's sports. Very few fans actually "get it" when it comes to their team and heroes. You can't punish schools because of fans and how they think

It's one thing to be delusional about how good a football team is. It's a completely different delusion to think that a man who knew his buddy was a child molester but said nothing for 11 years is a fine, exemplary human being of high moral character.

[archdog]

Maybe TMZ will release the Sandusky tape next week. That way everyone will know what a 10 year old getting molested by a middle age man is really like. What baffles me about the Rice situation is that everyone saw what happened when he dragged his fiance out of the elevator. What did you think happened in the elevator. Half of everyone was outraged. The other half talked about how Rice was a great guy yadda yadda yadda. Same thing with Penn States fans. Half of them think Joe Pa is a great guy even though he actively condoned young children getting raped by this son of a bitch. So, do we need the video for people to be outraged at Paterno and the PSU administration. Due to their own actions in covering up this to protect the football program, they shouldn't even have a program. They don't deserve to have a program.

[Dawg61]

Maybe TMZ will release the Sandusky tape next week. That way everyone will know what a 10 year old getting molested by a middle age man is really like. What baffles me about the Rice situation is that everyone saw what happened when he drug his fiance out of the elevator. What did you think happened in the elevator. Half of everyone was outraged. The other half talked about how Rice was a great guy yadda yadda yadda. Same thin with Penn States fans. Half of them think Joe Pa is a great guy even though he actively condoned young children getting raped by this son of a bitch. So, do we need the video for people to be outraged at Paterno and the PSU administration.

I never really studied up on the story but being honest when I saw the first video I thought she was just black out drunk and they had been drinking way too much and he was dragging a passed out girlfriend from the elevator. I thought it was ****ed up but I didn't think much of it. jbh

[bluelightstar]

I know I'm in the minority, but it was never the NCAA's place to step into the situation in the first place. It was a criminal matter to be handled by the justice system. What NCAA rule did Penn State violate to trigger sanctions? Zero, near as I can tell. Tons of criminal laws were broken, and those responsible should spend the rest of their lives rotting in a prison. Death was too good a fate for Joe Pa. But it has never been an NCAA issue. Go ahead, rip me. I know it's coming.

100% agree with this. It wasn't the NCAA's place.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

Penn State doesn't have a chance in making the playoff.

[NewTweederEndzoneDance]

I know I'm in the minority, but it was never the NCAA's place to step into the situation in the first place. It was a criminal matter to be handled by the justice system. What NCAA rule did Penn State violate to trigger sanctions? Zero, near as I can tell. Tons of criminal laws were broken, and those responsible should spend the rest of their lives rotting in a prison. Death was too good a fate for Joe Pa. But it has never been an NCAA issue. Go ahead, rip me. I know it's coming.

I agree with you, and the reversal here is just step one (or step 100 depending on how you keep count) in the death of the NCAA as the law making body of collegiate athletics at large, in my opinion. At this point, they don't enforce, they just do whatever they think is what the public opinion demands. Speaking of, the NFL seems to perhaps be doing the same thing...

[DudyDawg]

It's one thing to be delusional about how good a football team is. It's a completely different delusion to think that a man who knew his buddy was a child molester but said nothing for 11 years is a fine, exemplary human being of high moral character.

I'm not defending their ridiculous opinion of him. Just that it's stupid to say the NCAA could or should punish a university because of stupid fans

[FlabLoser]

What a ****ing disgrace.

It would be one thing if the Penn State fanbase "got it" that Joe Paterno was a bad human being worthy of no one's praise, but most of those drones want his statue back up and insist he did nothing wrong. That's not a fanbase that deserves a bowl team.

THIS!!

News of the bowl ban lift has been met with a movement to put Peterno's statue back up.

**** that. Those people still don't get it.

[FlabLoser]

I know I'm in the minority, but it was never the NCAA's place to step into the situation in the first place. It was a criminal matter to be handled by the justice system. What NCAA rule did Penn State violate to trigger sanctions? .

That's a fair question. The answer is in the NCAA president's letter to Penn State when all this stuff started. I've posted that here and/or on SPS. I'm not going to go back and find it.

The answer is loss if institutional control and also ethics/criminal issues. You have to agree that when a coach is anally raping boys there is a loss of institutional control, especially when the head coach knows about it and does nothing to fix or report it to authorities.

[FlabLoser]

Goodness. There are more than one or two "wasn't the NCAA's business" people here on ED.

Here is Mark Emmert's letter which clearly lays out the NCAA's case.
http://www.ncaa.com/content/ncaa-letter-penn-state

The shit at Penn State was very much the NCAA's business. Anybody that thinks otherwise isn't up on the NCAA rules regarding the matter. Those rules are clearly laid out in that letter. Read it.

[Political Hack]

Goodness. There are more than one or two "wasn't the NCAA's business" people here on ED.

Here is Mark Emmert's letter which clearly lays out the NCAA's case.
http://www.ncaa.com/content/ncaa-letter-penn-state

The shit at Penn State was very much the NCAA's business. Anybody that thinks otherwise isn't up on the NCAA rules regarding the matter. Those rules are clearly laid out in that letter. Read it.

It wasn't their business, but they made it their business and levied a punishment. Then they decided that the punishment they gave for a programmatic cover up of the RAPE OF CHILDREN was too harsh and reversed it. It's dyslexia at best and a support of NAMBLA at worst.

[BulldogBear]

It wasn't their business, but they made it their business and levied a punishment. Then they decided that the punishment they gave for a programmatic cover up of the RAPE OF CHILDREN was too harsh and reversed it. It's dyslexia at best and a support of NAMBLA at worst.

+1

[BulldogBear]

My take on it is basically thus:

1) I can see the point of view that PERHAPS the NCAA should not have become involved or at least not to this extent

2) BUT SINCE THEY DID, it pisses me off that they're backing off the harshness of this punishment. What is too harsh? Like somebody said, basically nothing is too harsh. Why are these guys even a threat to have a winning season before 2020? Why the 17 do they have enough scholarships to have more than a starting defense, offense, punter and kicker (say 24 total allowed)? They should be having to work with walk-ons for the rest of their team for a while.

Same goes for USC and Miami....oh, it was the worst thing in the history of college football.... yet. USC could still stay on the field with Stanford last week. If a program with this level of violation is capable of being bowl eligible 2-3 years later in a power 5 conference the logical conclusion is THAT THE PUNISHMENT WASN'T NEARLY ENOUGH.

[FlabLoser]

The idolatry that enabled child rape at Penn State is only going to get stronger having "defeated" the NCAA.

[dawgs]

My take on it is basically thus:

1) I can see the point of view that PERHAPS the NCAA should not have become involved or at least not to this extent

2) BUT SINCE THEY DID, it pisses me off that they're backing off the harshness of this punishment. What is too harsh? Like somebody said, basically nothing is too harsh. Why are these guys even a threat to have a winning season before 2020? Why the 17 do they have enough scholarships to have more than a starting defense, offense, punter and kicker (say 24 total allowed)? They should be having to work with walk-ons for the rest of their team for a while.

Same goes for USC and Miami....oh, it was the worst thing in the history of college football.... yet. USC could still stay on the field with Stanford last week. If a program with this level of violation is capable of being bowl eligible 2-3 years later in a power 5 conference the logical conclusion is THAT THE PUNISHMENT WASN'T NEARLY ENOUGH.

Because even with big sanctions, USC signs as much or more talent per player as anyone. Their lack of depth has led them to losing games the last few years, not lack of starting talent. And when all your starters are 4-5* recruits, you'll still win 7+ games, even if you only have 65 guys on scholarship instead of 85.

[BulldogBear]

Because even with big sanctions, USC signs as much or more talent per player as anyone. Their lack of depth has led them to losing games the last few years, not lack of starting talent. And when all your starters are 4-5* recruits, you'll still win 7+ games, even if you only have 65 guys on scholarship instead of 85.

True, but that's my point, the penalty is not harsh. I'm not saying reduce them by 24 schollies. I'm saying limit them TO 24...total...on the whole fracking team.... per year for x number of years. They don't have to worry about signing over 25 because they don't have 25 to give out even if they had no team!!! This is what I mean when I say that if they can even compete for 6-8 wins, they have not lost enough scholarships.

[dawgs]

True, but that's my point, the penalty is not harsh. I'm not saying reduce them by 24 schollies. I'm saying limit them TO 24...total...on the whole fracking team.... per year for x number of years. They don't have to worry about signing over 25 because they don't have 25 to give out even if they had no team!!! This is what I mean when I say that if they can even compete for 6-8 wins, they have not lost enough scholarships.

All that's gonna do is result in starters getting hurt and trying to play through it more than they already do, or get some walk on injured trying to play against guys like Stanford and Oregon or someone else who have a team filled with high end recruits.

USC lost their coach the nfl and saw the end of their dynasty. Just because they didn't go 0-12 for a couple of seasons doesn't mean they weren't adequately punished (IMO vastly over punished based on many of the much more serious scandals that have resulted in a slap on the wrist or nothing at all - like unc and Miami).

[M.Fillmore]

Rice was canned because of the video. If there was video of Sandusky banging the boys I wonder if PSU would have skated (and yes, I think they skated). Video is shocking although the pain of the kids if just as real, and those involved just as culpable without the video.

[Bubb Rubb]

I know I'm in the minority, but it was never the NCAA's place to step into the situation in the first place. It was a criminal matter to be handled by the justice system. What NCAA rule did Penn State violate to trigger sanctions? Zero, near as I can tell. Tons of criminal laws were broken, and those responsible should spend the rest of their lives rotting in a prison. Death was too good a fate for Joe Pa. But it has never been an NCAA issue. Go ahead, rip me. I know it's coming.

You may be in the minority, but I agree with you.