NCAA: Penn State football punished
The NCAA on Monday announced a series of unprecedented sanctions against the Penn State football program for its involvement in the sexual abuse scandal that centered on former coach Jerry Sandusky.
The penalties include a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, an annual reduction of 10 scholarships over a four-year period and five years of probation.
But perhaps the most significant individual sanction in the context of college football history is that all of Penn State’s wins from 1998 to 2011 have been vacated, which means that Joe Paterno, who oversaw the Nittany Lions’ football program for nearly 46 years, no longer is the sport’s all-time winningest coach.
As a result, Paterno’s win total decreased by 111 to 298. He now ranks No. 12 on the all-time coaching wins list. Eddie Robinson, who coached at Grambling University for 57 years, now ranks No. 1 among high-level college football coaches with 408 victories.
The NCAA also announced Monday that current and incoming Penn State football players will be allowed to transfer from the school immediately without penalty. Typically, players who transfer from one Division I school to another are forced by NCAA rule to sit out one season.
The NCAA is considering waiving scholarship limits for any football program that takes in a Penn State transfer. Teams typically are limited to 85 scholarship players.
The school has signed what NCAA president Mark Emmert described as a “consent decree” and will not appeal the sanctions.
“Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA,” Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a written statement released by the school. “With today’s announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward.”
In a written statement, Penn State football Coach Bill O’Brien, Paterno’s replacement, called described the punishment as “a very harsh penalty” but said he remained committed to the program.
“I will do everything in my power to not only comply, but help guide the University forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence,” O’Brien said. “I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.”
Source: The Washington Post
Penn State football punished by NCAA over Sandusky scandal - The Washington Post
