This morning the NCAA announced the penalties for Penn State’s role in the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal which will include wins from ’98-’11 vacated and $60 million dollars in fines and more.
Penn State was socked with a four-year postseason ban, the loss of 40 scholarships over four years and a $60 million fine stemming from its actions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.
In addition, all victories from 1998-2011 have been vacated, a huge blow to the coaching legacy of Joe Paterno, now formerly the leader in Division I college football victories…….
The reaction of Penn State was one of acceptance.
“Today we receive a very harsh penalty from the NCAA and as head coach of the Nittany Lions football 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,” Coach Bill O’Brien, Paterno’s successor, said in a statement released by the school. “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.”
The $60 million fine, amounts fo one year’s gross revenue from the football program and will be used to endow a fund for victims of abuse and to prevent future abuse,. Penn State athletes will be free to transfer and retain immediate eligibility, due to the possibility of a mass exodus from the University.
Although the school avoided the so-called death penalty, which would have shut the program down, the sanctions are so serious that it could take the school years to recover.
The penalties come one day after Penn State tore down its statue of Joe Paterno. The action came two days after a banner plane flew over the university bearing the warning: “Tear it down or we will.”