Big 10 could kick out Penn State

[swarthmoreCY]

Only because the NCAA seemingly refuses to bring it out again for the big programs.

No, because Universities/programs do not commit violations or crimes, people do. Having an extremely harsh punishment for the program does not effectivly prevent future people acting in the same manner.

[alarson]

The purpose of the NCAA's involvement isn't to punish the football team, or "get a pound" of flesh. The purpose of the NCAA (the primary entity regulating collegiate sports in this country) getting involved is to facilitate changing the warped sports-centric culture at PSU, and to send the message to other NCAA institutions that they must not allow a sports-at-all-costs culture to develop at their institutions.

Sports is the god at PSU that caused the problem. IMO, the only way to change the culture is to take the god away. The NCAA, as the governing entity of collegiate sports, can practically take sports away from PSU, and allow them to refocus their university.

Let the justice system do their thing. If PSU gets hit from both sides, so much the better. As I said in another post, it doesn't have to be an either/or scenario with the justice system and NCAA acting against PSU.

Agreed. The NCAA's goal #1 should be ensuring the 'student-athlete' mantra it brings out all the time. Part of that is ensuring a good and safe educational environment, and a HUGE part of that is both protecting children, and also not engaging in coverups involving criminal matters. When a university deems its football program is more important than those much, much greater goals, maybe its time for the NCAA to say 'hey, dont worry about having football for awhile then, m'kay? "

Now, i dont know if the current NCAA rules would allow this to be implemented. But it is definitely something to be looked at going forward.

Unfortunately, the NCAA consistently shows a lack of willingness to drop any meaningful penalties on schools, especially major ones. There seems to be a fear of permanently destroying a school's athletics as people blame SMU's fall to long term irrelevance on it, when in reality 1. they got relegated to a minor conference and 2. they never would have been as good had they not been cheating, so the death penalty just restored the natural order of things.

[Rogue52]

After reading this article earlier today, I went on a couple PSU message boards. Most fans like the idea of being kicked out.

[Mr Janny]

I couldn't disagree more. The cover-up was to protect the football program. If all that happens is that you punish only the individuals involved under the legal system there is no reason for any athletic program to not try to use their influence within the university in the future.

no reason other than the prospect of jailtime, federal fines, lawsuits, and ruining both your name and the name of the university.

Honestly though, other than Spanier, Curley, Schultz, Paterno and Sandusky, who are we looking to punish, and what is their specific transgression? Outside, of the five I listed, who specifically is at fault? What did they do?

[alarson]

No, because Universities/programs do not commit violations or crimes, people do. Having an extremely harsh punishment for the program does not effectivly prevent future people acting in the same manner.

When the problem is systemic, you target it at a larger level. If nobody couldve stopped sandusky 10 years ago and it all of a sudden came out, then sure, just go after sandusky. This is not the case.

[CyJack13]

I find it funny how many people/columnists have the opinoin that we need to change the football dominated culture at many schools while also being proponents of a playoff system which will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars more for football programs.

[Mr Janny]

When the problem is systemic, you target it at a larger level. If nobody couldve stopped sandusky 10 years ago and it all of a sudden came out, then sure, just go after sandusky. This is not the case.

ok, but who could have stopped it 10 years ago? Aren't those people facing punishment? Who else was at fault? Specifically?

[Acylum]

no reason other than the prospect of jailtime, federal fines, lawsuits, and ruining both your name and the name of the university.

Honestly though, other than Spanier, Curley, Schultz, Paterno and Sandusky, who are we looking to punish, and what is their specific transgression? Outside, of the five I listed, who specifically is at fault? What did they do?

So, other than the TOP people at the university AND the athletic dep't you mean?
Guess we'll agree to disagree on this one.

[scyclonekid]

Lets say hypothetically The B1G does indeed kick PSU out and invited Iowa State do we take the invite? What are the advantages/disadvantages. Again Hypothetical.

[swarthmoreCY]

When the problem is systemic, you target it at a larger level. If nobody couldve stopped sandusky 10 years ago and it all of a sudden came out, then sure, just go after sandusky. This is not the case.

The issues at PSU were not uniquely systemic- it was not a systemic problem, it was a Joe Pa problem. O'Brien would not have been able to tell Spanier and Co not to report Sandusky?

[Mr Janny]

So, other than the TOP people at the university AND the athletic dep't you mean?
Guess we'll agree to disagree on this one.

Ok, toss in Baldwin and Garban, although according to the Freeh Report, it would appear they didn't really play a role until after the cat was out of the bag, legally in 2011, and their transgression is actually keeping the investigation a secret from the high ups at Penn State.

[Acylum]

The issues at PSU were not uniquely systemic- it was not a systemic problem, it was a Joe Pa problem. O'Brien would not have been able to tell Spanier and Co not to report Sandusky?

They kept it under wraps for 14 years. That makes it systemic in my book.

[swarthmoreCY]

The fact the NCAA is even involved in this is a joke, people can't look at a situation objectively because there are children involved. It's horrible what those kids had to endure but it's a criminal case that should have nothing to do with the current football team. The school's (and every other school) policy for investigating these things should be looked at, schools all over the country downplay or cover up criminal acts committed by their athletes. It's easier to punish the pawns than the game itself, the NCAA knows that and will botch this (in the name of money)like they do everything else.

But say he was an econ prof? And it was covered up? Should they shut down the econ department?

This. The worst punishment in NCAA history did exactly nothing to deter other teams from committing violations.

NCAA punishments exist to make sports fans feel good about themselves and allow them to believe the lie that the sport isn't completely corrupt.

Glad to see a few on here have not let their emotions get the best of them.

[swarthmoreCY]

They kept it under wraps for 14 years. That makes it systemic in my book.

How so? Was Joe Pa not there for those 14 years? BTW, the 1998 case was investigated by campus police.

[scyclonekid]

They need hard punishment period.