My Thoughts on the Penn State Punishment

For two days I’ve been considering the NCAA’s punishment of Penn State for their coverup of Jerry Sandusky’s pedophilia. Emotions run high on issues like this.


These are my thoughts on the situation:

Jerry Sandusky is a monster, and he deserves every punishment he receives and more. Thankfully God’s love, grace, mercy, and hope reaches even to a monster such as he is.

Joe Paterno was a man who did many good things and influenced a generation of young men positively, but he hid a monster and unfortunately that is what he will be remembered for. He certainly has been spared his humiliation as a result of his illness and death; it is sad for his widow and children to have to live with his public disgrace.

The Penn State former president, former athletic director, and Paterno all are monsters for covering up Sandusky’s actions.

Honestly, I’m not sure the NCAA should have penalized the school for what is a criminal proceeding. Sandusky’s actions and the coverup did not give Penn State an unfair competitive advantage. If the NCAA is trying to reign in a school where the football program had too much power and influence, then they really have to go after almost every college football program that plays under the NCAA logo. Do they not think Alabama, Michigan, USC, Baylor, Auburn, Michigan State, Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida State, and on and on and on are not influenced the same by their football programs?

Punishing Penn State current players, coaches, and community for the misdeeds of those no longer with the school just seems wrong. It is as if a parent tells a child, “You cannot go to any slumber parties because 10 years ago your older sibling stole candy at the local grocery store.” Yes, consequences are felt by more than the perpetrators but there is a difference between punishment (punitive action for violators) and consequences (general fallout and effect).

If the NCAA had to punish PSU, I don’t have a problem with the monetary fine. I think PSU should have been ahead of the game and pledged any football proceeds from this year to charities that support victims of pedophiles. I don’t know if the wins could be vacated from Paterno and not the school, but the players of the last 10+ years are being punished for what they did not have a part of. So now the players from those years didn’t win any games? That just doesn’t seem right. Current players who had no idea of what had occurred are now penalized with no post season play? How does this punish the people who actually did the wrong thing? Again, the feel just isn’t right.

Too often it seems the NCAA punishes the people who didn’t commit the wrongdoing. Too often a head coach allows his coaches to recruit in violation of NCAA rules then leaves for another school before the NCAA hands down the penalty. He is free to start new and often do the same things just at a different school while the school and new personnel and players are punished.

How can the NCAA punish the wrongdoers and not the innocent? Any coach involved in an infraction carries the penalty not the school. He is not allowed post season play; he pays the financial penalty handed down by the NCAA. For example, if he goes to another team with his post season ban of 4 years, they are not allowed post season play until that time goes by. Yes, schools probably won’t want to hire a coach knowing there will be no post season play for 2, 3, or 4 years, but he is penalized not the kids who didn’t do the wrong thing if schools don’t want to hire him. If the university president who knew about the wrong doing or it happened under his watch and he leaves for another school, the penalty goes with him.

While there is an easy answer of how to deal with Jerry Sandusky and the other school administrators, there is not an easy answer for how to deal with the school.