NCAA Punishment of Penn State Displays The Wisdom of Solomon

Photo Via Diamond Stake Reports

Dr. Bill Smith, Editor: The travesty visited upon children and associated with staff and coaches of the Penn State football team remains beyond sane reasoning. The failure of Head Coach Joe Paterno and others to take early aggressive actions to stop this heinous acts by pedophiles associated previously with the football program was an absolute failure of leadership, management and competence.

As we know, Joe Paterno died shortly after being fired for his coverup of the Sandusky scandals and even Paterno statute has been removed from the campus. Before today, I wondered how would the NCAA appropriately punish Penn State without punishing future generations attending Penn State? Would the NCAA kill football at Penn State - aka, the death penalty? Also, how long would it take NCAA President Mark Emmert to act based on the NCAA's own investigation? The NCAA's investigation was lead by respected former FBI director Louis Freeh and reported that "Penn State officials Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz and coach Joe Paterno concealed and failed to prevent Sandusky’s abuse of children."

Well today, swift judgement came came down from the NCAA President Mark Emmert and the judgement displayed the Wisdom of Solomon. Emmert said that no punishment could change or mitigate the damage done by Sandusky to children, but “the culture, actions and in actions that allowed them to be victimized will not be tolerated in collegiate athletics.”

As reported by The Washington Post which is also updating their story:

• a four-year postseason ban
• loss of 10 initial and 20 total scholarships over a four-year period
• athletes are freed from their agreements and may transfer and retain immediate eligibility which may signal a mass exodus and recruiting efforts by other university coaches
• $60 million fine to be used to endow a fund for victims of abuse and to prevent future abuse
• ALL victories from 1998-2011 have been vacated, - wiping out coaching legacy of Joe Paterno and unfortunately the excellent record of many fine football players because of actions by their coaches

While Emmert did not suspend or give the Penn State football program the death penalty, the Nittany Lions football program must now rightly struggle for its very survival. Its trophy cases are being stripped of 14 years of winning trophies, its victories expunged from the records, the records of former innocent players taken from them, and the legacy of Joe Paterno forever tarnished. In my opinion, may the name and legacy of Joe Paterno never be spoken of again on the campuses of Penn State.

It is now up to Penn State and their new coach Bill O'Brien to determine if its team continues. O'Brien said in a released statement, "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."

But far worse, Penn State itself will forever be remembered as a place where horrors were visited upon children. Penn State carries the dark tragic legacy of when evil roamed their campus and people like Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz knowingly did not act to stop a monster from abusing children.

However, it is also up to all other colleges and universities to address the fact that in their pursuit of sports and their tolerance of diversity including open sexuality and gay agendas, their campuses may have been opened to pedophiles (both male or females) who prey upon their students and even children. The judgement on Penn State has been rendered. However, the judgement on the entire academic university system is pending.

---

Tags: Penn State, football, Nittany Lions, NCAA, judgement, universities, culture, sexual abuse, scandal To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!