Penn State University Scandal
The Main issue: Jerry Sandusky, former Assistant Football Coach, found guilty on over 40 charges of sexual abuse of minors.
The Secondary issue: Joe Paterno allegedly had a hand in covering up charges brought against Sandusky (to what degree is unknown).
Repercussions
Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in jail barring any miraculous appeal.
Paterno, now deceased, has a tarnished legacy, and his statue at the Penn State Football "Beaver Stadium" has been taken down and put into storage.
The NCAA has stripped all wins from 1998-2011.
The NCAA has fined the University $60 Million to go to Childhood Sexual Abuse Awareness Programs.
The NCAA has put a scholarship cap on Penn State's Football program.
The NCAA has banned Penn State from Bowl Games for 4 years.
The NCAA has put Penn State under probation for 5 years where more sanctions can come.
Any player or entering player who meets academic requirements can transfer to another university to play for their team.
Reactions
First and foremost, please know that these reactions are my own. You don't have to agree with me. In a few days or weeks, I probably won't agree with myself on some of these points (NOTE: I'm writing this red part a few days later, and I do, in fact disagree with myself on some points - I'm going to keep what I wrote in black, and put some new things at the bottom in red). That's how the human mind works. Or, that's how MY mind works.
Second, being a Pennsylvania Native, this is somewhat personal to me. As a High School student, it was my dream to go to Penn State for college. That didn't happen. Looking back, that was a good thing. Not because Penn State was bad, but because I wouldn't have been ready for a place so big. But, right now, that is neither here nor there.
1. The VICTIMS should be the focus here - not Paterno, not Sandusky, not Football. The VICTIMS (probably better called SURVIVORS because of the horrible experiences they went through and continue to go on) have to live the rest of their lives knowing what Sandusky did to THEM and that Penn State Administration (and maybe Paterno) had a hand in covering it up. The SURVIVORS need time to go through whatever emotions they need to go through. Football, as much as I like football, and as much as Penn State likes football, and as much as America likes football, is a drop in the bucket.
2. Joe Paterno was a good coach. Joe Paterno was a good man (I'm guessing based on things I've read and heard - I've never met him). Joe Paterno made a mistake. I can't know his intentions, but whatever they were, they were his fatal mistake. We should remember Joe as the coach and man he was. But, he was just that, a coach and a man. He was not God. Let's not put more into him than there actually was. Honor his memory. Recognize his mistakes (we all have made some), and move on.
3. Jerry Sandusky deserves both our anger and our prayers. To be honest, I would like to be locked in a room with him for 5 minutes....Him, Me, and a Baseball Bat. But, that's not going to solve anything. Jerry Sandusky did evil things. Very Evil Things! Jerry Sandusky scarred many people for the rest of their lives beyond what I can explain here. Jerry Sandusky is also a sick person who needs to be healed. Prison will not heal him. Counseling may. Only God can. The primal instincts in all of us don't want him healed. But the more I seek God's will, while he still deserves his punishment, I pray for his healing.
4. The NCAA went too far in punishing the Football team for the infractions of the Administration. Fire the coaches. Fire the Administration. Fire whoever had a hand in this. Don't punish incoming freshmen who had nothing to do with this. Don't punish outgoing seniors who banked their lives on entering the NFL (more on that in the next 2 points). Punish the ones who are guilty. Football had nothing to do with molestation. Football had nothing to do with the coverup. People did.
5. Football is a game. I love sports. I love the values that people learn in sports. Those same values, however can be learned in music, art, drama, academics, etc. They are not values limited to sports. It's time to look at why we give more scholarships to athletes than to scholars. Aren't universities institutes of research and learning? I get it that sports bring in money. Does the "almighty dollar" have to be the driving factor in everything? The cocaine trade, I hear, is a good business deal if you don't get caught. Are universities going to start doing that for the sake of profit? Did I go overboard? Probably.
6. Universities should not be breeding grounds for NFL recruitment. They should be places where Scientists are bred, Artists are born, Teachers are created. Keep the sports programs. I'm all in favor of extracurricular activities! But, that's what they are. EXTRAcurricular. Something EXTRA. Yes, we're back to point 5 - the dollar.
7. Fans who are upset over the loss of a statue and who overly mourn the fact that Penn State can't be in a Bowl game for 4 years (while yes, and excessive punishment), still forget to recognize the issue. VICTIMS. INNOCENT VICTIMS. A metal statue will never compare to even 1 victim. A million championships is not close to the pain of one victim.
I'm sorry that Penn State has to suffer because of the evil deeds of Jerry Sandusky and the covering up of the Administration. The Penn State community should be angry. They should be angry at Sandusky and those that covered up his deeds. They should not be angry at the decision to take down a statue. Though the decisions of the NCAA were excessive, if we focus on them, we forget that what Jerry Sandusky did was more excessive! Penn State will one day forget these sanctions. Sandusky's victims will live with the scars every day of their lives!
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It took some lively debate with a good friend to make me realize some things. First of all, I still believe the major points of my argument. The NCAA's rulings were too harsh. Innocent people were punished. The outrage over the NCAA's ruling seems to have been greater than the outrage at Sandusky's crimes. That still makes me question a lot about our values. To be clear, I am not advocating death threats or even harm on Sandusky. I am saying that we are a "material culture" that is often more impressed with economic capital than with human capital.
Sandusky will one day meet God. He will have to account for his actions. As much as it hurts, Sandusky deserves our prayers. I don't want to pray for him! He did evil things. But, we are to pray for evil people as well as for our loved ones and innocent people. God will judge him. I am glad I am not God in this case!
BUT
With that said, my friend pointed out some very correct and fair alternatives. Obviously, neither of us work for the NCAA, so none of this will happen (unless my blog really has that much influence...and I doubt it does).
I'm paraphrasing his points:
1. Keep the fine in place (he suggested upping the fine). Use the money to compensate Sandusky's victims and for mandatory Sexual Abuse related training.
2. Keep the other sanctions only until the following conditions are met: Penn State fires all administrators and coaches who were part of the cover-up, and they are all fired without pensions and all members of the Board of Trustees must step down and resign. Once those conditions are met all NCAA punishments are lifted with the exception of the fine in point 1.
This way, the guilty are punished, and innocent students, student-athletes, coaches, and the Penn State area economy are not harmed.
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