I believe that Penn State Football deserves to receive the death penalty from the NCAA. I never thought I would favor the use of that penalty ever. It is a punishment that pretty would pretty much cripple any program for decades, if not permanently. I couldn't imagine anything happening within a program that would justify that penalty again. However, what happened at Penn State goes beyond the parameters of my imagination regarding a College Football Program.
The abuse that happened at Penn State is beyond anything that the NCAA should have to deal with and really has the capabilities to deal with. It isn't paying players. It's not recruiting violations. It's not lying to the NCAA about some silly little rules violation. This was NCAA institution believing that it's Football program was more important than the suffering of children. There was no perspective given. Penn State football and Joe Paterno and the whole damn brand were too important to allow for one minor stain and prompted this horrible cover-up.
Penn State did manage to avoid the minor stain, but is now the brand is completely tarnished.
Had officials at Penn State come forth once they had knowledge of Sandusky's actions it wouldn't have been much of a story. Yes, there would've been a fuss made about, but it would eventually blow over without affecting that athletic department to badly. As horrible as it sounds, anyone could make the mistake of employing a pedophile; they don't come with signs over there heads. However, it takes some insulated, egotistical and really just pathetic people to protect one.
Penn State didn't lack institutional control. In fact, it is hard to really put a traditional NCAA definition on what transpired there. Football was allowed to become too big. A Football coach was allowed to be too powerful. Administrators were desperate to protect the brand of the football program. And all the while children were being hurt.
The NCAA really can't issue any penalties in this case besides the Death Penalty. None of the usual penalties given by the NCAA fit the crime at all. This isn't a case where a program broke some NCAA rules; where a program was trying to gain an advantage and the NCAA punishes them by taking away scholarships or bowl bans to hurt recruiting. This is a case where a program not only became bigger than the educational institution, but became big enough to become the dominating force of the University and the area.
I think giving Penn State the Death Penalty is not only the proper punishment, but would make it clear the athletic programs should not be so powerful and important. College athletics are particularly prone to idol-worship and the danger of that has been made clear by the Sandusky case and all the fallout that has followed. Perspective is missing and it needs to be regained. The environment that was and still is in Happy Valley isn't unique and I think it's time for top-level college athletics to get a reality check.
Thanks for reading
-Michael.
