Jerry Sandusky on trial

[mirth]

There is certainly no lack of opinion, either way, on this issue.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8160717/college-football-penn-state-nittany-lions-earned-wrath-ncaa

As far as it setting a bad precedent if the NCAA does sanction Penn State, I'm not sure how that's really an issue unless there are other schools deliberately covering for child rapists. In that case, I'm all for setting the precedent that severe action will be taken.

[Gusington]

Wiping out the football program will only hurt innocent student athletes, State College, the State of PA, and the school. What should happen is that those who helped Sandusky should be pruned out and the program rebuilt. All IMHO.

[LongBlade]

Interesting CNN article about a woman who repeatedly clashed with Paterno and the cost that disagreement had.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/15/us/triponey-paterno-penn-state/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Personally, I'm not comfortable with sports programs that wield this kind of power. YMMV.

[Gusington]

Me neither, but that's Division I sports in the US. If you can get up to my office before I leave Friday, I could show you around and make you really ill. The amount of money generated by college athletics alone is staggering and is part of the reason I am happy to be moving to a state job. I just don't like being part of this kind of "sale-sy" machine. Who knows how much better the state will be, but at least there I will be able to claim I work for New Yorkers.

[mirth]

Wiping out the football program will only hurt innocent student athletes, State College, the State of PA, and the school. What should happen is that those who helped Sandusky should be pruned out and the program rebuilt. All IMHO.

You could say that about almost any situation where the NCAA hands down penalties. Usually the coaches involved move on and it's everyone left behind that suffers the consequences. The Pete Carrolls and Urban Meyers of the world don't suffer, their former schools do.

For me, the problem for Penn State is that there was such a pervasive culture of loyalty to Joe Paterno and the football program that it not only allowed Sandusky's crimes to go on for decades, it moved people at the highest levels of the institution to cover up the crimes. And we're talking about something far worse than paying football players under the table.

[Gusington]

^Good point. But Paterno is gone. Weed out the remaining criminals and it could be closer to an honest program again.

[mirth]

^Good point. But Paterno is gone. Weed out the remaining criminals and it could be closer to an honest program again.

It will be at some point. Even if the NCAA imposes a death penalty, and that's still a big if, it will probably be for a year, two at most. Even if the NCAA stays out of it, the football program and the school are going to get an overhaul.

[mirth]

Pretty damning article of Spanier. Not calling for NCAA action, but highlighting the hypocrisy at Penn State.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--graham-spanier-penn-state-freeh-report-joe-paterno-curtis-enis-jeff-nalley.html

[Marty Ward]

^Good point. But Paterno is gone. Weed out the remaining criminals and it could be closer to an honest program again.

The football program had nothing to do with what Sandusky did.

[Martok]

 :o


You're kidding, right? 

[Marty Ward]

:o


You're kidding, right?

No I'm serious.

What did Sandusky's action have to do with the football program? Was he raping potential recruits? Was he setting up liasons for potential recruits? Was he selling pictures of what he did to boosters?

Sure he was a coach but what he did wasn't related to the football program. If he had been selling drugs to the Crips and using his office as the transfer point, would you say the football probram supported gangs and drugs?

[mirth]

Sure he was a coach but what he did wasn't related to the football program. If he had been selling drugs to the Crips and using his office as the transfer point, would you say the football probram supported gangs and drugs?

If they knew about it and covered it up for 14 years, I sure as hell would.

[Marty Ward]

Sure he was a coach but what he did wasn't related to the football program. If he had been selling drugs to the Crips and using his office as the transfer point, would you say the football probram supported gangs and drugs?

If they knew about it and covered it up for 14 years, I sure as hell would.

If who knew about it, the players, the boosters, all the coaches over the course of the 15+ years it occurred?

Only a handful of people in the football program knew about what happened. They sure fucked up by not speaking out but to say the whole football program is somehow responsible and needs to be shutdown by the NCAA is wrong.

[Gusington]

^With what I know about the case, I agree. 'Setting an example' is fine but the football team itself, the players, AFAIK...didn't know anything about the crimes. Who would it help by destroying the football team?

I don't know if we can say that honestly about Sandusky's charity though.  It looks like Second Mile was set up as a clearing house for Sandusky's crimes.

[mirth]

If who knew about it, the players, the boosters, all the coaches over the course of the 15+ years it occurred?

Only a handful of people in the football program knew about what happened. They sure fucked up by not speaking out but to say the whole football program is somehow responsible and needs to be shutdown by the NCAA is wrong.

When the culture of slavish loyalty to the football program is so pervasive that child rape, committed repeatedly by one of the most beloved and admired coaches, is covered up to protect the program, yes the entire program should be made to suffer.