The alleged criminal activity by Jerry Sandusky and the situation at Pennsylvania State University transcends football, however, the football program’s involvement should not be dismissed while the country is tuned to the criminal case in disgust.
More facts will be released as this scandal unfolds through reports and testimony over the next months, but the facts that have already been released in regards to this alleged case warrant the NCAA death penalty.
Precedent was set for the NCAA death penalty in college football with Southern Methodist University in 1987. SMU had numerous violations, over many years, involving unsanctioned financial contributions to players from boosters. The NCAA issued probations and warnings long before the death penalty was enforced in 1987. After the death penalty was enforced, SMU still has yet to recover from the loss.
As recently as this season, the University of Miami was threatened with the death penalty after a former booster was arrested for a ponzi scheme and admitted to funding at least 72 players over an eight year period. The funding of these players got more seedy, with evidence of the money being used for strip clubs, prostitution and abortions. The NCAA, after the destruction of the SMU program, has yet to issue the death penalty in this case.
The situation at Penn State is not a scandal of unsanctioned financial contributions to players or recruits. The NCAA doesn’t have a precedent set for a situation as horrendous as this, and despite not having a previous case to look back upon, the NCAA needs to look at Penn State, and specifically the football program. The Penn State football program’s actions (or lack there of) are more reprehensible than anything that has occurred at either SMU or Miami.
If we look at the facts that have been brought forth by the investigation in the grand jury testimony, we know there were many incidents involving young boys on Penn State football grounds as far back as 1994.
After a report from a concerned mother in 1994, university police investigated the situation, but the officer was told by the director of campus police to close the investigation. Sandusky was interviewed at this time and admitted to hugging the young boy in the shower.
There were other victims reported in the grand jury report, in between this time and 1998. In 1998, there was another investigation of Sandusky and he abruptly retired in 1999 at the age of 51, but was given emeritus status at the university. Sandusky still had his title of coach and access to all facilities at the university and the football program.
In 2002, then graduate assistant Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky engaging in anal sex with a young boy. He reported the incident to head coach Joe Paterno the following morning. McQueary then told athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz about the incident. Curley and Schultz stated that they would look into it and determine what further action they would take. Curley had taken away Sandusky’s keys to the locker room and told Sandusky not to bring youths on to the Penn State campus. Curley did not report the incident to either university or city police and admitted that their instruction to Sandusky to not bring children on campus was unenforceable.
This seems as though Penn State was willing to concede that Sandusky had a problem with young boys, but simply didn’t want this to occur on Penn State property any longer.
The involvement with the football program specifically, that should be penalized with the death penalty isn’t simply the lack of appropriate action against an alleged child molester, but allowing his continued involvement in the program after numerous allegations and investigations. The football program is directly involved for allowing his continued participation at the university. In a hypothetical situation, would a history professor accused and investigated over a long period of time continue to have access to all facilities and be able to keep his title at the facility? It seems obvious that Sandusky was allowed continued access due to his football contributions and therefore the football program must be held accountable.
The other situation that the NCAA may want to investigate is the university’s financial implications of reporting Sandusky’s alleged behavior. If Sandusky were to be disgraced publicly in a child molestation case, how would that affect potential recruiting, financial contributions from boosters, and overall income coming to the university from the football program. Was the university harboring an alleged child molester to save the face of the program and the continued financial gain from maintaining the image of Penn State football?
There are other factors at play in regards to the program. The current players and staff are unfortunate victims to the decisions that the administration had made. The NCAA could compensate the players by allowing transfers without a year waiting period if they so choose and the current staff could be given proper compensation for the wages lost over the course of the death penalty suspension.
The Penn State scandal is despicable and horrendous for the victims, the alumni and the community. The lack of action from the officials at the university and it’s football program are unacceptable. The NCAA needs to step in with a harsh judgment on the program no matter the result of the pending criminal case. Penn State has already committed their crimes by appointing individuals that decided to not report Sandusky to proper authorities to keep his influence in the football program and potentially allowing further atrocious acts to occur on young boys.
The university is bigger than the football program and I wish the university continued success, but after the actions of their officials at the head of the university and in the football program over at least the last 15 years should cost the institution it’s football program.
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