From the NEW YORK TIMES:
The N.C.A.A. announced significant penalties against Penn State and its football program Monday, including a $60 million fine and a four-year postseason ban, in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal involving the former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
The punishment also included the loss of some scholarships and the vacating of all of the team’s victories from 1998 to 2011, but stopped short of forcing the university to shut down the football team for a season or more, the so-called death penalty. Still, the penalties are serious enough that it is expected to take Penn State’s football program, one of the most successful in the country, years before it will be able to return to the sport’s top echelon.
The postseason ban and the scholarship restrictions essentially prevent the program from fielding a team that can be competitive in the Big Ten. The N.C.A.A. will also allow Penn State players to transfer to another university where they could play immediately, inviting the possibility of a mass exodus…
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The “punishment” is mostly in the realm of justice. However those student athletes who leave will compete against those who have already earned spots on other teams and some may never play football again.
In addition taking away the victories from ’98 to ’11 harms the student athletes and student body more than a dead coach. It was the football team that suffered the physical pain of preparing and playing those games, not the coaching staff and athletic department.
No matter what the NCAA does, it cannot change history as holocaust deniers, moon landing deniers, and 9/11 denies have tried. Withdraw the victories penalties and put an astrick next to JoePa’s name. He is the winningest coach in division 1 history and until someone surpasses him he will remain so no matter how they monkey with the record books.