Rodney A. Erickson is president of Penn State University.
WASHINGTON POST Op-Ed: … I knew when I accepted the position of president in November — and the Board of Trustees strongly agreed — that, for Penn State to move forward, we would need to uncover and expose the full scope of the university’s knowledge of Sandusky’s actions. We could not wait for courts to bring evidence to light. So, knowing that we would need to accept accountability for whatever was discovered, the board asked former FBI director Louis Freeh to lead an independent investigation...
Since the report was published, accepting responsibility has come to take on an additional meaning. This week the NCAA imposed unprecedented penalties on the university. These include a $60 million fine, the loss of football scholarships, a ban on postseason play and the forfeiture of all wins between 1998 and 2011. Many have questioned how I could agree to such sanctions. Let me be clear that I did not suggest this punishment, and I do not take its repercussions lightly. But I believe that the alternative — a multi-year ban on football — would have been far more detrimental to the healing process of our students and alumni… (more)
EDITOR: This assumes that Penn State had no right to request that the NCAA follow the procedures per its rules, regulations and established precedents. Erickson, apparently in panic, made the decision without even consulting the Board of Trustees.
Nevertheless, the NCAA could be petitioned to hold hearings for the purpose of reconsidering the penalties or, if necessary, a request could be made to the courts to stay and possibly reverse the NCAA penalties.
Moreover, member universities may be concerned about relegating such broad power which was hardly the intention with the formation of the body. After all, this wasn’t about fair competition, the reason to be of the NCAA.
