Freeh Report

[Pa Golden Tate Fan]

Heres a link to the full report. News conference at 10.
http://media.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/other/REPORT_FINAL_071212.pdf

 

[woolybug25]

I truly believe that they deserve the death penalty for this.

I know that none of the people that are culpable (Sandusky, Paterno, Curly, etc) are there anymore, but there has to be a punishment for this clear lack of institutional control. The football program in particular is culpable, not just the university. Punishing the entirety of the university with monetary discipline hurts the entirety of the student body, who aren't part of the football program. The punishment should lie primarily on the football program, and I expect the NCAA to do so.

If USC is going to get punished in the manner they did for Reggie Bush, then this deserves far more severe of a punishment. Not doing so sends a clear sign that the NCAA is not serious about policing their league.

 

[FLDomer]

I truly believe that they deserve the death penalty for this.

I know that none of the people that are culpable (Sandusky, Paterno, Curly, etc) are there anymore, but there has to be a punishment for this clear lack of institutional control. The football program in particular is culpable, not just the university. Punishing the entirety of the university with monetary discipline hurts the entirety of the student body, who aren't part of the football program. The punishment should lie primarily on the football program, and I expect the NCAA to do so.

If USC is going to get punished in the manner they did for Reggie Bush, then this deserves far more severe of a punishment. Not doing so sends a clear sign that the NCAA is not serious about policing their league.

^agreed

 

[ab2cmiller]

Classic case of concealment followed by lies and more concealment to cover up the first concealment and so on and so on till it ended in a fiery crash

To me it looks like they tried to conceal any awareness to the 1998 incident to avoid public embarrassment with the University Police saying they can "justify" not entering anything in the crime log which would've been made public record. Why would a Police Chief email Schultz that unless their was a discussion on a way that they can keep this info under wraps.

Then the McQueary incident happened in 2001 and they knew if that the info got out concerning the 1998 incident to which they did nothing, that they would be crucified in the court of public opinion. So they chose more concealment.

Which led to more lies and more concealment etc, etc.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

I agree with wooly. If they are let off easily for this, the NCAA needs to dissolve.

 

[Ironman8]

The utter disregard for empathy or morality is disgusting and beyond reprehensible. I hope civil lawsuits and the NCAA cripple all involved.

 

[phgreek]

I truly believe that they deserve the death penalty for this.

I know that none of the people that are culpable (Sandusky, Paterno, Curly, etc) are there anymore, but there has to be a punishment for this clear lack of institutional control. The football program in particular is culpable, not just the university. Punishing the entirety of the university with monetary discipline hurts the entirety of the student body, who aren't part of the football program. The punishment should lie primarily on the football program, and I expect the NCAA to do so.

If USC is going to get punished in the manner they did for Reggie Bush, then this deserves far more severe of a punishment. Not doing so sends a clear sign that the NCAA is not serious about policing their league.

While I don't argue the outcome...If it indeed occurs, I think the NCAA's justification for involvement is strained here.

Seems to me, in practice, "Institutional control" has always been limited in its application...it seems to be a catchall for creating an environment where NCAA violations are covered or allowed. NCAA violations all seem to tie back to some competitive fairness/advantage issue do they not? The PSU football program did not benefit from Sandusky's conduct, nor would any reasonable human being conclude it could have. So yea, I think lack of institutional control, say in Florida's case, Ohio States case, or USC's case translate to an advantage on the field. The criminal conduct mixed in helps to make the point of lack of control, but I think the basis of all things NCAA action are/have been tied to violations of their rules and fairness/advantage on the field...

Reaching beyond that basis seems to be uncharted waters for the NNCAA.

PSU may have experienced some benefit for the cover-up, but the lack of control itself did not help Penn State Football.

As to punishing PSU in its entirety vs the football program. If you get down to it...AD, VP, Pres...those are all university level positions...not Football. Hard to argue against a complete hammering of PSU...not just Football.

I think we'll see the NCAA do "something" because they opened their mouth...they can't sit back now...whatever that is will be unprecedented. Guessing PSU won't get SMU'd. I think civil suits and criminal investigations/prosecutions of the conspirators will be about all that happens after that...don't see PSU the institution in harms way, other than their tarnished rep.

 

[IrishinTN]

If they end up not doing anything, what is the point in having any oversight into the programs at all? Consider the punishment Notre Dame received for its "crimes" in the 90's compared to what anyone else received since then. It's ludicrous to defend a "no-action" stance for this egregious, flagrant and continued cover-up, by football administrators IN football facilities that has forever tainted the lives of a yet unknown number of little boys.

 

[FLDomer]

While I don't argue the outcome...If it indeed occurs, I think the NCAA's justification for involvement is strained here.

Seems to me, in practice, "Institutional control" has always been limited in its application...it seems to be a catchall for creating an environment where NCAA violations are covered or allowed. NCAA violations all seem to tie back to some competitive fairness/advantage issue do they not? The PSU football program did not benefit from Sandusky's conduct, nor would any reasonable human being conclude it could have. So yea, I think lack of institutional control, say in Florida's case, Ohio States case, or USC's case translate to an advantage on the field. The criminal conduct mixed in helps to make the point of lack of control, but I think the basis of all things NCAA action are/have been tied to violations of their rules and fairness/advantage on the field...

Reaching beyond that basis seems to be uncharted waters for the NNCAA.

PSU may have experienced some benefit for the cover-up, but the lack of control itself did not help Penn State Football.

As to punishing PSU in its entirety vs the football program. If you get down to it...AD, VP, Pres...those are all university level positions...not Football. Hard to argue against a complete hammering of PSU...not just Football.

I think we'll see the NCAA do "something" because they opened their mouth...they can't sit back now...whatever that is will be unprecedented. Guessing PSU won't get SMU'd. I think civil suits and criminal investigations/prosecutions of the conspirators will be about all that happens after that...don't see PSU the institution in harms way, other than their tarnished rep.

I must be unreasonable because they did benefit from keeping it hush hush. When the Sandusky sh!t became public, did it not hurt recruiting and in some case still probably hurting?? I argue that the bad PR that would have came and has come from it has indeed hurt them, so keeping it quiet was infact to help benefit the program in some way.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Time to take the Joepa statue down. There should be (but won't) an angry mob there right now tearing it down.

 

[woolybug25]

While I don't argue the outcome...If it indeed occurs, I think the NCAA's justification for involvement is strained here.

Seems to me, in practice, "Institutional control" has always been limited in its application...it seems to be a catchall for creating an environment where NCAA violations are covered or allowed. NCAA violations all seem to tie back to some competitive fairness/advantage issue do they not? The PSU football program did not benefit from Sandusky's conduct, nor would any reasonable human being conclude it could have. So yea, I think lack of institutional control, say in Florida's case, Ohio States case, or USC's case translate to an advantage on the field. The criminal conduct mixed in helps to make the point of lack of control, but I think the basis of all things NCAA action are/have been tied to violations of their rules and fairness/advantage on the field...

Reaching beyond that basis seems to be uncharted waters for the NNCAA.

PSU may have experienced some benefit for the cover-up, but the lack of control itself did not help Penn State Football.

As to punishing PSU in its entirety vs the football program. If you get down to it...AD, VP, Pres...those are all university level positions...not Football. Hard to argue against a complete hammering of PSU...not just Football.

I think we'll see the NCAA do "something" because they opened their mouth...they can't sit back now...whatever that is will be unprecedented. Guessing PSU won't get SMU'd. I think civil suits and criminal investigations/prosecutions of the conspirators will be about all that happens after that...don't see PSU the institution in harms way, other than their tarnished rep.

Lack of institutional control has no tie to whether or not the school benefited or not. If a team is paying their players but those players don't win games, it doesn't change the fact that the university is allowing it to happen.

Furthermore, I would argue that PSU was indeed benefiting from it. If there was no benefit to the program by letting the information out, then why did they go to such great lengths to cover it up? They didn't want this information to come out and tarnish their brand, and because of that, they allowed a lack of control from all levels... in other words, they lacked control institutionally.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Burn. Them. All.

 

[irishfanjho15]

This is beyond terrible. It is over for PSU.

 

[BobD]

Penn St. is dead to me. Joe Paterno after all those years, it ends up he's 10 X worse than Saban, Urban, Kiffin and all the rest.

Their punishment will come, if not in this world......

 

[Pa Golden Tate Fan]

Spanier will and probably should be indicted. The Paterno name cannot be associated with Penn State anymore. Take the statue down , take his name off the library.

 

[tadman95]

The NCAA has the opportunity to assert control in a manner never dreamed of to a circumstance never imagined. To not take any significant action would just be an extreme act of cowardice.

Only an idiot would criticize their action.

 

[nlroma1o]

Death Penalty? Who thinks it is warranted here? I think its a possiblilty, but not sure if the NCAA has the balls to ever do that again.

 

[BobD]

I would be ashamed to wear that football uniform and I don't know how anyone could. I think the football team should be disbanned for 10 years and the players allowed to transfer ASAP.
How do you guys feel about it?

 

[ClausentoTate]

14 years, one for every year they didn't come forward.

If the NCAA doesn't do anything, they should at least be thrown out of the B1G.

 

[maison bleu]

Penn St. is dead to me. Joe Paterno after all those years, it ends up he's 10 X worse than Saban, Urban, Kiffin and all the rest..

This is the sad/ironic thing, isn't it? The saint turns out to be the worst of all sinners.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

I would be ashamed to wear that football uniform and I don't know how anyone could. I think the football team should be disbanned for 10 years and the players allowed to transfer ASAP.
How do you guys feel about it?

Love the passion man. But having grown up in Central PA, and seeing what PSU football means to every community within a 100-200 mile radius of Happy Valley... I cant agree. The repercussions of not having PSU football for 10 years would be catastrophic IMO. I have never been a fan of PSU, although my entire family is, but I always had a huge respect for the University and JoePa. That all ended today.

 

[INFIDEL STRONG]

Death penalty, anything less is letting them off weak imho..Children were raped.

 

[ClausentoTate]

Death penalty, anything less is letting them off weak imho..Children were raped.

In their lockerroom. They had knowledge of it. They covered it up AND let it continue.

 

[phgreek]

I must be unreasonable because they did benefit from keeping it hush hush. When the Sandusky sh!t became public, did it not hurt recruiting and in some case still probably hurting?? I argue that the bad PR that would have came and has come from it has indeed hurt them, so keeping it quiet was infact to help benefit the program in some way.

"PSU may have experienced some benefit for the cover-up, but the lack of control itself did not help Penn State Football."

Said what you are saying...

Whatever happensto PSU is fine with me...in this case though, all I'm saying is the NCAA, in order to do "something" is going to need to reach beyond what I think they've done before.

 

[nlroma1o]

Woaaahhh....

I just read that that the district attorney who decided not to prosecute Sandusky in 1998 has now been missing since 2005 and is presumed dead.....

Coincedence?

 

[Irish4Life09]

Wow...I just want to say I apologize for ever trying to stand up for Paterno a while back when this all started happening.This is disgraceful.
I agree I would love to see the Death Penalty for PSU,and they deserve it, but honestly guys I don't think the NCAA has jurisdiction for anything involving crimes like this. I sure hope I'm wrong though.

 

[buirish]

In their lockerroom. They had knowledge of it. They covered it up AND let it continue.

With the pages and pages of information sometimes it's the simplest explanation that makes you just absolutely sick to your stomach!! Unforgivable cover up by all!!!

 

[phgreek]

Lack of institutional control has no tie to whether or not the school benefited or not. If a team is paying their players but those players don't win games, it doesn't change the fact that the university is allowing it to happen. .

Has a losing program ever been nailed? (more of a whack on the NCAA than an arguement)

I get what you are saying. My point is the tie is to NCAA rules. Institutional control may be broad and sweeping language, but as of now, I don't recall anyone ever getting nailed for activity that wasn't a violation of NCAA rules...those rules appear to me to be based on fairness/advantage. For instance, playing grab *** at Colorado with the female kicker...were there NCAA violations/sanctions levied for that activity, or even an investigation? (far less of a crime, but speaks to the point). Many Crimes happen that coaches do not report to the NCAA. Sometimes there are a number of them...those crimes seem to be used to show lack of institutional control if a violation of NCAA rules is being looked at, but on their own...never.

Furthermore, I would argue that PSU was indeed benefiting from it. If there was no benefit to the program by letting the information out, then why did they go to such great lengths to cover it up? They didn't want this information to come out and tarnish their brand, and because of that, they allowed a lack of control from all levels... in other words, they lacked control institutionally.

"PSU may have experienced some benefit for the cover-up, but the lack of control itself did not help Penn State Football."

I recognize the cover-up as the benefit...but is that lack of institutional control over the football program...maybe it is if someone can prove the cover up came from Joe in order to tie up a recruit...there is some inuendo out there he knew, but until there is a Rules violation tied to it...thats a tough call.

Look I am fine with the NCAA doing whatever they want...Not even saying they wouldn't be justified...just saying I think it is a reach for them based on what they've done prior...I think it would be unprecedented...at least to my knowledge. I also think the Death penalty would be unlikely, if for no other reason than they are already reaching beyond the norm of their scope.

 

[nlroma1o]

I recognize the cover-up as the benefit...but is that lack of institutional control over the football program...maybe it is if someone can prove the cover up came from Joe in order to tie up a recruit...there is some inuendo out there he knew, but until there is a Rules violation tied to it...thats a tough call.

Look I am fine with the NCAA doing whatever they want...Not even saying they wouldn't be justified...just saying I think it is a reach for them based on what they've done prior...I think it would be unprecedented...at least to my knowledge. I also think the Death penalty would be unlikely, if for no other reason than they are already reaching beyond the norm of their scope.

Damn.... i think you might just be right.... They just might not be able to tie this to violating a rule thats harsh enough to give them the death penalty... I think they deserve it, but after i read this, I almost think that you are right and they wont be able to punish them that severely...

 

[mgriff]

I tried to say Paterno had nothing to do with it along with some others when this first broke. Having grown up in PA, even being an ND fan, I always had respect and admiration for my in-state institution. JoePa was at the forefront of a lot of good in the state, so the lack hard evidence linked to him simply made me think they were focusing on the wrong person trying to drag his great name trough the mud. Having seen this evolve I've become sickened with JoePa and his involvement in this. I no longer feel sorry for him, or any sort of admiration. I truly think this is just an indictment of the entire college sports culture when the integrity of "one of the best" is destroyed because of a football program. He was held up as an example, and he was part of the problem all along. I'm shocked and appalled at what State did and they deserve everything they get. JoePa makes me sick and this will, rightfully, be what he's remembered for.