Switzer addresses Penn State situation

[badger]

Linky (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=231&articleid=20120723_231_0_DALLAS44720)


Meanwhile, former University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer was busy using his new Twitter account to take the NCAA to task.

“Why are PSU fans and players penalized?” Switzer tweeted. “What was their violation? Attending PSU? NCAA got this one wrong!”

[KantoSooner]

Ahem, Barry has never been too, emm, happy with the NCAA.

[Landthief 1972]

The players (unless they were die-hard PSU fans) aren't penalized. Outside of USC, how many other students from schools hit with major sanctions have been allowed to leave at will with no penalty? Regarding the fans, if they want to be mad, be mad at Paterno, not the NCAA. The NCAA is doing its job - Paterno did not.

[Breadburner]

They are free to go play elsewhere.....Barry is dead wrong.....

[Curly Bill]

Yup, Barry missed the mark on this one.

[cccasooner2]

Yep, Barry's got a culture problem.

[stoopified]

I think the National Communists might have gone a little too far IMHO but they DID need to take action.

[rock on sooner]

I think the National Communists might have gone a little too far IMHO but they DID need to take action.

Wonder what the Boz thinks?

[rock on sooner]

Yup, Barry missed the mark on this one.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Seamus]

"I'm not leaving my kids to the Joe Paternos and Mike McQuearys of the world."

Ol' Barry and Jackie are looking pretty good in comparison these days ...

[tycat947]

With almost EVERY NCAA punishment innocent players and fans are 'so-called' punished. I think a lot of these PSU fans need to wake up to the actions (or inactions) of JoePa. They don't get it!

[SoonerMarkVA]

They are free to go play elsewhere.....Barry is dead wrong.....

Gotta agree. Completely. It should have been worse.

[brainpimp]

Gotta agree. Completely. It should have been worse.



Sorry Barry, you're wrong.

[MamaMia]

I'm going to have to agree to disagree with Barry on this one, however I can most certainly understand Barrys disdain for anything NCAA.

[marfacowboy]

They're affected, but they at least have some choices. Frankly, this affects that whole community, including the merchants. Their program revenues will fall, ticket sales, game attendance...all of these things affect that whole community. It's a big deal for a lot of people.

[C&CDean]

I don't know. I can't find anything wrong with this statement by The King:

“We can’t change what the sorry bastard Sandusky did, right? And everybody can have a knee jerk reaction that I’m not thinking about (the victims). They are full of crap. I am still thinking about them. But I am also thinking about the players that wanted to go to Penn State... That’s the school they wanted to go to. They had nothing to do with this. They had done everything right.”

Personally, I believe they should civilly (or criminally) prosecute everyone who had something to do with the filthy deed and the "cover-up," and leave the football team alone. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with Barry.

[MeMyself&Me]

I don't know. I can't find anything wrong with this statement by The King:

“We can’t change what the sorry bastard Sandusky did, right? And everybody can have a knee jerk reaction that I’m not thinking about (the victims). They are full of crap. I am still thinking about them. But I am also thinking about the players that wanted to go to Penn State... That’s the school they wanted to go to. They had nothing to do with this. They had done everything right.”

Personally, I believe they should civilly (or criminally) prosecute everyone who had something to do with the filthy deed and the "cover-up," and leave the football team alone. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with Barry.

You're not the only one. I pretty much agree with your last paragraph there. We have a civil and a criminal process for these things and those that were involved will be punished. There's nothing from the NCAA sanctions that punish those involved except maybe taking wins from Peterno.

[C&CDean]

I've got no problem with whatever they do to the dead guy. Paterno should have retired 25 years ago and enjoyed his golden years instead of coaching a POS football team and allowing a POS Chester the Molester go on about his business unabated. Like Barry said, it ain't the players' fault, nor the fans. He's not wrong here.

[swardboy]

I can't help but believe this is why Paterno never stepped down....he had to keep the lid on Sandusky.

[aurorasooner]

I guess Barry was giving his 2 cents worth about the NCAA hammering Penn State on the Brando CFB show, a few minutes ago. Anyone got a transcript or summary of what Barry said? thx

[EatLeadCommie]

I can definitely see the arguments for both sides here, so I don't really disagree or agree with what Barry said. In terms of him saying that the media wanted a scalp and got it, he is absolutely 100% correct.

[SoonerNomad]

With almost EVERY NCAA punishment innocent players and fans are 'so-called' punished. I think a lot of these PSU fans need to wake up to the actions (or inactions) of JoePa. They don't get it!

To be fair to Penn State fans it is still a "relatively" short time since November and hearing that JoePa might have known something and even less since the Freeh report confirmed that he was involved in a cover up. It has to be hard to fathom that a person you revered, trusted, idolized and believed in for so long (50 years) was capable of not standing up to his own professed ethics. Hell, I am not even a Paterno fan and I am still shocked by the apparent depths of it.

I have a good friend that grew up in State College, went to high school with the Paterno kids and the Sandusky kids and graduated from Penn State. He is a good guy. A father. A prosecutor. He has strong morals and ethics. He has had a hard time coming around to the same level of moral outrage against Paterno that you and I reached early on. It's just hard to believe. He will get there, but it won't be an easy trip.

[SoonerAtKU]

Did Barry think the NCAA "got it wrong" when OU was sanctioned for his actions, or those actions he failed to control as leader of the program? Fans suffered, players suffered. A guy firing off an uzi in the dorm or getting busted selling cocaine has zero to do with football, but the program was responsible for fostering an environment where it happened. Does Barry not think that other people who did the right things also had to suffer through those times?

I accept Switzer for what he is, and I take comfort in the fact that if he had discovered a monster within his department, we'd have been in trouble for very different reasons. Headline would read "Switzer Arrested for Bludgeoning Coach Creep to Death".

I just think he's a bit short-sighted about the negative effect his shortcomings had on the program and the school.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Did Barry think the NCAA "got it wrong" when OU was sanctioned for his actions, or those actions he failed to control as leader of the program? Fans suffered, players suffered. A guy firing off an uzi in the dorm or getting busted selling cocaine has zero to do with football, but the program was responsible for fostering an environment where it happened. Does Barry not think that other people who did the right things also had to suffer through those times?

I accept Switzer for what he is, and I take comfort in the fact that if he had discovered a monster within his department, we'd have been in trouble for very different reasons. Headline would read "Switzer Arrested for Bludgeoning Coach Creep to Death".

I just think he's a bit short-sighted about the negative effect his shortcomings had on the program and the school.

Yes. When you read his "Bootleggers Boy" it comes down to:
(1) A coach can't be expected to babysit 100 players, and
(2) The NCAA won't let the players work and have their own money like the rest of the student body.

Meanwhile, Barry's own assistant, Scott Hill, and starting quarterback, Charles Thompson, were dealing cocaine. So...it's not just the players' behavior Barry didn't want to be held responsible for, it was his own coaching staff.

Don't get me wrong, I think Barry was a great coach. I've argued on here many times that he's far better than Bob Stoops. I still believe that...and, I'll continue to believe it as long as Bob Stoops continue to brainfart big games away (hopefully having Mike back on board will help). But, as for what happened in winter 1988/89 - the shooting, the gang rape, and the cocaine dealing - it was too much and he wouldn't ever really come out and embrace that things had gotten out of control under his watch.

[Fraggle145]

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1126788/9YYqD.jpg

[Seamus]

I can't help but believe this is why Paterno never stepped down....he had to keep the lid on Sandusky.

This is a very interesting point. Hadn't occurred to me until now. VERY disturbing possibility.

[SoonerNomad]

It is much more likely the keeping the lid on Sandusky was because he did not want to step down or he did not want the program to be besmirched. The other way around doesn't make much sense to me. I don't see a scenario where he would have liked to step down, but didn't want the Sandusky situation to come to light so he stayed on.

[ouwasp]

I don't know. I can't find anything wrong with this statement by The King:

“We can’t change what the sorry bastard Sandusky did, right? And everybody can have a knee jerk reaction that I’m not thinking about (the victims). They are full of crap. I am still thinking about them. But I am also thinking about the players that wanted to go to Penn State... That’s the school they wanted to go to. They had nothing to do with this. They had done everything right.”

Personally, I believe they should civilly (or criminally) prosecute everyone who had something to do with the filthy deed and the "cover-up," and leave the football team alone. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with Barry.

Oh, I'm in the minority right along with you, The King, and a few others. Heck, I even caught myself agreeing with Musberger on the PSU deal. The rapist will rot in jail. Millions will be paid out in civil judgments. Others (Spanier, etc) will face their day in court. Paterno's rep is forever shattered.

Okay, so the NCAA feels the need to immediately respond to the outraged public. A tv ban for a yr or so. Bowl ban. Knock off a few schollies just because they can. Go ahead and strip a bunch of wins from Joe...

But this? It's like Nagasaki.

[85sooners]

Child molesting is far worse than what Switzer knew Was going on in his program

[Sooner in Tampa]

Oh, I'm in the minority right along with you, The King, and a few others. Heck, I even caught myself agreeing with Musberger on the PSU deal. The rapist will rot in jail. Millions will be paid out in civil judgments. Others (Spanier, etc) will face their day in court. Paterno's rep is forever shattered.

Okay, so the NCAA feels the need to immediately respond to the outraged public. A tv ban for a yr or so. Bowl ban. Knock off a few schollies just because they can. Go ahead and strip a bunch of wins from Joe...

I am another in the minority!!

The ****ing NCAA is a hypocrytical organization...and spare me it's all about the student athlete Emmert! It's all about the tv deals and all the money you are going to rake in from these kids. Penn State will still be on tv and the NCAA and the B1G will continure to make money off of the program.

How many kids are in college right now playing football on scholarship that wouldn't have sniffed a college campus if they couldn't play football????

JoePa is dead, Sandusky will rot in prison and Spanier and Collier will soon join him. The individuals responsible for this aren't around the college anymore...PERIOD.

Another point...the FOOTBALL TEAM didn't have anything to do with this...with the exception of their former defensive coordinator being the sick bastard that was doing all of this. Oh...and McQueery (sp?) but he is protected as a whistleblower.
So the NCAA is now going to regulate civil/federal matters in the name of protecting the student athlete? Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this? It's a full blown joke!!

Once again...the King is right.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

I am another in the minority!!

The ****ing NCAA is a hypocrytical organization...and spare me it's all about the student athlete Emmert! It's all about the tv deals and all the money you are going to rake in from these kids. Penn State will still be on tv and the NCAA and the B1G will continure to make money off of the program.

How many kids are in college right now playing football on scholarship that wouldn't have sniffed a college campus if they couldn't play football????

JoePa is dead, Sandusky will rot in prison and Spanier and Collier will soon join him. The individuals responsible for this aren't around the college anymore...PERIOD.

Another point...the FOOTBALL TEAM didn't have anything to do with this...with the exception of their former defensive coordinator being the sick bastard that was doing all of this. Oh...and McQueery (sp?) but he is protected as a whistleblower.
So the NCAA is now going to regulate civil/federal matters in the name of protecting the student athlete? Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this? It's a full blown joke!!

Once again...the King is right.

The FOOTBALL TEAM didn't didn't do anything wrong but the powers that be allowed the FOOTBALL PROGRAM (or the trappings of that PROGRAM) to be used by a monster to prey on young boys. I disagree with The King on this one.

[olevetonahill]

Am i the only who dont give a **** what happened to PsU ?

[PalmBeachSooner]

I don't know. I can't find anything wrong with this statement by The King:

“We can’t change what the sorry bastard Sandusky did, right? And everybody can have a knee jerk reaction that I’m not thinking about (the victims). They are full of crap. I am still thinking about them. But I am also thinking about the players that wanted to go to Penn State... That’s the school they wanted to go to. They had nothing to do with this. They had done everything right.”

Personally, I believe they should civilly (or criminally) prosecute everyone who had something to do with the filthy deed and the "cover-up," and leave the football team alone. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with Barry.

I agree. The football team is the definition of 'collateral damage'. What the players should realize is that the administration and head coach f'd them over. Why any them would feel loyalty to a university or coach that did this to them is unfathomable. They are victims.

[SoonerAtKU]

I heard this argument elsewhere and I think it may be a fair question. When someone is convicted of a crime, often they will be sent to prison. Often, again, they have family members such as spouses or children that would have relied on them for support either emotionally or financially. We don't wail and tear our clothing when we think about the 6 year old kid of a bank robber or a murderer who goes away to prison. They are innocent victims as well, entirely divorced from the crime, even if they may have benefited indirectly. The same can be said of the staff, players, and fans who had no idea that any wrongdoing was afoot at Penn State.

This ruling HAS to punish the program, then. If only the ones directly responsible for high-level fraud were punished, who would we hold responsible to foster an atmosphere of honesty and transparency/

The message is clear. We expect better from ALL of you, not just the ones who committed a crime.

[ashley]

I have said all along the the guilty should be punished, and not the innocent. Pleas don't try to tell me that lots of innocent people are not being punished.

[BetterSoonerThanLater]

Am i the only who dont give a **** what happened to PsU ?

i'm with ya here Vet. let the people who covered it up and that sick rat bastard sandusky rot in hell. but overall, i don't give a **** about anything else. Do i feel bad for the kids currently on the team...a little bit, but they can transfer--some to a better team-- if they want.

life sucks, get a helmet.

[FtwTxSooner]

Newsflash, life isn't fair. That is a very good lesson to learn, and the earlier you do the better. The program needed to be punished for what the program did. Sure there will be collateral damage, but oh well, that is life.

I'm sure there were plenty of good, hard working, innocent people at Enron that just got caught up in that whole mess.

[olevetonahill]

i'm with ya here Vet. let the people who covered it up and that sick rat bastard sandusky rot in hell. but overall, i don't give a **** about anything else. Do i feel bad for the kids currently on the team...a little bit, but they can transfer--some to a better team-- if they want.

life sucks, get a helmet.

as we said in the nam "**** happens " and "It dont mean nothin"

[BetterSoonerThanLater]

as we said in the nam "**** happens " and "It dont mean nothin"

yup...sometimes you just have to deal with the suck

[Wishboned]

I can't help but think Paterno would have agreed with the punishment. Just because he said this about SMU:


--SMU: "It's unbelievable to think that kind of corruption came right from the top of the power structure. The NCAA did what it had to do" in canceling SMU's 1988 football season.

He also said this gem:


"Here, I have an opportunity to affect the lives of a lot of young people -- and not just on my football team," he said. "I'm kidding myself that that would be true at the professional level."

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-05-17/sports/sp-774_1_joe-paterno/2

[Soonerjeepman]

Am i the only who dont give a **** what happened to PsU ?

no doubt...but I do think they went a little overboard.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

I don't know. I can't find anything wrong with this statement by The King:

“We can’t change what the sorry bastard Sandusky did, right? And everybody can have a knee jerk reaction that I’m not thinking about (the victims). They are full of crap. I am still thinking about them. But I am also thinking about the players that wanted to go to Penn State... That’s the school they wanted to go to. They had nothing to do with this. They had done everything right.”

Personally, I believe they should civilly (or criminally) prosecute everyone who had something to do with the filthy deed and the "cover-up," and leave the football team alone. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with Barry.

Holy crap. Dean and I are on the same page? I must be pretty wrong headed today. Jk.

Don't punish the innocent. The whole community will suffer for years because of the actions of four or five bastards. Huge life changing suffering for innocent people. Sounds familiar.

[East Coast Bias]

I think Barry has it right as well. I also thought taking away the wins was unfair to the players that participated in those games and to some of the decent coaches that contributed. I would have rather seen the death penalty for a couple of years....

[marfacowboy]

Am i the only who dont give a **** what happened to PsU ?

No, as usual, you and I completely agree.

[BigTip]

I don't give a rat's *** about Penn State. BUT I do care about a precedent being set that might eventually effect OUR program.
The NCAA has just decided that it can stick it's nose into criminal and civil matters that have nothing to do with on field competition. Not only can they stick their noses into it, they can mete out random punishment, with no chance for appeal from the punished institution.
That is scary.
The crime is heinous and will have lasting effect on the victims. But nonetheless it is a crime covered by criminal statute. The only thing mentioned in NCAA rules is some vague thing about keeping control of your program.
Barry is saying the same thing I have been saying. I have empathy for the people of State College. The students, the old fans (like us), the merchants. It is like Nagasaki and I don't think it had to be.
I do like the analogy of the suffering family of the man sent to jail though. Of course you could rebut that by saying there really is no other way to punish that man for his crimes. There could be other ways to punish a university.

[olevetonahill]

No, as usual, you and I completely agree.

:apple: Love you Long time GI

[Jason White's Third Knee]

I do like the analogy of the suffering family of the man sent to jail though.

That is a tricky one until we remember a few things. Courts often do take in to consideration the impact incarceration will have on a child.

More importantly, the criminal is being punished by the police, courts, and prison. There isn't an NCAA to come along and make matters worse for the child.

Penn State is being rocked by the actions and inactions of five men. People saying they don't give a **** about what happens to Penn State is fine until you remember that thousands of people are employed there and that the entire community relies on the school and it's forever marred football team for income. A lot of good folks are now financially screwed. This will cause layoffs, foreclosures, divorces, etc. Like I have been saying, the guy that cuts the grass doesn't deserve the fallout from this. At least you won't have to deal with the scalpers outside the stadium!

[Sooner in Tampa]

Am i the only who dont give a **** what happened to PsU ?

No Vet, but this is more about the NCAA than it is about Penn State...OH...and The King!!!

[cccasooner2]

I don't give a rat's *** about Penn State. BUT I do care about a precedent being set that might eventually effect OUR program.
The NCAA has just decided that it can stick it's nose into criminal and civil matters that have nothing to do with on field competition. Not only can they stick their noses into it, they can mete out random punishment, with no chance for appeal from the punished institution.
That is scary.
The crime is heinous and will have lasting effect on the victims. But nonetheless it is a crime covered by criminal statute. The only thing mentioned in NCAA rules is some vague thing about keeping control of your program.
Barry is saying the same thing I have been saying. I have the people of State College. The students, the old fans (like us), the merchants. It is like Nagasaki and I don't think it had to be.
I do like the analogy of the suffering family of the man sent to jail though. Of course you could rebut that by saying there really is no other way to punish that man for his crimes. There could be other ways to punish a university.


Maybe a current or future POUS will stick his nose where it doesn't belong (into the NCAA matters) and pardon PSU and its sanctions. Following the growing socialist theme, perhaps he can also have us all chip in for some serious restitution for these poor folks.

[gwydion]

The NCAA had to step in on this one. They are the governing body of college athletics. The PSU football program was ruled by Paterno and no one at PSU could stop him. When they wanted to fire him a few years back he said no and they backed down. Paterno decided the football program was more important then keeping children safe, or jailing a pedophile. The NCAA said no athletic program is bigger than the law and to get that message across to them and every other college athletic department they had to come down hard. Were the players hurt? They probably feel betrayed, their feelings are hurt, they've been let down by a person that was supposed to be an icon of virtue. But they still have their scholarships, whether they play football or not. They can transfer to whoever will take them. And they're young and you bounce back easy at that age.

[Seamus]

I don't give a rat's *** about Penn State. BUT I do care about a precedent being set that might eventually effect OUR program.
The NCAA has just decided that it can stick it's nose into criminal and civil matters that have nothing to do with on field competition. Not only can they stick their noses into it, they can mete out random punishment, with no chance for appeal from the punished institution.
That is scary.
The crime is heinous and will have lasting effect on the victims. But nonetheless it is a crime covered by criminal statute. The only thing mentioned in NCAA rules is some vague thing about keeping control of your program.
Barry is saying the same thing I have been saying. I have empathy for the people of State College. The students, the old fans (like us), the merchants. It is like Nagasaki and I don't think it had to be.
I do like the analogy of the suffering family of the man sent to jail though. Of course you could rebut that by saying there really is no other way to punish that man for his crimes. There could be other ways to punish a university.

Nagasaki had to be.

[SoonerBread]

Paterno et al didn't want the stigma of a pedophile running amok on their campus to impact their recruiting and tarnish the squeaky clean image their program had attained. Whether or not any of that would have happened is open for debate. But according to the Freeh report, that was the motivation behind the cover-up. Sandusky WAS a coach in 1998. He was "forced" to retire in 1999, but was also granted alumni emeritus status in addition to receiving all the benefits of uses of the facility. Paterno and his cronies, and in effect the university, gave him a full endorsement to continue to do what he did. All for the benefit of the football program and to the detriment of 10 identified victims. For the benefit of the program. The program. I'm shaking my head in disbelief that anyone would think the NCAA had no right to levy punishment.

We may never come to a consensus on whether the punishments of the program are too much or too little or just right. I don't really care. But I, for one, am glad the NCAA showed PSU and other programs around the country that aiding and abetting criminal behavior on university property with total disregard from those who had the power and responsibility to stop it will not be tolerated. I'm glad their stance is that the program deserves punishment. Pennsylvania State University is supposed to be an institute of higher education, but it wasn't. It was a football team with a parasitic school and athletic program attached to it. That type of mentality is what got them to Monday's ruling from the NCAA. NCAA has to do something to thwart or discourage that type of tail wagging the dog. PSU will and should continue as a university. Whether or not they continue to field a decent football team, or one at all, is meaningless in all this. Until the merchants, former players, current players and coaches, students, and fans get that through their thick skulls, the possibility remains that this could happen again. It could happen at OU. We'd all like to think it couldn't and wouldn't, but then we wouldn't be learning anything from this ordeal. And that's the point of the NCAA's actions. They have to make a stand and make a firm one. Punishing the innocents? Please. If Penn State's football program being thumped in the head is punishment to the fans, merchants, current and former players and coaches, and students, then this punishment is entirely necessary. To think that anyone with a heart for PSU is being devastated by the NCAA's rulings totally dimishes the compassion for the victims of Sandusky. They are the only true victims in this debacle. No one else. Football is not life. Not anywhere. And if it's your, then it's time to do some internal inventory. I love football as much as anyone else, but if football at OU was gone tomorrow, I'm sure I could find the muster to cope - especially if it was because something like what happened at PSU happened at OU.

To all those saying it's not fair - compared to what? Ask victims 1 through 10 how they feel, if they think it's fair.

[Scott D]

What the punishment is, and some of the things that were bandied about that the punishment could have been, in the end people will probably say that Penn State got off a lot lighter than they could have.

As it is, there is speculation as to whether or not Penn St. has to pay that entire $60M at one time or if it's going to be spread out over the four years of probation. As it is, that $60M is equal to the revenue that the football program brings in per season. I doubt they'll suffer THAT much because of it, especially if the payments are spread out over 3-4 years. Considering that Penn St. was facing expulsion from the Big-10+2 and having football taken away for the next four years, the penalties they got are not unrecoverable.

The part where I disagree with Barry is the fact that they are being punished for the actions of the four most powerful people at that University for a period of nearly 15 years. They chose to cover up a very serious matter that affected many many people instead of doing the right thing just so they could 'protect' the football program and the legacy of ole Joey P. Apparently in Joe's world it was ok to rape little boys as long as it didn't reflect upon his football program by keeping it quiet. That is an unforgivable stance, and the fact that nobody at the top at Penn St. stepped up and did the right thing justifies these sanctions.

[C&CDean]

What the punishment is, and some of the things that were bandied about that the punishment could have been, in the end people will probably say that Penn State got off a lot lighter than they could have.

As it is, there is speculation as to whether or not Penn St. has to pay that entire $60M at one time or if it's going to be spread out over the four years of probation. As it is, that $60M is equal to the revenue that the football program brings in per season. I doubt they'll suffer THAT much because of it, especially if the payments are spread out over 3-4 years. Considering that Penn St. was facing expulsion from the Big-10+2 and having football taken away for the next four years, the penalties they got are not unrecoverable.

The part where I disagree with Barry is the fact that they are being punished for the actions of the four most powerful people at that University for a period of nearly 15 years. They chose to cover up a very serious matter that affected many many people instead of doing the right thing just so they could 'protect' the football program and the legacy of ole Joey P. Apparently in Joe's world it was ok to rape little boys as long as it didn't reflect upon his football program by keeping it quiet. That is an unforgivable stance, and the fact that nobody at the top at Penn St. stepped up and did the right thing justifies these sanctions.

I don't think you disagree with Barry. You pretty much said the same thing. The 4 or 5 people at the top should be crucified. Drawn and quartered. ugga buggad to death by Scott ****ing D even. The players and fans don't deserve to be punished, and technically they're not. I mean none of them are going to jail or getting fined; however, their beloved ****tany lions are being flayed alive before their eyes. It's really not fair to the innocents.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Ya know, I realize we didn't have near the media saturation back then that we do now, but back when our favorite program was hit with some heavy penalties for the sins of a few, I don't recall such an outcry from the national media over all the innocents having to suffer for something they had no part in creating. Of course, the Penn State program has always been more beloved on a national level than OU, too.

[ouwasp]

Hey, we're not all going to agree on the heavy-handedness of the NCAA and whether it should have happened to the scorched-earth degree that it has...

But we can agree on this... go to amazon.com and read the "reviews" of Jerry Sandusky's autobiography. Yes, it has the ironic title of Touched. Pretty good stuff.

[Scott D]

I don't think you disagree with Barry. You pretty much said the same thing. The 4 or 5 people at the top should be crucified. Drawn and quartered. ugga buggad to death by Scott ****ing D even. The players and fans don't deserve to be punished, and technically they're not. I mean none of them are going to jail or getting fined; however, their beloved ****tany lions are being flayed alive before their eyes. It's really not fair to the innocents.

nah, I differ because I say they're being punished because those four individuals chose to protect the "program" over the children. Basically because the program meant more than what was right it's the program that ends up suffering because of it.

I'm not so sure I'm going to buy the whole "state college, pa" is going to suffer on game day aspect. They'll still have home games, they'll still have a 108k seat stadium, they'll still have plenty of people attend the games, and those people will spend money in town on game day.

Now if the NCAA and Big-10 had gone through with their harsher penalties then the entire community surrounding the stadium would have suffered because there wouldn't be a football team for four years, and when it returned it'd be an independant program without a conference to call home.

[Scott D]

Hey, we're not all going to agree on the heavy-handedness of the NCAA and whether it should have happened to the scorched-earth degree that it has...

But we can agree on this... go to amazon.com and read the "reviews" of Jerry Sandusky's autobiography. Yes, it has the ironic title of Touched. Pretty good stuff.

I think we disagree on this being scorched earth. Dismantling the football program period would have been scorched earth. Slightly heavier penalties than USC isn't scorched earth.

[ouwasp]

I think we disagree on this being scorched earth. Dismantling the football program period would have been scorched earth. Slightly heavier penalties than USC isn't scorched earth.

Like I said, "we're not all going to agree... to the scorched earth degree" Your scorched earth and mine are different. Deal with it.

In the meantime, enjoy the amazon funnies that I pointed out.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

The NCAA has an odd way of doling out punishment. It just never makes sense to me. They usually punish the guys that had nothing to do with the infraction. Did Pete Carroll ever take his lumps? Nope. That guy lived the dream while his school took it in the shorts. Similar circumstance here.

[badger]

The NCAA has an odd way of doling out punishment. It just never makes sense to me. They usually punish the guys that had nothing to do with the infraction. Did Pete Carroll ever take his lumps? Nope. That guy lived the dream while his school took it in the shorts. Similar circumstance here.

Is Pete barred from the college game a la Kelvin Sampson after the texting issue? If so, I'd say that's some punishment right there. The Neffel usually isn't too kind of head coaches. Not much longevity or personnel control compared to the college level.

Example: Would a Dallas Cowboys coach be able to veto Jerry Jones' draft pick choice? Hells no. However, a college coach decides who he wants to put on scholarship and whose scholarships he will revoke (especially in the SEC) or not offer

[Salt City Sooner]

Pete's also Vice President up in Seattle. Longevity aside, he'd have been a fool not to take that gig. That's one sweetheart of a deal just to get out of Dodge before the NCAA came riding in.

[badger]

I am avoiding starting a new thread, so I just pulled up whatever Penn State thread I can find, but for anyone watching ESPN last night (USA! USA!) you probably were curious WTF that Paterno thing in GQ was.

Well, here it is. (http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201209/joe-paterno-scandal-joe-posnanski-book-preview)

This is when McGinn learned just how far Paterno's influence and reputation had fallen. He asked [family adviser Guido] D'Elia for the name of one person on the Penn State board of trustees, just one, whom they could reach out to, to negotiate a gracious ending. D'Elia shook his head.

"One person on the board, that's all we need," McGinn said.

D'Elia shook his head again. "It began in 2004," he whispered, referring to an old clash Paterno had with [university president Graham] Spanier. "The board started to turn. We don't have anybody on the board now."

That's when McGinn realized that this was going to be the worst day of Joe Paterno's professional life.



In a nutshell, he lost Penn State when he refused to retire.

[Wishboned]

And ex PSU president Graham Spanier now has a job relating to matters of national security.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-07-25/penn-state-graham-spanier-president-federal-government-job-national-security-fre

I wonder if they looked at what a wonderful job he did of covering up the mess for so long and decided he was a man who could keep secrets.

[ictsooner7]

With almost EVERY NCAA punishment innocent players and fans are 'so-called' punished. I think a lot of these PSU fans need to wake up to the actions (or inactions) of JoePa. They don't get it!

What pisses me off is these people running around bitching about the innocent players and fans being punished. first they are not innocent, ALL of them went there, playing and cheering, when jp was coaching. Second, they have quickly forgotten about innocent boys getting raped in the LOCKER SHOWER! The should have shut the program down for 4 years like the ncaa first said they wanted, which i have a really hard time buying they really considered the 4 yr ban in the first place. This is what whorshiping jp gets you, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[C&CDean]

What pisses me off is these people running around bitching about the innocent players and fans being punished. first they are not innocent, ALL of them went there, playing and cheering, when jp was coaching. Second, they have quickly forgotten about innocent boys getting raped in the LOCKER SHOWER! The should have shut the program down for 4 years like the ncaa first said they wanted, which i have a really hard time buying they really considered the 4 yr ban in the first place. This is what whorshiping jp gets you, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

So, NAMBLA kicked you out huh?

[badger]

Here's the longer version.

Linky (http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201209/joe-paterno-scandal-joe-posnanski-book-excerpt)