NCAA Meeting

Please Note:  This video is RATED R (sexual language.)  Don't blame me.  I didn't make the video.  But I really enjoyed it!

Quotable Quotes

Civil Celebration

Here are some assorted comments in the aftermath of yesterday's announcement that the bowl band and scholarship sanctions would be lifted immediately:

Bill O'Brien:

"I think that’s great news for Penn State," said O'Brien, who spent the last two football seasons as the Nittany Lions' head coach. "Penn State is a fantastic place. It’s a great education, great football program, a lot of good people who have done a lot of great things over there over the last couple of years to make sure that they’ve learned from the past mistakes and understood that that’s a special place.
"And so I feel very happy for Penn State and, mostly, I feel happy for the players and the coaching staff that’s there now."

Some have focused on the latter comment as an intentional snub of administration and perhaps even the fan base, but I'm not going to nitt-pick here.

James Franklin:

"We are very appreciative of the opportunities the NCAA and Big Ten have provided with today's announcement," Franklin said. "This team plays for each other. We play for Penn State, our families, the former players, our students, alumni, fans and the community. We are so proud to represent Penn State and the Big Ten Conference and are working hard to prepare for our Big Ten opener at Rutgers." 

Can this be the spark that takes the level of play of this team to the NEXT level?  This could go either way--having something to play for may put more pressure on the players/coaches to win.  Or it might just fire them up!  We shall see this Saturday in prime time!

PS4RS:

"We are very happy that some of the sanctions have been rescinded. This is great news for the football team, and the entire unfairly punished Penn State community. However, there are still wrongs to be righted. The Freeh conclusions are not supported by evidence, and they never should have been used as a pretext for sanctioning Penn State. We are disheartened by false rationalizations that Penn State has somehow changed or atoned to deserve this “reward.” Penn State athletics programs have ALWAYS demonstrated the highest level of integrity. Three years after their indictment, the three Penn State administrators have yet to have their day in court due to mysterious appeals by Penn State and clandestine document sealing by the PA court system. Prosecutor Frank Fina has publicly stated that there was no evidence to support the Freeh Report’s conclusion that Joe Paterno was aware of or participated in a cover up. Further, the NCAA’s new sexual assault reporting handbook instructs coaches around the country to do exactly what Paterno did in 2001. There is no basis for ANY of the sanctions and they must be entirely rescinded.”

AMEN!

And last but not least, Admiral Yamamoto:

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

Happy Days Are Here Again!

Well, not completely free. . . $60 million dollars and 112 wins.

The theme of the Blue Band Half-time show last Saturday  "Happy Days in Happy Valley."  It was a omen of things to come, as it was announced today that BOTH the scholarship reduction AND the bowl ban have been rescinded by the NCAA.

According to this ESPN recap:

Penn State will be eligible for the postseason this year and will have all its scholarships returned next year, after the NCAA agreed Monday afternoon to again reduce sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. 

Penn State's athletics integrity monitor, former Sen. George Mitchell, recommended both actions in his second annual report that gauges progress made by the university. Minutes after the report was announced, the NCAA said it would follow both recommendations immediately.

Woo-freaking Hoo!  About time!

The school still must pay a $60 million fine, 111 wins under Joe Paterno -- and one win under interim coach Tom Bradley -- remain forfeited, and the program will remain under monitoring.

However, it appears the 60 million dollar fine will remain in Pennsylvania.

The state of Pennsylvania has won a legal battle with the NCAA, ensuring the $60 million in fine money to be paid by Penn State will remain instead. The NCAA had been fighting to spread the fine money around the nation toward child abuse awareness efforts, but the organization has filed to withdraw its fight and will allow the money to stay within Pennsylvania.

So only the vacated wins remains to be reversed.  With the recent announcement of guidelines for athletic departments to follow--guidelines which Paterno actually followed before they were official guidelines--it remains a mystery how this final sanction can withstand the Paterno lawsuit which appears likely to continue.

Unfortunately, the Big Ten conference is not so forgiving.

The Big Ten also said that Penn State will continue to donate its share of conference bowl revenue (estimated at $13 million) to child-protections charities in Big Ten communities. Penn State will be eligible to receive its share of conference bowl revenue in 2016.

Wow!  Just . . .wow.  Unbelievable.  How can the conference stand behind the its punishment of Penn State when the NCAA has backed off?  Just freaking unbelievable.  The greed and hatred for Penn State is just so completely obvious.  If our BOT had half a spine, they would fight the conference on this one, and go after restoring Joe Paterno's victories.

WE ARE . . . SET FREE!

It's a Start!

For the first time since November 2011, I have some REAL good news to pass on.

It appears the hard work of "restoring" Penn State's image is starting to pay off.  (Penn Staters already know that there never was a problem with the image until the attorney general and the media lit a fire that could not be quenched without a blood sacrifice.) 

But be that as it may be, the walls are starting to crumble, freeing the Penn State football program from penalties it never deserved.

From the NCAA's own site:

Due to Penn State University’s continued progress toward ensuring athletics integrity, the NCAA Executive Committee is gradually restoring football scholarships the university lost because of sanctions more than a year ago. These changes were endorsed by the Division I Board of Directors and based on the recommendation of George Mitchell, the independent Athletics Integrity Monitor for Penn State and former U.S. Senator.

We can bicker all we want about whether Penn State ever stopped ensuring athletic integrity, but this is still a crucial step in making the football program competitive again.  We can worry about semantics later.  The following graphic shows the restoration:

Penn State scholarships gradually restored

Year	Initial	Total
2014-15	20	75
2015-16	25	80
2016-17	25	85
2017-18	25	85

The Consent Decree was also amended.

We still need to address the Bowl/Post-Season Ban, but this is a step in the right direction.

Week From H-E-double hockey sticks

Boston bruined the Penguins chances of a Stanley Cup with a 1-0 win in game 4, sweeping the anemic Penguins off the ice for the rest of the season.

Crosby and Malkin had no goals in the series.  Pittsburgh managed TWO goals in 4 games.  The defense played better in the last two games, but couldn't overcome a one goal deficit.

I blame this all on Toronto.  The Maple Leaf's suffered an epic collapse when they blew a 2 goal lead in game seven against the Bruins with 1:32 to go on the clock.  The Leafs then completed their collapse by losing in OT.  Stupid, stupid tree parts.

And then a judge rules in favor of the NCAA, dismissing Governor Corbett's lawsuit.

Per the Associated Press, U.S. Middle District Judge Yvette Kane has thrown out Gov. Corbett’s antitrust suit against the NCAA, citing a lack of  ”any factual allegations supporting (Corbett’s) allegation of ‘concerted action’ that might nudge its conspiracy claim into ‘plausible’ territory.”

The sanctions, Kane said, did not make for an antitrust case for the plaintiffs.

Ain't that a kick in the pants?  Paterno is fired, loses wins to 1998, and the football program is crippled on less facts. 

What is there left to say?

GO BLACKHAWKS!

Corbett Fires Back

The NCAA responded to Gov. Corbett's lawsuit against them in a motion to dismiss the case.  (No surprise there!)

Specifically, the NCAA claims:

“We are disappointed by the Governor’s action [Wednesday]. Not only does this forthcoming lawsuit appear to be without merit, it is an affront to all of the victims in this tragedy — lives that were destroyed by the criminal actions of Jerry Sandusky,” Remy said. “While the innocence that was stolen can never be restored, Penn State has accepted the consequences for its role and the role of its employees and is moving forward. The announcement by the Governor is a setback to the University’s efforts.”

Corbett contends the university and the state have been harmed by what he called “harsh penalties” over the abuse committed by Sandusky, a former assistant football coach.
 

Note the subtle but often used misdirection . . . the "affront" to all the victims.  Puh-lease.  This hasn't been about the victims from the start, and it certainly isn't about them now.  Let's be perfectly clear here:  What Jerry Sandusky did to those kids was inexcusable and he is being punished for that.  So let's focus on what this is really about . . . is Penn State and the current football team culpable in this whole sordid mess or not? And for the State of Pennsylvania, the issue is about the economic impact.  So for those of you who need things spelled out very slowly . . . the economic impact is NOT more important than the health of children . . .but are the current penalties fair considering all the evidence, not just the Gospel According to Freeh.

What many fans are arguing for is not whether or not crimes were committed against children and whether those are heinous or not, but rather is it appropriate to punish the players today for crimes perpetrated more than a decade ago.  The Freeh Report claims there was a conspiracy.  The NCAA acted on that information.  Many have questioned the validity of Freeh's conclusions, including a recent report sponsored by the Paterno Family which included a number of experts who not only critique Freeh's efforts, but seriously cast doubt on the conclusion that a conspiracy to cover up even existed.  And lost in all this emotion is the fact that no one at Penn State University has been convicted of failure to report so far.  Unfortunately, those trials may take years.

As an aside, I find it interesting that Sandusky can be convicted in months on 42 counts, but we can't get these other trials to court on a single charge of failure to report.

But not to be out done, Corbett has fired back in this game of ping-pong:

Corbett said the judge should not grant the NCAA's request to dismiss the case, saying college sports' governing body made a factual error when it said the penalties were voted on by the university's trustees.

"The NCAA wrongly claims that its arbitrary decimation of the PSU football program is no different than its enforcement of rules regulating player eligibility or uniforms - which do enhance collegiate competition - although PSU was not found to have violated a single NCAA rule and the NCAA's own president insisted that the consent decree was not an enforcement action," Corbett's lawyers wrote.

The NCAA has said the penalties are unrelated to regulation of economic activity so antitrust law doesn't apply.
 

So here's a radical thought . . . why don't we just let the COURTS hear these arguments and go from there?  Of course, the NCAA doesn't want to risk that, because they have NO LEGAL BASIS outside of the piece of crap CONSENT DECREE they are cowardly hiding behind right now.

Is a Storm Coming?

I'm not talking about snow in Boston.

Rumors started early in the week about an interview of Sue Paterno by Katie Couric to air on February 11th.  Then there were tweets about an upcoming segment of OTL on ESPN to be aired on Sunday.

And today, a letter by Sue to former Letterman was posted.

The crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky are heartbreaking. As a mother of 5 and grandmother of 17, it is incomprehensible to me that anyone could intentionally harm a child. I think of the victims daily and I pray that God will heal their wounds and comfort their souls.

When the Freeh report was released last July, I was as shocked as anyone by the findings and by Mr. Freeh's extraordinary attack on Joe's character and integrity. I did not recognize the man Mr. Freeh described. I am here to tell you as definitively and forcefully as I know how that Mr. Freeh could not have been more wrong in his assessment of Joe. I knew Joe Paterno as well as one human being can know another. Joe was exactly the moral, disciplined and demanding man you knew him to be. Over the years I watched as he struggled with countless personal and professional challenges. Never - not once - did I see him compromise his principles or twist the truth to avoid bad publicity or protect his reputation. Joe was tough, sometimes difficult, always opinionated and extremely demanding. He was also scrupulously honest, rigidly moral and absolutely unafraid of the consequences of doing the right thing.

After the Freeh report was released I knew immediately that the situation demanded further review. Unfortunately, the Board's response was to panic again. They embraced the report without reviewing it. They never met with Mr. Freeh or his investigators. They asked no questions and challenged no assertions. Although they never officially voted to accept the report, they endorsed its findings and allowed the NCAA to impose unprecedented sanctions. To claim that this ill-considered and rash process served the victims and the university is a grave error. Only the truth serves the victims. Only the truth can help prevent this sort of crime from occurring again.

Although it was not something I ever imagined doing, I directed my lawyer, Wick Sollers, of the King and Spalding firm in Washington DC, to undertake a review of the Freeh report and Joe's actions. I told him to engage the best, most respected experts, to take whatever time he needed and to go wherever the facts led. Sunday morning at 9am we are releasing the full Report by Wick and his team of experts. The report and additional information will be available at Paterno.com.  

Second, there has been endless speculation about what my family and I ultimately want to achieve. Is it the return of the statue? The restoration of Joe's wins? His name on the football stadium? On this point I also want to be clear. Joe Paterno's legacy wasn't a statue, a winning record or public adulation. He was grateful for the many accolades he received but he never believed they defined his life. His legacy is his family and you his players. How you live your life speaks louder than any report. The great fathers, husbands and citizens you have become fulfill the dreams Joe had. All that we want - and what I believe we owe the victims, Joe Paterno and everyone who cares about Penn State - is the full record of what happened. On this point, I know the advice Joe would give. Don't give up. Don't be afraid. Do the right thing. And make sure your actions serve the greater good. This is the path I will continue to follow.

AMEN!  You go Sue!  I wonder how Wick's report compares cost-wise to the Freeh Fiasco.

I have said all along that the man we all knew--Joe Paterno--and the man portrayed by Freeh and the media were not congruous.  Of course, the same could be said for Jerry Sandusky--but at least Jerry had his day in court and was given due process.  Joe Paterno never had that luxury.

Governor Corbett has also filed a suit, which the NCAA has already filed a motion to dismiss.  Let's face it.  The NCAA cannot allow this go to court.  Penn State broke no NCAA rules.  The NCAA did not follow their regular procedure for investigation.  And while a Consent Decree was signed, this is not a usual or customary practice that the NCAA uses, and it may have been signed under duress--i.e. a threat of greater penalties.  NCAA lawyers will be hard pressed to explain all these irregularities in procedure.

And while it may take months to years to complete, it will be really interesting to see what happens if Schultz, Curley and Spanier are acquitted.  Think about that.  What if they did follow Pennsylvania law in reporting Sandusky to The Second Mile?  If they are acquitted, how in the hell can the NCAA justify any penalty whatsoever?  So you penalize a school that broke no laws and no rules?

And to top off all of this, Congressman Dent of Lehigh Valley is promising Congressional Hearings into the NCAA's decision regarding Penn State.

Dent, in a telephone interview Friday, said he had read summaries of the review commissioned by the late head football coach's family. The review is set to be published Sunday morning.

"To blame the culture of Penn State for Sandusky's crimes is a horrible mistake," Dent said Friday, characterizing the findings of one of the experts commissioned by the Paterno family. "To blame the culture of Penn State or even the football program … is not supported by the facts."

Dent said the review cements his conclusion that Penn State has been "horribly mistreated" by the NCAA. After the college sports governing body hit Penn State with a $60 million fine and stripped the one-time Big10 powerhouse of football scholarships last summer, Dent called on NCAA president Mark Emmert to keep the money in Pennsylvania and restore opportunities for student athletes.

"The entire Penn State culture was punished based on this report," Dent said, adding that he will call for congressional hearings on the NCAA's decision.

Dent said the Paterno family's review comprises reports by four experts, including a former U.S. attorney general whom Dent would not identify. "The former attorney general says the Freeh report is seriously flawed, very flawed," Dent said.

Some have speculated that the unidentified US AG is former Governor Dick Thornburg.

And I thought the off season was going to be boring!

Jake Corman Scores a Victory

A small one.  But a victory nonetheless.

According to Pennsylvania's Legal Journal, the NCAA has agreed to allow the sanction fine money to be kept in Pennsylvania.

A Pennsylvania lawmaker who recently filed for injunctive relief seeking to prevent the
National Collegiate Athletic Association from dispersing or otherwise dissipating any of the $12 million in fine money already paid by Penn State to the sports association arising out of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal has announced that the NCAA has agreed to the terms of the litigation.

“Every dollar will continue to go to worthy and valuable child abuse prevention and education organizations, except this way, the connection between Pennsylvania resident funds and Pennsylvania benefits will be clear,” Corman, in a statement, said of the goals of his suit, which asked the court to enjoin the NCAA from using the fine money elsewhere.

The Tower of Sauron Emmert is not quite ready to collapse yet, but I think this is a positive sign of things to come.  If Corbett's anti-trust case survive the motion to dismiss (I'm not sure there has been one yet or if the NCAA has even responded to that suit yet) I think the pillars of sand that the NCAA has built it's castle on will start to sink and the house of cards will fall apart.

In addition to Corbett's anti-trust suit, two Pennsylvania Representatives have petitioned the NCAA to dismiss the ban on scholarships.

In the letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert, U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Glenn Thompson wrote that taking away up to 40 scholarships harmed players who had nothing to do with the scandal that engulfed the university in 2011.

"I want to make it clear to the NCAA who they are really hurting with this scholarship reduction. It's not Jerry Sandusky and it's not the university," Dent said in a statement. "They are hurting young people who are completely innocent of anything relating to the Sandusky situation and who through no fault of their own are being denied a chance to get a great education."

In announcing sanctions last July, Emmert drew the ire of some fans and alumni after the NCAA denounced the school for "perpetuating a 'football-first' culture that ultimately enabled serial child sexual abuse to occur."

Penn State historically has had high graduation rates for athletes. Dent cited in his letter NCAA data released last year showing the football team had a record graduation rate of 91 percent, which was tied with Rutgers for seventh best among major college programs. The major college average was 68 percent.

Dent said the statistics showed Penn State places education ahead of football.

"Thus, arbitrarily eliminating 40 scholarships to Penn State is undeniably and inexcusably punitive to young people" not involved with the scandal, he said.

This request sounds good, and I like the continued attack on multiple fronts, but let's face it.  The NCAA is not preventing PSU from offering 40 other "academic" scholarships . . . they are only denying football scholarships.  That said, though, I don't think punishing the players of today accomplishes anything.  The courts will handle Schultz, Curley, and Spanier.  Sandusky has already been dealt with, and the argument to continue beating a dead Joe by punishing the current team, coaches, administrators, professors and fans is really a flimsy one at best.

"Frodo" Corman defeats the evil NCAA . . . our precious stays in Pennsylvania, yes it does.

Sign of the Times

From Fight on State Audibles Board:

Move Along Buddy . . .

410 Fund

Apparently, a fund is being set up . . . 410 for Joe's next win . . . to help football players pay back any debt after graduating.  This is a response to sanctions at Penn State that limit the number of scholarships by the NCAA.

According to Aaron Cheslock on WeAreCentralPA.com:

The "410 fund" looks to help Penn State football players repay their student loans after they graduate. Faith Lucchesi-Deboef, the organization's President says it was partly formed in response to the NCAA sanctions against Penn State handed down in July. 

"It doesn't have quite the same appeal as maybe curing cancer does, but sports and athletics and education go a long way into creating a good citizen."

Lucchesi-Deboef is the founder of the 410 fund. She's a mother of three football players, and says future football players shouldn't have to pay for Penn State's past problems.

It's not just for Penn state, Lucchesi-Deboef says donations can get sent in for any student-athletes leaving any D-1A football program in the country.

I have no idea if this violates any NCAA rules, but I don't think the NCAA can regulate what happens after a student graduates.  But then again, the NCAA apparently doesn't limit themselves to matters it has no business to regulate.  The part about not limiting it to Penn State football players may be a way around the NCAA, ala the NC academic fraud that is being dismissed by the NCAA because any student could have taken those courses.

Payback the Poachers!

According to DeadSpin:

The NCAA's sanctions allow PSU players to transfer without having to sit out a year, and the schools must inform Penn State of their intention to pursue players, which has resulted in a flurry of faxes and emails to Penn State's compliance office.

"Our players are in our building right now and they don't want to leave the building because there are coaches from other schools in the parking lot waiting to see them," said O'Brien, who spent the morning at ESPN's Bristol, Conn., campus.

As they boarded a plane Wednesday morning to go to Bristol, O'Brien and his colleagues walked past a group of six coaches carrying University of Illinois bags and suitcases. A Penn State official told ESPN.com that no words were exchanged between O'Brien and the Illinois contingent. ... Illinois assistant athletic director Kent Brown acknowledged a group of Fighting Illini coaches are on Penn State's campus to recruit "a player or two — maybe more."

Well isn't that special?

Illinois opened as a 1.5 point favorite.  I hope the Penn State team pays back the Illini for their little hunting trip in State College.

Coach Beckman's Favorite Home Away From Home

Although, I guess it isn't really poaching or stealing since this new practice of "recruiting" is fully ordained (encouraged) and blessed by the NCAA with the full authority of the Gospel According to Freeh.  But you can call it what you want . . . it's sleazy and despicable and I hope we kick some Illini ass for even showing up in State College like a bunch of hungry, desperate vultures.

Holding Out for a Hero

The more I read about this whole situation at Penn State, with the mad rush to pass judgment and punish without due process, the more frustrated I become.

Not one NCAA rule was violated.

Not one Penn State employee has been convicted of any crime or wrong doing.

Yet, we have what we have.

I keep hoping each day that something will surface to change the risen tide of public opinion and emotions that swept over Penn State like a tsunami.

But I am deluding myself.

We no longer have men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Will Rogers or John Wayne.  Or, dare I say it, Joe Paterno.

We live in a country where the President isn't impeached, because he changes the definition of sex.

We live in a country where the Supreme Court fails to protect its citizens, because we define the unconstitutional behavior as a tax.

So why should I hold out any hope that Penn State and Joe Paterno will ever see truth and justice.

Instead of writing off the wrong as a misinterpretation of a word or calling it a tax, we call it a "consent decree."  And we do nothing to stop it.  Truth is, the very people (lawyers, politicians, media, etc.) who have allowed this kind of thinking won't allow it to be stopped.

Be honest.  If you have no legal training, had you ever heard of a consent decree before this?  How many member institutions have ever signed a consent decree with the NCAA?  It's very existence is proof in itself that this whole approach by the NCAA was shady--or why would they need a consent decree in the first place?  Res ipsa loquitur to quote the legals.  The thing speaks for itself.

One might argue that this is a special case, and should not be compared to other situations using the same criteria.  To some extent, that is true.  There is no other instance that I know of where a volunteer organization imposed penalties on someone or something for a crime that has not even been settled in court yet.

But either way, a consent decree is simply another way of changing the rules to justify an unjust situation.

It shouldn't have been offered.  It shouldn't have been signed.  The NCAA has no authority to do what it did, but will now hide behind their redefinition of the situation.

And no one will stop it.

I am holding out little hope.

Where have all the good men gone


And where are all the gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I'm holding out for hero.

I just don't know how long I can hold on.

Who Lacks Institutional Control?

Does the NCAA even know what it is doing?

According to the NCAA website, their mission statement says:

“Our mission is to be an integral part of higher education and to focus on the development of our student-athletes.”

Another site, covering UW sports and which coincidentally questions the jurisdiction of the NCAA in the Penn State case, quotes another mission statement of the NCAA:

The NCAA's mission statement reads: "Our purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so the that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount."

What happened at Penn State is unspeakable, beyond belief, words can not describe how horrible the actions of Jerry Sandusky and everyone who covered up his actions were. Everyone involved should be punished to the absolute fullest extent of the law. That being said, punishing the football program does not fall within the NCAA's jurisdiction and would only serve to punish the fans, the new coaching staff, the players and possibly even many other Penn State student-athletes in other sports. All of which, had nothing to do with a scandal that happened 14 years ago and was covered up by people who are being prosecuted for their crimes.

My God!  Doesn't that make sense?  Let the courts punish the school for crimes, and let the NCAA mete out punishment for rules violations.

But apparently, the NCAA is confused about their role in all this.

Take this article in the USA Today about UCF's recent sanctions for instance:

The NCAA report notes, "A head coach is not required to investigate wrongdoing, but is expected to recognize potential NCAA violations, address them and report them to the athletics administration."

Doesn't that make sense?  A football coach is a coach, not a criminal investigator.  IF only Joe Paterno had reported the incident to the athletic administration, then the NCAA wouldn't have had a problem with how things were handled.  Wait?!  He did report it.  That was even in the Gospel According to Freeh.  Now I'm confused.  Is the coach supposed to report it or not?  But at least UCF was still sanctioned.

Unlike UNC, where a case of academic fraud is going to be swept away because--get this--the NCAA doesn't have any jurisdiction?  Read about that baloney here:

The University of North Carolina has essentially admitted that dozens of courses taught by African-American studies professor Julius Nyang'oro were, to use non-academic parlance, baloney.

The school has not argued that athletes made up a high percentage of the students enrolled in those baloney courses.

Going a step further, a report engineered by a faculty committee concluded -- though not yet fully endorsed by the university -- that academic counselors assigned to specific teams perhaps pushed athletes to those baloney classes.

And the NCAA apparently has no jurisdiction in this matter.
Which is why, dear folks in Indianapolis, people just don't get you sometimes.

It would seem to the layman that the intersection of athletics and academic dishonesty is exactly the right spot for the NCAA to step in.

The NCAA has no problem telling high schools -- where it has zero jurisdiction -- what qualifies as a core course and what doesn't. It has no problem telling high school athletes whether their coursework is legitimate enough to pass the NCAA eligibility smell test or is subject to review.

Yet when it comes to the legitimacy of classwork done on a college campus, where technically the NC(as in collegiate)AA has some sway, it lets the individual institutions police themselves.
That is not only hypocritical; it is illogical.

And believe it or not, that is ESPN calling out the NCAA for their baloney.

So in cases of academic fraud-which is okay as long as everyone, not just athletes, are involved--the NCAA doesn't have jurisdiction.  But in cases where a school has been a role model for academic integrity and sportsmanship, they nearly destroy the program because of legal actions beyond the scope of their mission.  Don't forget, their mission is for the development of student athletes.  Does the penalty at Penn State serve that mission?  More likely, it will hurt the student athletes at Penn State in the long-term, but apparently, that is no longer important to the NCAA as long as they can enforce laws without involving the court system.  And maybe a coach should report a crime in certain circumstances, but not others.  It all depends on how Mark Emmert is feeling when he gets up that morning.

And how does allowing athletes to take bogus courses at UNC, for whatever reason (it's okay if EVERYONE does it!) help development of student athletes?  Isn't that your bleeping mission, Mark?????

So I ask you . . . who lacks institutional control?  Penn State or the NCAA?

Maybe both.  And we all know that two wrongs make a right (and three rights make a left!)

Don Emmert Made Us An Offer

No Vote

Although the BOT met and discussed the matter, no official vote took place due to procedural issues.

Per Rachel George of the USA Today:

The board met via conference call initially with a plan to vote to ratify the binding document signed by President Rodney Erickson in July. But the university's charter requires a 10-day notification before a public meeting in person for the board to vote.

Instead, it heard explanations from Erickson as well as Gene Marsh, an attorney with experience dealing with NCAA sanctions who advised Penn State during the process. It almost unanimously voiced support for Erickson.

Surprise!  Surprise!  Surprise.

Hail Erickson!  Hail the NCAA!  . . . HELL NO!

But apparently, the Board's action (or inaction) depending on how you look at this, will not affect the appeal and possible lawsuit initiated by new Board member McCombie.

Paul Kelly of Jackson Lewis LLP, McCombie's attorney, also represents a group of eight players and one coach who are appealing only the NCAA's decision to strip Penn State of its 112 wins in that 14-year span. Kelly did not expect anything the board did Sunday to affect that appeal.

Saturday, McCombie agreed to suspend his appeal if the board would follow the suggestions of fellow trustee Joel Myers. On Friday, Myers emailed the board to recommend a three-step process for proceeding: Review the legal advice Penn State received before Erickson signed the consent decree with approval from the board's executive committee, but not the full board; review the Freeh Report; and review the sanctions.



The Gospel According to Freeh

 "While Trustee McCombie fully supports President Erickson and his commitment to protecting the current and future interests of Penn State University, he still intends to challenge the unfair, unwarranted and unlawful actions of the NCAA and the excessive sanctions imposed," Kelly said in a statement.

As for the Freeh Report (ptooie, I spit on that report), here is a detailed analysis by Eileen Morgan you might find worth reading, unless you've already accepted it as Gospel handed down by Moses.

CONCLUSION


 The 1998 shower incident was handled and investigated by local law enforcement and no charges were filed by the District Attorney office against Sandusky.

 The 2001 shower incident was reported to Paterno who reported to his superiors, including head of University Park Police. Paterno’s superiors inform Sandusky’s foundation Second Mile (who also are responsible for the boys) and they do nothing.

 There is no evidence, besides Freeh’s baseless speculations and opinions, that the top four men at PSU covered up and knowingly allowed Sandusky to molest children for 14 years.

 Did the PSU officials make a grave mistake? Yes and they will probably never forgive themselves for it. Was it out of total disregard for the safety of children just to avoid publicity? No.  The ‘publicity’ they speak of in the email is regarding Sandusky’s known behavior to shower with boys. It was NOT the publicity of Sandusky molesting boys, because they never knew that until 2011.

 If there was a cover up, it seems to be coming from someone much higher on the food chain. However, the entire Freeh Report, from the time of the leaked email to the day he released the report, has been maliciously geared to blaming Joe.

Or, you can just baa, baa, baa and believe the Gospel of Freeh like all the other sheep.  The choice is really up to you.

More Appealing

A group of former Penn State players and one coach (not named Paterno) have also entered an appeal to the NCAA.

A group of former Penn State football players is appealing the NCAA sanctions against the university, saying the association didn’t follow its own policies and denied the right of those affected to be heard. 

The appeal is the latest action taken by those involved with the university but unhappy with President Rodney Erickson’s decision to sign off on the NCAA sanctions. 

The former players filing the notice are: Michael Robinson, Anwar Phillips, Josh Gaines, Shamar Finney, Richard Gardner, Gerald Cadogan, Anthony Adams and Justin Kurpeikis. Bill Kenney, assistant coach from 1998 to 2011, is also party to the appeal.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/08/07/3290516/former-penn-state-players-also.html#storylink=cpy

This is on the heels of appeals filed by the Paterno's and several board members.

Apparently, the board will meet Sunday to vote on whether Erickson had the authority to sign the consent decree.  I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that they will vote to support the consent decree. 

Why?

Because God forbid we actually support our students and athletes.  While the crimes committed against Sandusky's victims are heinous, it does not make sense to punish everyone for the failure of a few.  And while it could be argued that any NCAA sanction punishes innocent people for the sake of punishing the school, this situation is different because Penn State didn't violate a single NCAA rule!  If a school breaks the rules, then punishment is justified.

But unfortunately, the BOT has blinders on. They have bought into this philosophy that you can't support the victims AND the school at the same time.

That is like saying you can't support America if you disagree with the president.

Guess what Trustees?  You CAN support your University (which is YOUR job!) and still express remorse and disgust about what happened.  You can do it--yes you can!

But they won't.

Because it wouldn't be politically correct.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/08/07/3290516/former-penn-state-players-also.html#storylink=cpy

50 Shades of Blue

Do you still proudly wear your blue and white?

I ask this question because I have seen the issue pop up on two different message boards.  On BWI the question was asked:

Would you feel embarrassed to wear PSU gear outside of Pennsylvania? Saw a poor gal in Nashville yesterday get heckled by several people at a mall while wearing PSU shirt! I felt bad for the gal but think this is probably happening all over the U.S.

Among the responses were these:

I live in Nashville and I wear psu gear all the time. Never been heckled. I have been pleasantly surprised by support. People with a brain realize the tragedy was more about one man...Sandusky.
Not many people have run into any problems.

But on the Audibles messageboard, are some different stories:

I live in Northern Virginia. Some guy went up to my wife at a gas station. She has a Penn State sticker on her car. And the guy went up to my wife and asked her if she was going to take that sticker off. My wife is 4'11, so it obviously it took a lot of balls to go up to a small woman and ask that.

We had someone say "if JoePa were alive, he'd be going to jail".

On Monday, a Mid-30s woman rather sarcastically stated "Nice PSU sticker" on the back of my vehicle, I responded with something along the lines of "Yeah it's been a rough couple of weeks" to which she said "I can't believe you haven't taken that down" All I gave her was a hairy eyeball and a "Why?" to which she walked away.

I live in California now also, my co-workers all now hate Penn State and believe the program should be shut down. I wear hats and t-shirts and have been asked twice why i support child rape. My Mother, who is a PSU Grad 1966, is now afraid to wear her PSU clothes due to remarks she gets - she is way less confrontainal than I am.

I was at the local Sheetz when I was told by a mid 50's lady that I should be embarrassed to have a PSU Alumni Assoc license plate on my car. . . I looked at her in shock and then asked her why I should be embarrassed of a group of students that raise millions for cancer, a football team that has the highest grad rate in D1 football, etc. . . Of course, I live just outside Pittsburgh and she was probably a Pitt Alum...

The week that the news hit in November, someone was honking at my wife and pulled up to her at a light. Started yelling at her about the Penn State magnets on the car. It really shook her.
I have never had a magnet stolen in 10 years in my town (had a bunch over the years coming up for games) but someone took the 4 mini paws from her car. (she later found them on the ground in the parking lot at work). . . But I still don't let my 9 year old son or 6 year old daughter wear PSU stuff when I am not around. You just never know who will say something. And they really don't understand what happened.

Now to be fair, there were more positive or neutral experiences reported than those I sifted out.

As for myself, I generally wear Penn State logo clothing more often than not.  My lab coat at work has a Penn State logo on it, as do two pairs of surgical scrubs (I also have a black pair of Steeler logo scrubs as well.)  And while I do have clothing that is not Penn State, per se, the majority of that clothing is blue or white to match most of the rest of the stuff I wear.  I have 18 Penn State ties, although two of them are identical because I didn't have the heart to tell someone that gave one to me as a gift that I already had that one--they were so excited to give it to me!) In contrast, I have ONE red shirt--I wear it on Valentine's Day, Christmas and Pentecost Sunday.  That's pretty much it.  Really can't stand the color.  I'll wear brown occasionally (after all, JoePa went to Brown!) and green if not's too Spartanish.

But this past week, after the NCAA raping sanctioning of Penn State, I made a point to wear my Penn State clothing EVERY DAY.  I was amazed by the number of comments I received.  I had at least half a dozen people tell me that they were so glad I was STILL supporting the school.  This generally led to a brief discussion about how unfair the sanctions were, the players were not responsible, JoePa has become the scapegoat who can't defend himself any longer, etc.

Of course, I work in Altoona, a stone's throw from State College and in the backyard of the Altoona Campus.  This is LION COUNTRY.  So the data points are skewed.

I had a woman approach me at the surgery center where I operate and thank me for wearing my PSU scrubs.  She went on to say that she worked at Penn State Altoona and things "were really bad."  I'm not sure what she meant by that, but I assume it is a morale thing.  She wouldn't answer my questions to elaborate, but just kept shaking her head and looking like she was trying to hold back tears.

I have actually had requests for tickets to the Ohio game.  Not the Ohio State game, but the season opener.  I can't remember the last time someone contacted me about tickets to a home opener.  I don't think I had requests for Miami in 2001 or Arizona in 1999!  And while the last decade of home openers have been against less than marquee level opponents, I sure as hell wouldn't put Ohio up there.

No.  This isn't about the opponent on the field.  It's about the evil that has leeched off Sandusky and seeped into State College like an unwanted bloodstain.  Out, Out, damned spot!

It is US against the WORLD.

This is about supporting the team, just as the wearing of Blue and White.

This is the time to rally the troops, circle the wagons, and separate the wheat from the chaff, in other words, a time for trite cliches.  But you get the point.

Despite what the lawyers, ESPN and other media outlets say, PENN STATE DID NOT RAPE THOSE CHILDREN.  The actual evidence suggests that the leaders discussed the sitiuation and whatever plan of action they took, it was unfortunate that the crimes went on.

But Penn State did not cover-up a decade of child molestation as the media is so fond of quoting.  At best, the administration of Penn State knew of one instance (2001) and it is far from clear exactly what was transmitted to them at that time.  Horsing around in the shower and rape are two vastly different things, and I pray that the upcoming trials of Curley and Schultz will finally shed some light on the truth in that matter. 

To suggest that Penn State KNEW about the 1998 investigation of Sandusky--and covered it up--is ludicrous.  IT WAS INVESTIGATED.  The police were involved.  The DA was involved.  Everything that everyone is screaming didn't happen in 2001 already happened in 1998!  They had witnesses--the mother and her child.  And yet Sandsuky still went free.  There was not enough evidence to prosecute.  IF Penn State officials knew of the 1998 event, then they also knew that no charges were ever made.  And while that doesn't necessarily mean innocence, it is certainly implied.

There has not been one shred of evidence that any crime by Sandusky other than the 2001 shower incident, was ever known to any of the Penn State admnistrators involved in this.  To suggest they continued to cover up Sandusky's acts is simply wrong and unfathomable.  In fact, it wasn't a cover-up.  You don't report the incident up the chain of command if you are covering something up.

If Joe Paterno wanted to cover this up, his best opportunity to do so was when McQueary first appeared in his office.

"Mike, let me handle this.  I know Sandusky.  I'll take care of this.  It's a sensitive matter, so don't say anything to anyone.  By the way, I'm thinking you would be a great addition to our coaching staff.  You've been great as a graduate assistant.  You let me handle this and I'll put you on the sideline as a coach.  How does that sound?"

But that exchange never took place.  Nothing in the record suggests that Paterno ever tried to cover anything up.  One obscure email taken out of context suggests that Curley wanted to change his mind after talking to Paterno, but what was exactly said has not been on record.

Could it be that Joe said something like this?:

"Tim, this is a touchy issue, no pun intended.  I don't know if we have much evidence here--kind of like that thing that supposedly happened in 1998.  We have to report this, because we can't let kids get hurt if this really is true.  But there's a chance that it could blow up in our faces.  Maybe they were just horsing around.  Sandusky could sue us for libel or slander.  He's already been cleared once.  The media could get hold of it and really make us look bad.  But we have to take that chance.  We have to report this."

So Mr. Curley, after hearing this, decides he doesn't want to report it because Joe painted such a dismal picture and now that he's thought through the possibilitites, he wants to take a different approach.  Not because Joe told him to shut up and cover it up, but exactly the opposite.

Well, maybe it didn't happen that way.  But maybe it did.  The available evidence suggests it could be either one.  Or maybe a third or fourth not yet considered.  Maybe the email wasn't even referring to the decision to report or not, but some other aspect of their investigation into the matter.  Who knows?  (Only the Shadow, and he ain't speaking right now.)

At any rate, Penn State did not cover up sexual abuses for a decade.  At the very worst, they made a wrong decision about ONE episode.  THEY HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT ABUSE WAS ON-GOING.  That's not minimizing what happened or rationalizing.  That is a conclusion based on actual evidence, not the dreamworld supposition of the Freeh Report.  And how the NCAA feels it can blame the football program on any level is beyond me, it is simply over the top to vacate wins back to 1998.  How in the bloody hell is it Joe's fault that the DA didn't press charges in 1998?  And now the forger's of the Freeh Report are upset that the NCAA used it as a basis for punishment.  Can this drama get any carzier???

In any event, wear your blue and white.  Whatever shade of blue.  Wear it proudly.

And I hope to see you at Beaver Stadium on September 1st.

PSU Gear. . . Not just for football anymore!

GO STATE!  BEAT BOBCATS!

Bowden to Forfeit Wins

From SI.com:

The NCAA infractions committee intends to uphold sanctions against Florida State
that would take away wins in 10 sports, including as many as 14 by football
coach Bobby Bowden.After a public records lawsuit and intervention by Florida's
attorney general, the NCAA allowed Florida State to release the committee's June
2 response to FSU's appeal of the NCAA punishment that would strip the school of
the victories.Though university officials had said earlier Thursday that would
be no comment from Florida State, president T.K. Wetherell denounced the NCAA's
response.

But the issue is far from over . . .

The NCAA called Florida State's staff involvement in the cheating "especially egregious because of their positions as individuals charged specifically with maintaining academic integrity within the athletics program."

"This is the response from the committee on infractions which entered the finding that we are appealing so you wouldn't expect them to change their mind," said Bill Williams, the Tallahassee attorney handling the case for Florida State. "We will respond to this and then we ultimately have an oral argument before the infractions appeal committee in Indianapolis (Ind.) and then they will make a final decision."

Williams said he expected the hearing would be scheduled in late
summer or early fall, but admitted that was a guess.

The NCAA explained their rejection of the appeal . . .

The 23-page response said the loss of scholarships imposed as part of the original penalty would have been much greater without taking away victories in the various sports where athletes involved in the cheating had competed.

Florida State did not challenge the loss of scholarship reductions that included two in football this year and another next year.

So how many more scholarships will Bobby Bowden be willing to forego to get his tainted wins back?

There has been speculation about what affect this has on the all-time wins race between Paterno and Bowden. Many feel that if the 14 wins are deleted for Bowden, this effectively ends the race. This assumption is based on the fact that F$U will likely not renew Bowden's contract in 2010, because it would necessitate a large buyout of Jimbo Fisher, who has already been anointed for the job.

But we already know that F$U's boosters are capable of raising ridiculous amounts of money to buy out contracts (refer to the buyout of Bowden's son Jeff as exhibit A,) so that doesn't guarantee that Bobby won't be coaching at F$U beyond 2010. Moreover, it certainly doesn't exclude the possibility that Bobby might not continue coaching elsewhere if he chooses. Surely some University will see the opportunity to have a legend on their sidelines. Hell, if he coaches for Tallahassee High School , those wins will still likely count for his career total!

Some even speculate that Paterno might consider retirement if Bobby is no longer coaching. Well, like I just said, I'm not convinced that it is a given that Bowden will not be coaching till he drops, and therefore, I would expect the same for Paterno. And even if Bowden raises the white flag and retires, it's not a done deal that Paterno would do likewise.