Will Joe Paterno AND Penn State Football Both Die in 2012?

[Brownie]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

They suffocated the golden goose. This program will not be back. Remember: the DOE has yet to take corrective action re: the Clery Report, and they could fine them millions more. A $60MM fine on top of the civil liabilty on top of any DOE sanctions, in which the football program's misdeed affect what is supposed to be the core mission of the university, on top of having a shit team for the next 5-7 years, on top of any sanctions Jim Delaney chooses to levy with his new powers, and why would anyone want to continue this charade? Oh, and by the way, all players on Penn State have been granted free agency.

It's over. This is worse than SMU. SMU hasn't been competitive on the big stage since. Want another comparison? How about Judge Landis' ban of 8 White Sox players in 1920. It took them nearly 35 years to be consistently competitive again. Or UNLV? Have they been able to recover post-Tarkanian to any prominence? Sure, they're a fun team to watch at 10 pm on a Wednesday night against St. Mary's, and they'll make the field of 64 4 years out of 10, but their days of a powerhouse are over.

I suppose Penn State will sue and try to get injunctions slapped on some of the sanctions, but they won't stop players from transferring, and I don't know how long they'll dig their heels in on this.

An opposing view...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2012/07/23/sanctions-against-penn-state-for-sex-scandal-are-too-lenient/

Guess we'll have to see how it plays out.

Well the B1G will have a conference call in 20 minutes to react to all this. Per Crain's, losing PSU's bowl revenue will hurt all member teams as it is unlikely another school will take Penn State's place in a bowl game permanently. Maybe PSU is out of the revenue sharing for the 4 years?

[SKO]

Yeah, this is significantly worse than the death penalty. Penn State is now the equivalent of Illinois State playing in a major football conference. The alumni get to watch their precious football team get pummeled every game for at least half a decade and the guy they worshipped no longer holds the stupid, meaningless record that led them to keep him on for a decade after he'd stopped being an effective coach anyway. Drew Magary and some others have made great points about how this doesn't necessarily punish the people directly responsible, but at this point I think it's worth it just to see the fanbase get what's coming to em.

[Brownie]

Yeah, this is significantly worse than the death penalty. Penn State is now the equivalent of Illinois State playing in a major football conference. The alumni get to watch their precious football team get pummeled every game for at least half a decade and the guy they worshipped no longer holds the stupid, meaningless record that led them to keep him on for a decade after he'd stopped being an effective coach anyway. Drew Magary and some others have made great points about how this doesn't necessarily punish the people directly responsible, but at this point I think it's worth it just to see the fanbase get what's coming to em.

So now the Big Ten announced Penn State cannot share in any postseason revenues, so this is not as bad a hit for the rest of the Big Ten schools. Plus, figure that the Nittany Lions could be an automatic win even for Indiana for the next 5-10 years. So, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue all get a doormat. For someone like Purdue, that extra win could help them get into a better-tier bowl game. But for someone like Indiana, Penn State could be the extra win that sends them to the bowlgamenoonereallywatchesbutisonasyoudrinkandeatandbemerrytheweekbetweenChristmasandNewYears Bowl. And then the revenue that's shared is only split 11 ways.

[Internet Apex]

Yeah, this is significantly worse than the death penalty. Penn State is now the equivalent of Illinois State playing in a major football conference. The alumni get to watch their precious football team get pummeled every game for at least half a decade and the guy they worshipped no longer holds the stupid, meaningless record that led them to keep him on for a decade after he'd stopped being an effective coach anyway. Drew Magary and some others have made great points about how this doesn't necessarily punish the people directly responsible, but at this point I think it's worth it just to see the fanbase get what's coming to em.

So now the Big Ten announced Penn State cannot share in any postseason revenues, so this is not as bad a hit for the rest of the Big Ten schools. Plus, figure that the Nittany Lions could be an automatic win even for Indiana for the next 5-10 years. So, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue all get a doormat. For someone like Purdue, that extra win could help them get into a better-tier bowl game. But for someone like Indiana, Penn State could be the extra win that sends them to the bowlgamenoonereallywatchesbutisonasyoudrinkandeatandbemerrytheweekbetweenChristmasandNewYears Bowl. And then the revenue that's shared is only split 11 ways.

That's a nice thought regarding Purdue but I fear they've slipped into the latter category for now.

[thehawk]

I think the lede is buried here.  The NCAA's penalities include requiring Penn State to enact each of the recommendations in the Freeh report.  Those recommendations include in effect blowing up the board of trustees and replacing it with one that is not insular and incompetent.  

If that happens (and I'm dubious, but hopeful it will) it might lead to the whole 'cult of Penn State' thing disappearing and perhaps the University running the athletic program instead of vice versa.

[Slaky]

Yeah, this is significantly worse than the death penalty. Penn State is now the equivalent of Illinois State playing in a major football conference. The alumni get to watch their precious football team get pummeled every game for at least half a decade and the guy they worshipped no longer holds the stupid, meaningless record that led them to keep him on for a decade after he'd stopped being an effective coach anyway. Drew Magary and some others have made great points about how this doesn't necessarily punish the people directly responsible, but at this point I think it's worth it just to see the fanbase get what's coming to em.

So now the Big Ten announced Penn State cannot share in any postseason revenues, so this is not as bad a hit for the rest of the Big Ten schools. Plus, figure that the Nittany Lions could be an automatic win even for Indiana for the next 5-10 years. So, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue all get a doormat. For someone like Purdue, that extra win could help them get into a better-tier bowl game. But for someone like Indiana, Penn State could be the extra win that sends them to the bowlgamenoonereallywatchesbutisonasyoudrinkandeatandbemerrytheweekbetweenChristmasandNewYears Bowl. And then the revenue that's shared is only split 11 ways.

I thought for a second that the vacated wins mean that Illinois might have avoided a couple winless seasons - but apparently vacated wins don't result in gained wins for the teams on the other end of those.

[Eli]

Now there's an image in need of no improving.

Not to steal Morph's job, but I tried to make a few small improvements.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Now there's an image in need of no improving.

Not to steal Morph's job, but I tried to make a few small improvements.

Okay... I'm not going to go so far as to say the photo was improved. But it did make me laugh quite a bit.

[CubFaninHydePark]

Last QB to win at PSU: Mike McQuery

Is he related to Mike McQueary?   

The last d-coordinator to win a game at Penn State: Jerry Sandusky.

Hopefully the defections get bad enough that the Lions have to dress Pedobear at WR, assuming he'll be appearing at every PSU game this season.

[CT III]

Yeah, this is significantly worse than the death penalty. Penn State is now the equivalent of Illinois State playing in a major football conference. The alumni get to watch their precious football team get pummeled every game for at least half a decade and the guy they worshipped no longer holds the stupid, meaningless record that led them to keep him on for a decade after he'd stopped being an effective coach anyway. Drew Magary and some others have made great points about how this doesn't necessarily punish the people directly responsible, but at this point I think it's worth it just to see the fanbase get what's coming to em.

People want to look at Penn State football as this splintered mass of individuals and reflect on how this hurts each of them in their own personal little ways, despite the fact that many of those people did nothing wrong.

Well sir, that is bullshit.

Penn State Football is a THING.  It's a living, breathing all-consuming Thing.  It had to be destroyed.  I'm still pissed the NCAA didn't use the death penalty here, but I'll take what I can get.

For some reason, the parallel that keeps coming to me is the Arthur Anderson scandal.  The acts of a few unscrupulous assholes got AA indicted and essentially destroyed it.  A firm of 85,000 was destroyed over the actions of a few.  And, like the major D-I programs are sure to do here, the rest of the Big 5 stood by while Anderson took its medicine, then swept in, picked the carcass clean and went back to business as usual.  And while the likelyhood of that kind of punishment ever being meted out again is remote, they've still got to operate with the memory of AA in the backs of their minds.

So what am I saying?  That this probably isn't fair to a lot of people.  Ex-players, coaches, alumni who were never involved in any of this now have a stain on their resumes and have to pay the price for it.

But if it also means that if Nick Saban discovers he's got a child molester or a drug dealer or some other shitbag on his coaching staff or in his program that he's going to look at Penn State Football and turn that asshole in at the next tollbooth well...it's worth it.

[Internet Apex]

Drug dealers!

[CT III]

Drug dealers!

Man was I drunk last night.

[Internet Apex]

Drug dealers!

Man was I drunk last night.

Hells yeah! Drunk on a Monday = Time To Post!

[Brownie]

A couple thoughts to ponder when people point out $60 million is one year net income of the PSU football program


1) The Athletic Department ran in the red last year despite having one of the most profitable football programs.

2) Expenses will go up (compliance won't be cheap). Income will go way down (who's going to want to waste a Saturday at State College to watch a sad sack team)?

3) If the football program is subsidizing the rest of the sports, how will they be able to support them?

Going DIII like U of C makes a lot of sense. I asked rhetorically what value Penn State brings to the Big Ten. What value does the Big Ten bring Penn State at this point? Travel expenses would be a lot better in a league with Slippery Rock and Indiana Pa.

[Slaky]

A couple thoughts to ponder when people point out $60 million is one year net income of the PSU football program


1) The Athletic Department ran in the red last year despite having one of the most profitable football programs.

2) Expenses will go up (compliance won't be cheap). Income will go way down (who's going to want to waste a Saturday at State College to watch a sad sack team)?

3) If the football program is subsidizing the rest of the sports, how will they be able to support them?

Going DIII like U of C makes a lot of sense. I asked rhetorically what value Penn State brings to the Big Ten. What value does the Big Ten bring Penn State at this point? Travel expenses would be a lot better in a league with Slippery Rock and Indiana Pa.

Also, aren't they going to get hit with a bunch of civil suits?