Penn State/Jerry Sandusky Child Sex Scandal

[Sakuraba]

Gramblings Eddie Robinson is back to being #1.

Adding in 1AA is like when people compare about Pat Summit's wins against Knight's, Sadahara Oh's 800 home runs against Hank Aaron's, etc. It doesn't compute

 

[choskins]

Gramblings Eddie Robinson is back to being #1.

Actually, no he isn't. If you are going to include other divisions into the conversation, then John Gagliardi is #1. But, I was referring to Division 1 coaches, which is all that is relevant in this conversation IMO.

 

[Matt]

So, how long until O'Brien jumps ship? I give it two seasons.

 

[Belvedere]

Actually, he is now 5th.

Bobby Bowden 377
Bear Bryant 323
Pop Warner 319
Amos Alonzo Stagg 314
Joe Paterno 298

Last time I take Adam Schefter at his word.

Until the next time.

 

[Darthphere]

I still think Joe Paterno is being used as a scapegoat in all of this. You want to vacate wins? Ok. But what do wins from the 2005 season have to do with the Sandusky scandal for example? It just seems like the NCAA flexing their muscle so people don't look at them and ask where the NCAA was in all of this.

 

[SuperT]

How is he being made the scapegoat?! He willingly concealed information about child abuse in order to avoid bad press for the football team and the school as a whole. He's just as culpable as everyone else invovled.

I honestly cannot wrap my head around anyone's thinking that Paterno is just some innocent bystander getting punished. Who the heck cares about the students and the athletes. Nobody seems to care about the actual victims in the situation - the children that were abused. That's the exact reason why this cult football mentally needs to be put in check.

 

[Darthphere]

How is he being made the scapegoat?! He willingly concealed information about child abuse in order to avoid bad press for the football team and the school as a whole. He's just as culpable as everyone else invovled.

I honestly cannot wrap my head around anyone's thinking that Paterno is just some innocent bystander getting punished. Who the heck cares about the students and the athletes. Nobody seems to care about the actual victims in the situation - the children that were abused. That's the exact reason why this cult football mentally needs to be put in check.

Relax, I never said he was innocent just that he's paying the biggest part in this crime. Sure Sandusky is rotting in jail as he should be but again what does vacating wins from a football program Sandusky was only marginally involved with at the time i.e. not on staff going to solve? Meanwhile, the other two dolts in the coverup as far as I know haven't even been charged with a crime yet.

 

[mrvlknight21]

-$60 million
-All wins from 1998-2011 are vacated (congrats Bobby Bowden!)
-FOUR year bowl ban
-five years probation

Wow. Im not sure I agree with this. It seems to affect the kids that may have wanted to play/attend there that had nothing to do with any of this.

 

[Darthphere]

I don't have a problem with most of it I just find the whole vacating wins part to be such an empty gesture.

 

[Matt]

I still think Joe Paterno is being used as a scapegoat in all of this. You want to vacate wins? Ok. But what do wins from the 2005 season have to do with the Sandusky scandal for example? It just seems like the NCAA flexing their muscle so people don't look at them and ask where the NCAA was in all of this.

1998 is when Joe Paterno became aware of Sandusky's crimes and did nothing. Every game from that point onward is vacated. I get the logic behind it. Though I'm not sure I agree with it (I'm mixed, all that they are doing is spitting on the legacy of a dead man who can't defend himself....at the same time, maybe he deserves to be spit on). But yeah, the logic is sound, IMO.

 

[Darthphere]

1998 is when Joe Paterno became aware of Sandusky's crimes and did nothing. Every game from that point onward is vacated. I get the logic behind it. Though I'm not sure I agree with it (I'm mixed, all that they are doing is spitting on the legacy of a dead man who can't defend himself....at the same time, maybe he deserves to be spit on). But yeah, the logic is sound, IMO.

I feel the same way really. But again, it's like he seems to be the only one paying the price for the coverup. For whatever perceived power he had, he was just a football coach.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

I feel the same way really. But again, it's like he seems to be the only one paying the price for the coverup. For whatever perceived power he had, he was just a football coach.

Not in Happy Valley he wasnt.

 

[Darthphere]

Not in Happy Valley he wasnt.

I understand that but he had people he answered to and those people failed as well. Of course those people don't have statues and whatnot.

 

[Belvedere]

I feel the same way really. But again, it's like he seems to be the only one paying the price for the coverup. For whatever perceived power he had, he was just a football coach.

This is an important point. People get so caught up in the idolatry that is given to players and coaches that they forget they are human beings. In no way does that alleviate him of any of the responsibility, of course, but how many more times does something like this have to happen before people realise that coaches are coaches and not demigods?

 

[Matt]

I understand that but he had people he answered to and those people failed as well. Of course those people don't have statues and whatnot.

Joe Paterno was Penn State. He answered to no one. He could've had the president of the university fired with one word.

 

[Darthphere]

Joe Paterno was Penn State. He answered to no one. He could've had the president of the university fired with one word.

Well that's a failure of the whole system. The whole board should resign too because not for one second do I buy none of those people caught wind of this.

 

[SuperT]

Joe Paterno was Penn State. He answered to no one. He could've had the president of the university fired with one word.

Bingo! Which is why I don't think the punishment is harsh. When you build people up like Gods don't be surprised when the Gods are toppled and you feel the fallout too.

The whole cult like status the football program has in that entire community is sick.

 

[Sakuraba]

Does anyone remember back in '03, '04 when Paterno was sucking hard and there was a lot of noise that he was going to be fired or forced into retirement? It was a pretty big story, basically can you fire a legend like Joe Paterno?

Bobby Bowden had similar rumors swirling around him.

I wonder if this Sandusky business had anything to do with Paterno weathering that storm. On one hand I doubt a terminated Paterno comes out and announces his DC of 30 years was anally raping boys in the PSU shower room, but maybe someone like McCreay who was supposedly protecting Paterno comes out. I don't know but it's food for thought.

 

[Darthphere]

Bingo! Which is why I don't think the punishment is harsh. When you build people up like Gods don't be surprised when teh Gods are toppled and you feel the fall out too.

The whole cult like status the football program has in that entire community is sick.

Well yeah he's dead now so the only people being punished at this point are the kids currently on the team and those players that just had all their wins tainted as well.

 

[ih8nyy]

Actually, no he isn't. If you are going to include other divisions into the conversation, then John Gagliardi is #1. But, I was referring to Division 1 coaches, which is all that is relevant in this conversation IMO.

Grambling is a Div. 1 School. Just not a BCS Div. 1. They are the Div. 1 that has actually had a playoff system in place.

But I know what you are getting at and I am not here to split hairs.

I just wish Joe was alive to see those wins vacated.

 

[ih8nyy]

And with that said, Branch Davidians were less delusional than PSU fans.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Well yeah he's dead now so the only people being punished at this point are the kids currently on the team and those players that just had all their wins tainted as well.

The University just cut a check for $60 million to the NCAA and another $13 million to the B1G. I'd say it's more than just the kids on the team feeling the heat. Although they are free to transfer now without penalty, so they're by no means stuck there.

 

[Matt]

Well yeah he's dead now so the only people being punished at this point are the kids currently on the team and those players that just had all their wins tainted as well.

THIS raises an interesting question. Which team is the 2006 Orange Bowl Champions? How is the NCAA going to handle this? Are they going to give 2006 Orange Bowl rings to Florida State players? Are they going to ask Penn State players for their rings back? How does that work? They've tainted a lot of people's reputations with this. A lot of players who had nothing to do with JoePa's coverup. How is that going to work for the 2006 Orange Bowl or any of the six bowls that PSU has won since 1998?

 

[Darthphere]

THIS raises an interesting question. Which team is the 2006 Orange Bowl Champions? How is the NCAA going to handle this? Are they going to give 2006 Orange Bowl rings to Florida State players? Are they going to ask Penn State players for their rings back? How does that work? They've tainted a lot of people's reputations with this. A lot of players who had nothing to do with JoePa's coverup. How is that going to work for the 2006 Orange Bowl or any of the six bowls that PSU has won since 1998?

I just think they remove their name from the list. At this point they can't get any of that stuff back as half off those rings are probably already in the secondary market.

 

[BestGirl]

They just removed the statue of Paterno from the front.

Finally!

Yep. He's not the winningst coach in college anymore.

To bad no matter what, he is still a scumbag with his name on the library.

His name should come down from the library too.

I was against the death penalty only because of the impact it would have on the students and the community (lost revenue, jobs, etc). That being said, I whole heartedly agree with the sanctions that were levied.

While they'll have an immediate impact, unfortunately I don't see it transitioning to the long-term goal of a "change in culture", i.e. football and other sports programs having too much influence.

I'm just glad the NCAA gave the current players the ability to transfer immediately, and to keep the grants/assistance they've been provided.

At Penn State it might. If the football program sucks for long enough public interest in the football program will wane, along with its influence over the school.