If you don't understand the difference between physically forcing yourself on the weak and swindling money from the gullible, I'm not sure there's much discussion on the way.

Nonetheless, if the university is allowing, and covering, an employee to do irreparable damage to other individuals, they should be punished harshly.  

Of course there is a difference in the nature of the crime, my question was merely posed to see if that was the reason you are coming down harshly and believe PSU should be punished as harshly.  Clearly you believe the crime is lesser to the culture, which is fine, that is what I was curious about.

I'm more on the side of those that believes the NCAA did not have the power or authority to do what they did, but Penn State signed off on it so it won't be tested this time around, but certainly could next time.  I actually think the Big Ten had far more authority to punish PSU than the NCAA did since conference membership is much more than just sports affiliation (though sports obviously drives it).  Again we will never know since the NCAA acted and PSU accepted it.

There was no way that PSU was going to challenge any sanctions handed down by the NCAA without looking like enormously insensitive douchebags.

To their credit, the Board of Trustees has acted swiftly and appropriately since the scandal broke last November.  They cleaned house, gettiing rid of Paterno, Spanier, Curley and Shultz within five days of Sandusky's arrest, and they commissioned the Freeh report and gave them free reign to perform full fact gathering without limitation or interference.  And they accepted the NCAA sanctions without question, despite there being some question as to whether or not it was appropriate for NCAA to even step in at all.

Though I thought that I had heard yesterday that the NCAA did tell PSU that if they did not accept the sanctions, the alternative would have been a four-year death penalty.

Don't believe "crime is lesser to the culture" is entirely accurate.   Any wrongdoing covered up by the administration, the leaders who are supposed to set the example, should be punished harshly.   Adjusting grades is obviously lower on the scale than child-rape but it should still be dealt with in an appropriate manner.  That's kind of where "irreparable damage to other individuals" comes into play.   There can be a wide range of "harsh punishments".     I think the bowl bans/scholarship reductions are fine for cases like Bush/Prior.  Obviously, this went higher up the food chain and was a much more henious act.  

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8199175/penn-state-nittany-lions-silas-redd-undecided-other-players-get-openly-recruited

No surprise that the NCAA has now created a clusterfuck of a situation at State College with respect to the other D-I schools poaching current PSU players.

Maybe they should think about how situations like this should be governed in the future?

Bill O'brien should STFU.   He said, specifically, that he had a clause in his contract extending his years if PSU was hit with sanctions.   He's already profited from the situation.   And, unless he lived under a rock last year, he knew the sitiuation before he took the job. 

so apparently Rodney Erickson negotiated the NCAA settlement without including the Board of Trustees and keeping the negotiations from them.  Isn't that exactly what Penn State got into trouble for doing?  Good start to the new regime and culture change at Penn State.  Bravo. 

Yep.  Though Erickson said that he was told by one of the Trustees that he had the authority to negotiate and accept the settlement on his own.  But I read that some of the Trustees are considering taking legal actions to have the consent agreement overturned.  Thus potentially furthering the clusterfuck.

They all need to STFU and just move forward.

Yes, PSU should fight long and hard against the sanctions.   That will sit well in the court of public opinion and should get them back in good graces in no time flat. 

PUT JOPA'S STATUE BACK!!!!!  IN A MORE PROMINENT LOCATION!!!!

Like the 50 yard line?

The entire BOT needs to be canned - now.  They're at least partially to blame for Paterno's power growing to a level it never should have.

Posted by MikeT23 on 7/26/2012 3:11:00 PM (view original):
Yes, PSU should fight long and hard against the sanctions.   That will sit well in the court of public opinion and should get them back in good graces in no time flat. 

PUT JOPA'S STATUE BACK!!!!!  IN A MORE PROMINENT LOCATION!!!!

That wasn't my point at all.  My point was the President of Penn State secretly met and negotiated a settlement without informing the Board of Trustees so that he could protect the football program.  That is exactly why the NCAA came down so hard on Penn State to begin with.  There is clearly not a culture change at the school and procedures, protocols, etc. were clearly not followed.  And if Erickson was doing this, what else has he done and what else has he kept from the Board of Trustees.  What happens the next time an issue with the football program arises?  Does Erickson tell the Board or does he just act on his own. 

If I'm on the Board of Trustees at Penn State, I would call for Erickson's immediate firing because he clearly didn't learn from his predecessor. 

If I'm a booster or alumni of Penn State, I am withholding my support until every member of the Board of Trustees is replaced.  Maybe they don't know anything because they still have their head up their *****.

Posted by cydrych on 7/26/2012 4:54:00 PM (view original):
If I'm a booster or alumni of Penn State, I am withholding my support until every member of the Board of Trustees is replaced.  Maybe they don't know anything because they still have their head up their *****.

According to Erickson he misled them and intentionally kept them in the dark.

Posted by moranis on 7/26/2012 4:21:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 7/26/2012 3:11:00 PM (view original):
Yes, PSU should fight long and hard against the sanctions.   That will sit well in the court of public opinion and should get them back in good graces in no time flat. 

PUT JOPA'S STATUE BACK!!!!!  IN A MORE PROMINENT LOCATION!!!!

That wasn't my point at all.  My point was the President of Penn State secretly met and negotiated a settlement without informing the Board of Trustees so that he could protect the football program.  That is exactly why the NCAA came down so hard on Penn State to begin with.  There is clearly not a culture change at the school and procedures, protocols, etc. were clearly not followed.  And if Erickson was doing this, what else has he done and what else has he kept from the Board of Trustees.  What happens the next time an issue with the football program arises?  Does Erickson tell the Board or does he just act on his own. 

If I'm on the Board of Trustees at Penn State, I would call for Erickson's immediate firing because he clearly didn't learn from his predecessor. 

There are times when too many voices slow and confuse the process.   The NCAA wanted to lay down some sanctions.  They were not going to wait for PSU to meet, discuss, disagree, discuss, meet again, disagree, discuss and finally let the NCAA know what they'd accept.   Sometimes someone has to take charge.   Erickson did.   If the BoT doesn't like it, I'm sure it's within their power to send him on his way.