Penn State sanctions set dangerous precedent for future cases
That was when the NCAA expanded its power over its member schools by taking over the role of the ethics police. By sending down the harshest set of sanctions in 30 years, the NCAA crippled Penn State for the next decade, maybe longer. What should worry the fans of college sports is that by making this decision, the NCAA has opened up their legislation to cover the transgressions of school employees that have nothing to do with athletic performance.
There were five key people responsible for the atrocities that occurred at Penn State: Jerry Sandusky, who will spend the rest of his life behind bars, Joe Paterno, who passed away shortly after being fired and whose reputation takes a hit with every emerging detail about the cover-up of Sandusky's actions, former university President Graham Spanier, former Vice President Gary Schultz and former Athletic Director Tim Curley, who are all out of their jobs and may face jail time. Those five individuals allowed young children to be victimized and prioritized a football program and a school over innocent kids. It is clear that they broke the law and will be punished accordingly.
The key phrase there is "they broke the law," a set of rules that governs our society in this country and that was not created by the NCAA and that the NCAA has no right to punish for. The NCAA does not need to play police and judge and jury; this country already has those in place.
Banning the Nittany Lions from bowl games and conference championships for the next four seasons does not punish anyone who was involved in the Sandusky affair. Neither does slashing the football program's scholarships or fining the school $60 million or allowing Penn State's team to become a group of free agents for football coaches across the country to go after. The punishment will be felt by the current administration and the current coaching staff and players, who did nothing wrong.
There are plenty of opportunities for the NCAA to send a message to a program. They just should do it when their rules are actually broken. Schools like Southern California, Ohio State and North Carolina all broke NCAA rules and were punished accordingly. Penn State, no matter how awful the actions of their coaches and administrators, did not break those rules. Yet they will feel the wrath more than anyone.
Every college program in the country should be on pins and needles. Pandora's box has been opened, and who knows where the line will be drawn on the NCAA's power? What will happen if, tomorrow morning, it's revealed that Steve Spurrier got a DUI? Would the Gamecocks lose scholarships for next season? Or what if the individual in question is no longer employed by the university, the way Sandusky and Paterno no longer work for Penn State? Arkansas's head coach last season, Bobby Petrino, gave a job to an unqualified individual and lied to police when telling them about his motorcycle wreck. Are the Razorbacks banned from a bowl this year? Will punishment come down every time an assistant coach is issued a speeding ticket, regardless of the actions of the judicial system and the school itself?
The landscape of college athletics shifted on Monday morning, and no one should feel good about the direction it's going.
