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‘Death Penalty’ Would Be an Act of Mercy for Penn State Football
Time ^ | Tuesday 17 July 2012 | Sean Gregory

Posted on 07/17/2012 6:32:19 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

In a PBS interview broadcast Monday night, NCAA president Mark Emmert refused to take “anything off the table” regarding its possible punishment of Penn State University in the wake of the damning Freeh Report. The results of former FBI director Louis Freeh’s investigation, released last week, concluded that top Penn State officials — including former President Graham Spanier and former head coach Joe Paterno — “repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse from the authorities” in order to “avoid the consequences of bad publicity.”

So the so-called “death penalty” for Penn State football is possible. And though that punishment seems particularly severe — and totally unwarranted, according to Penn State supporters — it’s actually an act of mercy. Plus, the consequences can be very productive, both on and off the field.

The “death penalty” sounds much worse than it is. It’s actually a temporary shut-down of a college football program. In the 1980s, SMU’s football team got a one-year sentence, and took another year off to regroup, because players were being paid from a slush fund. (You can certainly argue that SMU should be lauded, not punished, for allowing revenue-producing players to get a piece of the college football revenue pie). If Penn State sat out, say, this upcoming year, the players could retain their eligibility for next season. So a current senior, for example, would be able to play in 2013. An incoming freshman could still play four years of football at Penn State.

(Excerpt) Read more at keepingscore.blogs.time.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: football; joepa; ncaa; paterno; pedostate; pennstate; sandusky; sports
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1 posted on 07/17/2012 6:32:24 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican
If football doesn't exist at Penn State:

Good news for Ohio State's Buckeyes.

2 posted on 07/17/2012 6:38:04 PM PDT by Rudder
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To: MinorityRepublican

Five years, in my opinion. Let the players transfer to other schools or keep their scholarships, since it isn’t their fault.


3 posted on 07/17/2012 6:41:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Five years is minimum. It allows a full “generation” to pass at Penn state before they start over.


4 posted on 07/17/2012 6:44:13 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: Vince Ferrer
Forever or one year for each victim.
5 posted on 07/17/2012 6:46:20 PM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I agree - 5 years minimum. No football, no recruitment, no play. If this kind of activity does not warrant this then nothing does. The whole institution is lousy with self preservation and criminal conduct.

Sorry that is affects the current players but that is just too bad. They can always transfer if they are good players.


6 posted on 07/17/2012 6:46:26 PM PDT by Deagle
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To: Deagle
Sorry that is affects the current players but that is just too bad.

They'll learn a valuable life lesson that silence and complicity can have serious consequences.

7 posted on 07/17/2012 6:50:25 PM PDT by lightman (Adjutorium nostrum (+) in nomine Domini--nevertheless, Vote Santorum!)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Doesn’t matter to me, but I don’t see a reason to shut it down at all.
Coaches are all gone, new students now, President fired...

now if the board will resign...


8 posted on 07/17/2012 6:50:36 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion ("I'm comfortable with a Romney win." - Pres. Jimmy Carter)
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To: Deagle

Agree!


9 posted on 07/17/2012 6:52:56 PM PDT by jaz.357
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To: MinorityRepublican

Looking like a good class

10 posted on 07/17/2012 6:54:28 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion ("I'm comfortable with a Romney win." - Pres. Jimmy Carter)
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To: MinorityRepublican

why just the football program???

the former president, VP and the AD were also involved in the cover-up- the VP and AD are charged with perjury ....

no one on the PSU football team today was involved in anything w/sandusky...if its going to be the death penalty it should be all PSU sports considering the amount of decision makers involved in the cover-up...


11 posted on 07/17/2012 6:59:06 PM PDT by God luvs America (63.5million pay no federal income tax then vote demoKrat)
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To: Deagle
Sorry that is affects the current players but that is just too bad. They can always transfer if they are good players.

If they were recruited by Penn State, they are good players and will not lack for schools seeking their transfer. This program needs to be shut down - by Penn State if the NCAA doesn't have the guts. The coaching staff that Paterno put together, steeped in a culture which viewed raped children in terms of how they might affect the football program, needs to be disbanded.
12 posted on 07/17/2012 7:04:39 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: God luvs America

I must agree with you. I also must point out how invalid is the NCAA. I’m a fan of The U and the current issues there, which turned out to be pretty much non-issues, were presented to the NCAA. The NCAA discovered nothing. As a former student-athlete who competed against OSU, I can say that everyone knew what was happening there, the NCAA chose to ignore what their cash cow was doing. Penn State? The NCAA is pointless. Oh yeah, they make a lot of money off the hard work of student-athletes and then bust them if someone buys them a Coke.


13 posted on 07/17/2012 7:24:06 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: Rudder

“If football doesn’t exist at Penn State:
Good news for Ohio State’s Buckeyes.

The Bucks are on probation and barred from the big 10 championship game and any bowl games this year.


14 posted on 07/17/2012 7:30:13 PM PDT by staytrue
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To: goodwithagun

the NCAA is the perfect liberal organization; completely hypocritical and completely full of BS....how Miami and UNC did not receive massive sanctions proves as much....

the fact there’s been little investigating into what went down at the U and clinton crony donna shallalah, who was knee deep in the shapiro issue, remains untouched, is further proof how they won’t go near the $$$ makers...


15 posted on 07/17/2012 7:30:58 PM PDT by God luvs America (63.5million pay no federal income tax then vote demoKrat)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Since it’s really ALL about the money, take that away from them.
Otherwise, there is really no actual punishment for their institutionalized looking the other way.

Close their football program down for at least five years, let them have to earn from the scholastic aspect of the university.

They DO teach something more than football?

Slash coach salaries too**, pay them the same as other instructors, less incentive to sacrifice children for $$$$$$$!

If the football program never recovers it’s former “Glory”, that’s a consequence they have deserved.

And pull down the stinking Paterno statue too!

**Slashing coach salaries should be done everywhere, too many coaches make more than state governors!
They take state funds, so the state should have a say.
If pro-ball wants to continue using the colleges as a farm system, let them put money into the ENTIRE university, not just the pockets of players essentially winning a lottery.


16 posted on 07/17/2012 7:35:38 PM PDT by Loyal Sedition
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To: MinorityRepublican

It is time for Penn State to clean house.


17 posted on 07/17/2012 7:38:29 PM PDT by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: MinorityRepublican
Louis Freeh’s investigation, released last week, concluded that top Penn State officials — including former President Graham Spanier and former head coach Joe Paterno — “repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse from the authorities”

Shut down football at Penn State until the last rape victim has died of old age...

18 posted on 07/17/2012 7:39:23 PM PDT by GOPJ (Innocent people dying was the objective of Fast and Furious......... Ann Coulter)
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To: God luvs America

There was a ton of investigation that happened at The U: Then it sank in that the NCAA was listening to a convicted liar.


19 posted on 07/17/2012 7:45:11 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Correct, time to cut this ugly beast’s throat. Remove all of those that were involved and send to a State Penn. They know who they are.


20 posted on 07/17/2012 8:00:54 PM PDT by Busko
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