RANT WARNING | One Word Describes Sanctions Against Penn State…

That word is Pretentious.


Ok, so I may be all wrong about this. I will admit that right up front. I am not a Penn State or Paterno fan. When I saw the news conference about the sanctions imposed I was incensed.

I think that the actions or in-actions of those in power during the period that Jerry Sandusky was terrorizing and abusing children were despicable. The cover up of these abuses and the failure of the leadership of Penn State to do something as soon as the allegations came to light cannot be accurately described. This entire situation is terrible. There are no winners. Joe Paterno’s name is mud. All that he worked for has been completely dismantled by a failure of moral courage.

Here is where I am mad because of what the NCAA did. Why is the ENTIRE Penn State community getting hit with these stupendous fines and penalties when the people responsible kept them in the dark? How is doing this going to bring about the “intended cultural changes” needed at the school. The culture is changed, people. Penn State will never be the same. Ever.

Trying to make an example of an institution makes about as much sense as trying to kill a ghost. Penn State the institution is not self-aware. It does not run itself. The university is amoral. The problem was the people in charge who lacked any sense of personal honor and were more interested in covering their own behinds. Why is nobody going after them? Why are they not being tried and convicted of their roles. Oh, they got fired. That makes it all right now? The student body, faculty and community surrounding Penn State should not have to pay like this. This is ridiculous.

A few years ago in the political world we were told that there were institutions that were too big to fail. Now, we find out that there are times when something is too big, and it should fail. Give me a brake. Then we are told that the option of completely suspending the program would have unintended harm to people who were not involved. Please! The NCAA has essentially amputated both legs of the Penn State football program. They may never recover from this.

I do not have a problem with the sanctions. I just can not stand all the moralizing that was included in the press conference. The NCAA is just trying to make itself look better because in the end they failed to keep tabs on a member school.

I may be all wrong. But, something about all this does not sit well with me.