Jerry Sandusky's abuse - Penn State fined $60m

[Camy]

Penn State fined $60m over Jerry Sandusky sex abuse

US college sport authorities have fined Penn State University $60m (£39m) in the wake of child sex abuse perpetrated by a long-serving football coach.

The university - a famous US football school - will be banned from competing for honours for four years, and lose all wins from 1998-2011.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said the punishments were "corrective and punitive".

Assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of sex abuse.

He abused 10 boys over a period of 15 years, a court found, judging him to have preyed on boys he met through a charity, Second Mile, that he founded himself.

Sandusky has not been sentenced but could spend the rest of his life in prison.

The NCAA said the fines were equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the Penn State football programme.

The money is to be given to an endowment funding external programmes to prevent child abuse and help victims.

"Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," NCAA President Mark Emmert said. "The sanctions needed to reflect our goals of providing cultural change."

Other NCAA sanctions against Penn State include:

A ban on participating in post-season games - or playoffs - for four years, including the 2012-2013 season

Number of football scholarships limited for the next four years, a reduction of 10 places per year

Football wins revoked between 1998-2011

A five-year probation on all sports at Penn State

Adoption of all recommendations for reform in Section 10 of an FBI investigation into abuse at Penn State

Appointment of an NCAA-selected Athletics Integrity Monitor for five years

Further penalties against individuals could come after criminal proceedings end.

Correspondents say the sanctions are unprecedented in their severity, although the NCAA did not impose the "death penalty" and close the entire football programme.

Read the rest

Although I don't know a lot about this, I'm amazed they've punished the School so hard... unless there was a major and intentional cover-up of Sandusky's crimes.

Edited to add:

Now I know more I'm utterly shocked. That this went on for so long without someone stepping in is apalling.

Former FBI chief Louis Freeh said: "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps (for 14 years)... to protect the children who Sandusky victimised."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18817095

[JamesSavik]

As usual, the NCAA is busy beating a horse that isn't going to get any deader.

The coaches have been fired.

The administrators have been fired.

They are punishing a whole lot of people who had absolutely nothing to do with the problem.

[colinian]

As usual, the NCAA is busy beating a horse that isn't going to get any deader.

The coaches have been fired.

The administrators have been fired.

They are punishing a whole lot of people who had absolutely nothing to do with the problem.

You're right, James. The football players and others in sports programs supported by Penn State's football income will come out on the short end of the stick. The kids who came to Penn State on sports scholarships may have them revoked. Many businesses near the campus that depended on the football game crowds bringing in money that supported them through the rest of the year will find their income significantly reduced.

Those who thought up these penalties didn't think about unintended consequences.

Colin

[dude]

Only Sandusky will profit... hear he's working on his memoirs.... From Penn State to.... State Penn!

[Paul_and_Paco]

I am not sure. If the penalties are not stringent enough, what is to inspire the school to do the right things in the future? Yes, people can get hurt financially. It is a penalty. The university generates almost $2 billion, that is BILLION, in annual revenue. If the $60 million fine, the budget for the athletic program for one year, hurts them or the penalties constrain scholarships... not. Maybe they will be a bit more vigilant in the future.

Their university police dropped the ballrefusing to file charges, as well as District Attorney Gricar who disappeared before testifying. Too many people covering up a popular sports program, again. Shame.

[The Pecman]

And the stories are coming out that Sandusky's fellow prisoners are singing Pink Floyd's "The Wall" to him:

"hey... teacher! Leave them kids alone!"

[TracyMN]

Camy, thank you for the links. The timeline alone in the Independent Investigative report is heartbreaking, and clearly indicates a system designed to operate independent of outside interference, entitled to govern itself as it sees fit, with no regard for the laws of society as a whole, the rules and regulations of licensing boards of academic institutions and their associated athletic departments, and, as one would expect, an institutionalized closed-system of power and influence, with a highly skewed sense of responsibility, overly concerned with reputation and willing to go to great lengths to protect it's own, with no interest or concern, or FEAR, of consequences associated with behavior with the confines of the system.

Unfortunate as it may be, suffering the consequences of behavior or administrative decision is a common occurance, and often to more devasting effect than a benched football program, its a game, and extra-cirricular at that; a few million dollars of a 2 billion dollar endowment is about as devastating as a speeding ticket; Enron employees lost their life savings.

The report is 267 pages, and if the devil is in the details, and the above is my response to the timeline, I'm in for a rough night. But these were young boys, at least some of them 11 years old (and for Penn State officials to allow, much less support, a program for middle school age boys that was the dreamchild of a man they knew to prey on that very age group,,,), who had to be thinking they were the luckiest kids in the world-- every ounce of sympathy I have in me is going to them first, and Penn State, which had every advantage and wasted it all on a worthless p.o.s, will have to look elsewhere.

OK bye. <g>