Penn State Fined $60 Million By NCAA

By Tom Herrmann | July 23 2012 10:48 AM

Sandusky, was convicted of sexually abusing young boys throughout his tenure at Penn State, which the Penn State has been accused of concealing from the public. Monday morning, The Associated Press reported that the NCAA hit Penn State with the costly fine, saying that the school has perpetuated football first culture that must change.

NCAA.com

Mark Emmert, the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently dealt a "death penalty" to Penn State following the prolonged sexual abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and other high-ranking school officials.

Sponsorship Link

The LA Times reports that the $60 million fine is not the only penalty the Penn State will be facing. The NCAA has also issued a four-year ban for the football team after this season, five-year probation for all Penn State sports, the vacating of all football wins from 1998 through 2011, and four-year scholarship reduced from 25 to 15.

Penalties of this magnitude are unprecedented from the NCAA, with NCAA President, Mark Emmert even stating, This is a very distinct and very unique circumstance. Emmert is now the only NCAA president to take action that needed special approval from the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors - a panel of college presidents and chancellors.

Referred to as the death penalty, the NCAA has tight restrictions as to what colleges it can be impeded on. Schools must first be on probation to be eligible, like SMU in the 80's, which temporarily lost its football program the last time the death penalty was dealt.

The NCAA death penalty could have a devastating impact on Penn State, as well as the economies of surrounding areas that are directly affected by the success of Penn State football.

Speaking with The Associated Press, Kayla Weaver, a Penn State senior and dancer, claims that the death penalty could have an impact on groups other than football players, like cheerleaders, band members, and dancers. It could ruin everything that we've built here, said Weaver.

The Penn State scandal, ultimately resulting in the death penalty by the NCAA, started after a mother of a boy reported that her son had been sexually abused. As the investigation went on, it was found that the assaults could be traced back at least fifteen years and as early as the 70's, and also involved the sexual victimization of at least ten young boys by Sandusky.

As the investigation went on, high-level school officials were charged with lying to the grand jury investigating Sandusky, according to Fox News. Several officials stepped down from their positions with the school, as media attention began to focus on the administration's attempt to keep the abuses a secret.

Penn State recently removed their statue of the late Joe Paterno, who died of lung cancer approximately six months prior. The university had the statue taken down after a case was built that Paterno had been involved in covering up sexual abuses by Sandusky, as reported by Yahoo! Sports.