Death Penalty for PSU?

[TransAm]

I know we've got some sports fans on this board. What do you guys think about giving Penn State the death penalty?

[DEAR_JOHN]

Originally Posted by TransAm

I know we've got some sports fans on this board. What do you guys think about giving Penn State the death penalty?

Nope. Sandusky will never have a moment where he's a free man. Paterno is dead. Most of the current players and coaches had no part in what happened. Why punish them for something that happened a few years ago?

Live and let live, move on.

[TransAm]

That's exactly my take too, DJ, just curious as to whether I was all alone on this one.

[TheDon]

What Penn State did was way worse than what SMU did. They should be gone for at least 2-3 seasons.

The players can just transfer, it's not that difficult.

[starflash]

Don't see why the players should be penalized..........They already are going to suffer the Sandusky era stigma for the rest of their lives.........However, virtually everybody in the University Administration, and the Athletic Dept who had even the most remote knowledge of what was going on, should be cleared out and replaced ASAP..........

[pyramider]

PSU did not cheat, they only covered up. NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. I do not see morals or ethics mentioned. The NCAA is grasping at straws and would probably lose a legal battle instituting the death penalty in this case.

PSU is going to be punished. The civil courts will be full of actions against PSU for years. Between judgements, legal fees, and settlements ... PSU will be out hundreds of millions. Paterno's estate can be out millions. The Second Mile Foundation can be out millions.

[TransAm]

Agree, pyramider.

TheDon: WHO at Penn State do you believe still needs to be punished. I agree that the situation is, in its way, much worse than SMU. But it's also a much more contained scandal, with fewer people involved. Since the involved parties are all gone, who is left at Penn State that you think has somehow escaped justice?

[TheDon]

Eh, just everyone who was in charge. I don't want to see anyone there profiting off of games for a couple years, just sounds dirty. Plus, during the games, all anyone is going to think about were the kids getting raped. That's how it felt when they played UH in the last game of the season. Take them out for a while and people will accept them back when they feel like they've learned the lesson.

The players don't have to be "punished," just let them transfer, most of the better players are probably going to do so anyway.

They should remove that Peterno statue as well, I think.

[DEAR_JOHN]

Originally Posted by TheDon

Eh, just everyone who was in charge. I don't want to see anyone there profiting off of games for a couple years, just sounds dirty. Plus, during the games, all anyone is going to think about were the kids getting raped. That's how it felt when they played UH in the last game of the season. Take them out for a while and people will accept them back when they feel like they've learned the lesson.

The players don't have to be "punished," just let them transfer, most of the better players are probably going to do so anyway.

They should remove that Peterno statue as well, I think.

Originally Posted by pyramider

PSU did not cheat, they only covered up. NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. I do not see morals or ethics mentioned. The NCAA is grasping at straws and would probably lose a legal battle instituting the death penalty in this case.

PSU is going to be punished. The civil courts will be full of actions against PSU for years. Between judgements, legal fees, and settlements ... PSU will be out hundreds of millions. Paterno's estate can be out millions. The Second Mile Foundation can be out millions.

No doubt pyramider summed it up the best.

[NorthWood]

PSU needs to concentrate on just academics and ethics for 5 years.

[TransAm]

TheDon: I note you use the phrase "everyone who WAS in charge". And that's what I'm asking. If there isn't anybody else remaining that was involved/knowledgable about the coverup, do you still favor the death penalty? If so, why?

[Trey]

I favor the death penalty. The reason is to teach a lesson, and make an example. I view the school as its own entity purging a few bad apples in no way makes up for what happened.

the reason for the cover up was fear of what would happen if it got out. so for ten years ass rape went on. A year or two of no football ain't that bad.

[TransAm]

Trey: I don't really understand that thinking, for two reasons.

1). Paterno and Penn State would have earned serious positive publicity for being open about it if they'd come forward, especially given that it would have meant Paterno was turning in a friend. So the "bad press" meme doesn't make much sense to me.

2). I'm not sure it creates the disincentive to cover up that you seem to think it does. Say you're an assistant coach, and you spot the scene in the shower. You know that if you go to your superiors, and THEY don't handle it appropriately, down the road the program could get punished, and you're potentially out of a job. Are you saying it's completely farfetched to say that the death penalty here could actually encourage people to try to cover up more effectively?

The evidence so far is that there's 5 named people that KNEW about it (Paterno, Spanier, Curley, Shultz, and Sandusky himself), McQueery, and some unnamed janitors. Leaving the janitors to the side, since all 5 of those people are gone, and the only remaining coach still on staff who was even THERE during the events was McQueery, it seems like you're saying you need to punish the institution itself. The "institution" is paper, it can't go to the police, it can't take responsibility. So who else are you saying needs to go?

NOTHING is going to "make up for what happened". Only time can heal those wounds. And a lot of civil damages to pay for therapy.

[Seedy]

Originally Posted by NorthWood

PSU needs to concentrate on just academics and ethics for 5 years.

They did that Paterno's entire tenure as coach. Among the highest or the highest graduation rate of among all the big football programs. And the kids didn't take basket weaving classes either...

[CivilBarrister]

PSU took Paterno's statute, which was in front of Beaver stadium, down this morning.

Moved into stadium, not sure where.