In response to Penn State’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. (NCAA) has imposed a $60 million sanction on the university, a four-year post-season ban and a vacation of all wins from 1998 through 2011.
Penn State must also reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period, and it will be placed on probation for five years. In addition, the NCAA reserves the right to impose additional sanctions on involved individuals at the conclusion of any criminal proceedings.
“By perpetuating a ‘football first’ culture that ultimately enabled serial child sexual abuse to occur, The Pennsylvania State University leadership failed to value and uphold institutional integrity, resulting in a breach of the NCAA constitution and rules,” the NCAA said in today’s statement.
The organization recognized that student-athletes are not responsible for these events and worked to minimize the impact of its sanctions on current and incoming football student-athletes. Any entering or returning student-athlete will be allowed to immediately transfer and compete at another school. Further, any football student-athletes who remain at the university may retain their scholarships, regardless of whether they compete on the team.
The NCAA is also requiring that Penn State enter into an “Athletics Integrity Agreement.” It also must adopt all Freeh Report recommendations and appoint an independent, NCAA-selected Athletics Integrity Monitor, who will oversee compliance with the agreement.
Related Articles:
- Jury Finds Sandusky Guilty on 45 Sex Abuse Charges
- Freeh Finds Penn State Top Brass, Paterno Concealed Facts About Sandusky Allegations
- Penn State Responds to Freeh Report, Promises Changes
- Child Sex Abuse: It’s More Common Than You Think
