STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — As a result of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, Penn State’s football program could be shut down by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) via the “death penalty,” the organization’s harshest sanction.
The penalty would ban the program from competing for up to two years, essentially forcing the university to start from scratch, NJ.com reports. The only other football program to receive the “death penalty” was Southern Methodist University after an investigation in 1986 found that players were being paid.
The “death penalty” might not be the most effective route, USA Today reports. If the NCAA uses Bylaw 3.2.5 (Loss of Active Membership), NCAA members — not the NCAA Committee on Infractions —would vote on the football program’s fate. Penalties could include terminating or suspending Penn State’s NCAA membership.
In a statement issued this past Thursday in response to Former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s report, NCAA’s Vice President of Communications Bob Williams said, “Like everyone else, we are reviewing the final report for the first time today. As President Emmert wrote in his November 17th letter to Penn State President Rodney Erickson and reiterated this week, the university has four key questions, concerning compliance with institutional control and ethics policies, to which it now needs to respond. Penn State’s response to the letter will inform our next steps, including whether or not to take further action. We expect Penn State’s continued cooperation in our examination of these issues.”
Related Articles:
- Penn State Responds to Freeh Report, Promises Changes
- Freeh Finds Penn State Top Brass, Paterno Concealed Facts About Sandusky Child Sex Abuse
- Child Sex Abuse: It’s More Prevalent Than You Think
- Ex Penn State Official: No One Dared to Confront Paterno
- Penn State President Seeks to Downplay Football
- States Rush to Toughen Abuse Reporting Laws
