Joe Paterno’s legacy at Penn State is currently being wiped clean. The statue honoring him in front of Beaver Stadium has been completely removed just like the wins he attained during his tenure as head football coach. The sanctions handed down to Penn State today are very harsh but, many believe the entire program should have been axed.
(CBS/AP) The NCAA imposed a harsh set of sanctions on Penn State Monday, less than two weeks after an independent investigation found that football coach Joe Paterno and other senior school leaders failed to stop former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky from sexually abusing children on campus.
NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the association was banning the football team from all post-season play and bowl games for four years, reducing the program’s number of scholarships from 25 to 15 per year for four years, and fining the program $60 million. The association also vacated all of the program’s wins between 1998 and 2011.
“Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,” Emmert said.
The program will also be on probation for five years. Current Penn State players will immediately be allowed to transfer without sitting out a year, Emmert said. One coach told CBSSports.com last week that Penn State recruits were already calling him trying to gauge interest in their talents.
When asked about Paterno’s role in the scandal, Emmert said the NCAA decided to withhold judgment on individuals.
