Penn State receives 4-year ban from College Football Postseason

By Kevin Kelley -
NCAA president Mark Emmert
NCAA president Mark Emmert (L) announces the decision while NCAA Executive Committee chair Ed Ray looks on. (Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE)

The NCAA handed down a stiff punishment to Penn State this morning for their involvement in the child sex abuse scandal that centered on former coach Jerry Sandusky.

As a result, the Nittany Lions have been issued a four-year postseason ban beginning with the 2012-13 academic year and expiring after the 2015-16 academic year.

This means that Penn State will not be able to participate in the Big Ten Championship Game, a bowl game, or the new four-team college football playoff until after the 2015 season.

In their statement today, the NCAA said that Penn State University perpetuated a “football first” culture that “ultimately enabled serial child sexual abuse to occur.”

“As we evaluated the situation, the victims affected by Jerry Sandusky and the efforts by many to conceal his crimes informed our actions,” said Emmert. “At our core, we are educators. Penn State leadership lost sight of that.”

In addition to the postseason ban, Penn State as hit with several other sanctions. Listed below are the complete sanctions as announced by the NCAA:

$60 million fine. The NCAA imposes a $60 million fine, equivalent to the approximate average of one year’s gross revenues from the Penn State football program, to be paid over a five-year period beginning in 2012 into an endowment for programs preventing child sexual abuse and/or assisting the victims of child sexual abuse. The minimum annual payment will be $12 million until the $60 million is paid.  The proceeds of this fine may not be used to fund programs at the University. No current sponsored athletic team may be reduced or eliminated in order to fund this fine.

Four-year postseason ban. The NCAA imposes a four-year postseason ban on participation in postseason play in the sport of football, beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2015-2016 academic year. Therefore, the University’s football team shall end its 2012 season and each season through 2015 with the playing if its last regularly scheduled, in-season contest and shall not be eligible to participate in any postseason competition, including a conference championship, any bowl game, or any postseason playoff competition.

Four-year reduction of grants-in-aid. For a period of four years commencing with the 2013-2014 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 academic year, the NCAA imposes a limit of 15 initial grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 25 allowed) and for a period of four years commencing with the 2014-2015 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 academic year a limit of 65 total grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 85 allowed) for football during each of those specified years. In the event the total number of grants-in-aid drops below 65, the University may award grants-in-aid to non-scholarship student-athletes who have been members of the football program as allowed under Bylaw 15.5.6.3.6.

Five years of probation. The NCAA imposes this period of probation, which will include the appointment of an on-campus, independent Integrity Monitor and periodic reporting as detailed in the Corrective Component of this Consent Decree. Failure to comply with the Consent Decree during this probationary period may result in additional, more severe sanctions.

Vacation of wins since 1998. The NCAA vacates all wins of the Penn State football team from 1998 to 2011. The career record of Coach “Joe” Paterno will reflect the vacated records.

Waiver of transfer rules and grant-in-aid retention. Any entering or returning football student-athlete will be allowed to immediately transfer and will be eligible to immediately compete at the transfer institution, provided he is otherwise eligible. Any football student-athlete who wants to remain at the University may retain his athletic grant-in-aid, as long as he meets and maintains applicable academic requirements, regardless of whether he competes on the football team.

Individual penalties to be determined. The NCAA reserves the right to initiate a formal investigatory and disciplinary process and impose sanctions on individuals after the conclusion of any criminal proceedings related to any individual involved.

Comments (16)

Not the death penealty, but about as close as you can get to it. I’d expect to see a lot of players transfer. I would.

sad day in sports

Sandusky destroyed a proud program – sorry to see this happen but even more sorry that it was allowed to happen or covered up by people that were suppose to protect those that were abused..

Joe Pa drove to work every morning after 1998 or at least 2001 knowing what Sandusky was up to. He saw him at atletic functions, in and around the athletic facilities, on and around campus and probably in his home over the holidays and did nothing. Joe Pa destroyed the very program he built.

TOO LIENIANT!!! USC got the same for one players family getting some money, PSU should be awarded a 250 million dollar fine, loss of a football program for10 years and removed from the Big Ten Conference.

USC got a couple years probation, which included no postseason play, and a scholarship reduction (as well as wins being vacated).

PSU is on probation longer, pays a large fine and loses more scholarships over time. Loss of the program for 10 years would be unwarranted.

all sanctions should be dropped, the Freeh report is a myth, get the truth of how Saint Joe and the university was framed…

Very disappointing for Pennsylvania State University. There’s no other way to describe it. Just about everybody should be very disappointed in Penn State Football. There’s no doubt that Penn State will never win another National Championship in ANY sport. Penn State should be cursed forever.

We (Penn State) will probably win national title(s) in wrestling. If you believe that “nature abhors a vacuum” — this is an opportunity of sorts for Penn State’s basketball, hockey, wrestling teams to get more fan support and attention. That assumes the “stink” from the football program will be athletic-department wide (I don’t think it will be), but only time will tell.

Penn State got screwed. Emmett overstepped his authority. No more checks on NCAA power going forward.

I’m a long way from Penn. St.. No fan of Penn. St. or anyone in the Big Ten. I therefore feel unbiased. What that Sandusky did! Joe Paterno obviously suspected his child abuse if he was not downright sure. Paterno did nothing but send e-mails checking damage control! The University President, the AD and Paterno allowed that perversion to continue at the University for more than a decade longer! IMO there is no NCAA Penalty on earth that is too severe for that institution, not even if they bulldozed the place! You Penn St. fans rolled snake eyes with slime ball Joe! Absolute power corrupts absolutely!

The Freeh report is full of myths and misconceptions… get the truth before blasting someone, that is very ignorant…

I can not stomach when people say, “If JokePa had done more” Actually if JokePa had done less…we would not be in this situation. When “the almighty one” decided not to turn in Sandusky in 2001 for God only knows what reason…Ped State is lucky they still have a football team because naturally the NCAA got it wrong…again. The fine levied on them should have been 14 times 60 million or approximaately 850 million dollars and a 14 year death penalty.