Penn State Sandusky scandal

Parent Cafe
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<p>[Don’t</a> Worry, Graham Spanier’s Top Secret Government Clearance Proves He Did Nothing Wrong, Says Graham Spanier’s Lawyers - Crossing Broad](<a href=“http://www.crossingbroad.com/2012/07/dont-worry-graham-spaniers-top-secret-government-clearance-proves-he-did-nothing-wrong-says-graham-s.html]Don’t”>Don't Worry, Graham Spanier's Top Secret Government Clearance Proves He Did Nothing Wrong, Says Graham Spanier's Lawyers - Crossing Broad)</p>

<p>What, you thought the case involving a famous football coach raping boys in a shower that includes a dead legend, a missing DA, a former FBI director, possibly the governor, and an airplane flying over a university threatening the hostile takedown of a bronze statue wasn’t going to get weirder? Well! You’re wrong.</p>

<p>[The</a> 1994 Christian Children’s Fund Scandal Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names](<a href=“http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/11/15/the-1994-christian-childrens-fund-scandal/]The”>The 1994 Christian Children's Fund Scandal - CounterPunch.org)
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
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17
A Precursor to the Penn State Debacle
The 1994 Christian Children’s Fund Scandal
by THOMAS H. NAYLOR
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier’s connection to the university’s football related sex scandal was not his first brush with scandal involving a major organization under his watch. In 1994, while he was Chancellor of the University of Nebraska, Spanier was also Chairman of the Board of the Christian Children’s Fund, the largest child sponsorship organization in the world, located in Richmond, Virginia. After serving on the CCF board myself for two years, in March, 1994, I was kicked off the board for whistle blowing. Subsequently, I went public with my charges of corruption against the $112 million organization, which claimed to support 400,000 children in 40 countries, whose board Spanier chaired.</p>

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<p>LasMa</p>

<p>I find it interesting that you decry Penn State as so excessively attached to the football program that it lost its moral compass as though it is an anomaly or aberration. Regretfully, I would contend that is a disturbing illustration of our nation’s excessive worship and corresponding fixation of sports and sports figures in general. Moreover, you can point to immoral, indeed criminal behavior, by NFL sports figures and still the team is supported, the stands are filled and the court of public opinion concerns itself with injury updates and what snacks are on the menu.</p>

<p>Not saying what the fix, just saying.</p>

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<p>[State</a> College, PA - Penn State Football: 4 Alternatives to the Death Penalty as University Prepares to Submit Response to NCAA Inquiry](<a href=“http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/penn-state-football-4-alternatives-to-the-death-penalty-as-university-prepares-to-submit-response-to-ncaa-inquiry-1093817/]State”>http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/penn-state-football-4-alternatives-to-the-death-penalty-as-university-prepares-to-submit-response-to-ncaa-inquiry-1093817/)</p>

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<p>From above link:

I don’t think the point of giving Penn State football the death penalty is to hurt Penn State.</p>

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<p>interesting column this morning in USA today regarding NCAA violations:</p>

<p>“And here’s a possible NCAA violation few are talking about: Didn’t Penn State in fact derive a competitive advantage that would fall under the NCAA’s purview from the massive cover-up of the Sandusky sexual assaults? Penn State created an entirely false image of high integrity and impeccable character under Paterno that allowed it to recruit some of the best players in the country, generate hundreds of millions of dollars in football revenue and keep Paterno, thereby providing unprecedented coaching stability that no doubt was attractive to the nation’s top recruits.”</p>

<p>[Brennan:</a> Penn State leadership stuck in the Bronze Age ? USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/story/2012-07-18/penn-state-leaders-sandusky-paterno-statue-lack-of-action/56321182/1]Brennan:”>http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/story/2012-07-18/penn-state-leaders-sandusky-paterno-statue-lack-of-action/56321182/1)</p>

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<p>Spanier had plenty of experience “looking the other way” while criminal activities were going on involving members of a major college football program. His tenure at U of Nebraska coincided with the multiple legal run-ins of Lawrence Phillips and other members of the Cornhuskers which were swept under the rug by Tom Osborne. Let’s see…large university in a relatively isolated area, football dominates everything else, a coach who is revered as if they were a god, law enforcement at all levels who fail to do their jobs, and Graham Spanier at the helm of the university. Anyone else see a pattern? Those who do not learn from history…</p>

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<p>The discussions about whether to shut down PSU football made me think of an analogy–if you’re arrested for drunk driving, the penalty is relatively mild, even if you do it more than once. Unless you kill somebody–then, we’ll put you in jail. I’ve never understood this.</p>

<p>Will giving PSU the “death penalty” encourage all the other colleges with similar football cultures to make changes? Or will they just be like the drunk drivers who are happy that they weren’t the ones who killed somebody–this time?</p>

<p>I’m not necessarily saying PSU shouldn’t have its program suspended–I’m still on the fence about that–but doing that doesn’t really address the systemic problem.</p>

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<p>Personally I think the editorial Greenbutton posted above is closer to what the outcome will probably be but I’ve been surprised before what goes on behind the scenes. The NCAA got their warning shot out and I noticed the soundbite got picked up by national mainstream media but since the criminal activity is outside of the NCAA purview, my money is on things like discussed in the editorial.</p>

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<p>Hunt,</p>

<p>I am hoping that a death penatly helps change the culture at PSU. If it helps change culture elsewhere, that’s good, but at least it should help PSU be an even better school. The Freeh report does indicate that the school should get better control of the sports programs, but it remains to see what will be done. By giving a death penalty, it gives a chance for academics to drive the school. They can institute controls and programs with less push back. I would like to see the President ask the Faculty Senate for their recommendations, publicly, and that their recommendations be public. </p>

<p>That the President did not immediately move the statue to a basement, until a decision can be made speaks volumnes. It is shocking to me how little the school has done. Yes, they talk about charitable contributions, but those contributions are a fraction of what the football program makes – its just another cost. </p>

<p>At least the NCAA is taking this seriously. IMHO, there is no.way. they can deny post-season to Caltech for a technical violation and not give a death penalty for this.</p>

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<p>I don’t disagree with you, and I didn’t mean to give the impression that I think Penn State is the only college where Big Sports has supplanted other values which a university is supposed to hold dear. It is, as far as I know, the only program which has harbored a pedophile, which certainly makes it the worst example, but it is by no means the only one.</p>

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<p>Momof3, in YOUR opinion, criminal activity is outside th scope of the NCAA. When it occurs in athletic buildings, with the coach looking the other way, others disagree. Its not like some kid went off and committed a crime off campus.</p>

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Is that true, that there other colleges with similar football cultures? I’m asking seriously because I don’t know. Are there other colleges where the football coach has so much power? Where they erect a shrine to him? Where his “greatness” is so instilled in the community that people need time to grieve and adjust to the fact that maybe he wasn’t so great?</p>

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<p>I posted this in another CC thread but I thought it should also go here,</p>

<p>Headline in Academe Today for 7.19.2012:</p>

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<p>The article is password protected so I’ll not post any of it, but it relates to the possibility under the conference rules of a member having to show cause why it should not be expelled or suspended if it retains employees who provide intentionally false or inaccurate information during an investigation.</p>

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<p>Alabama and Wisconsin come to mind, but at least Barry isn’t coaching anymore.</p>

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<p>re: 6551…in this case, I believe it is a situation that is highly unusual for the NCAA to be involved in and is a precedence setting situation and does not fall into the norm of what they typically get involved in. I believe it a unique situation and there is no history to rely on for guidance. Just as in the judicial system sentencing guidelines there is latitude, the NCAA governance structure has latitude in how it penalizes athletic teams. I think you are looking for definitive guidelines there simply aren’t any. There will be many differing opinions on what the NCAA should and shouldn’t do and there are pages of posts about this. My post is only my opinion and probably a repeat of some post around page 100.</p>

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<p>It’s the whole “greatness” of the man I have a problem with. Going back to Annasdad’s post as a jumping off point:</p>

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<p>So he ran a clean (recruiting-wise, that is) program. So his students graduated at high levels. Why is that worthy of “hero” status? That’s what it’s SUPPOSED to be - recruiting is clean and students take their academics seriously. Pinning a gold medal to his chest because he didn’t dirty-recruit sounds like pinning a gold medal to my chest for not cheating on my husband. You don’t award hero or heroine status to people for just doing what they were supposed to do. Why is it “laudable” that the recruiting was clean and the students graduated? Why isn’t it just expected? That’s the hero-worship-adulation of Joe Paterno I don’t get - and why it’s a sad commentary that the man got “hero” status for running a clean football program (outside of / before Sandusky came to light, of course). So it’s hard to see it as a tragic fall from grace, unless you overemphasize the meaning / role of football. It’s easier for me to see it as a everyday flawed human being (like the rest of us, of course) who made a tragic mistake in putting the reputation of PSU football above notifying authorities about a very, very bad thing. But spare me the Greek tragedy of it all or the sobbing that his god-like reputation is now marred or that it’s just soooo unbelievable he could have made a bad judgment call. This isn’t accusing Jesus of being a child molester here.</p>

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<p>Football has taken on a more predominant part of the culture at my alma mater (another Big 10 school) than it had in my day, where we were kind of the laughingstock of the conference. To some extent, I recognize how it can bind a campus together and engender school spirit. But a statue to a coach would seem over the top to me.</p>

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<p>I was wondering how long it would take before someone started dragging other successful programs into this issue. ALABAMA and WISCONSIN have NOTHING to do with covering for a pedophile. If they want to build a statue (not commissioned by the Coach’s wife), who cares. If they commit egregious acts, then they should be taken down! Period!
Please no firing squads…I get what you’re saying, “it’s the culture created.”
Thread title: PENN STATE SANDUSKY SCANDAL, not who has a statue…</p>

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<p><<personally i=“” think=“” the=“” editorial=“” greenbutton=“” posted=“” above=“” is=“” closer=“” to=“” what=“” outcome=“” will=“” probably=“” be…=“”>></personally></p>

<p>Momofthreeboys - I hope so. And I would be perfectly happy to have all 4 of those outcomes imposed. </p>

<p>And I like Nick Saben’s idea of adding a tax on athletic event tickets.
[Nick</a> Saban: Tax Penn State athletics to benefit kids - ESPN](<a href=“http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8180229/tax-penn-state-athletics-benefit-kids]Nick”>Nick Saban: Tax Penn State athletics to benefit kids - ESPN)</p>

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<p><<i’m sorry,=“” grcxx3,=“” but=“” this=“” kind=“” of=“” thing=“” seems=“” to=“” be=“” the=“” prevailing=“” opinion=“” in=“” penn=“” state=“” community.=“”>></i’m></p>

<p>It may be the prevailing opinion on various message boards, but it is not the prevailing opinion I get from the Penn State alumni and students that I have talked to. I’ve talked to my son about this and asked what his friends think, and my husband and I have talked to numerous Penn State alums scattered (literally) around the world - and their views differ significantly. </p>

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<p><<ah, but=“” why=“” should=“” the=“” cheerleader=“” suffer=“” because=“” of=“” what=“” “two=”" or=“” three=“” men"=“” did?=“”>></ah,></p>

<p>Yes, players, cheerleaders, band members (I’m a Blue Band parent), student trainers, students working at the stadium, etc will be impacted. But I am more concerned with the economic impact on the small shops, restaurants, and hotels in the community and the individuals who work in those places. Move-in weekened and home football games account for a huge part of their revenue. I wonder how many businesses will close or lay-off workers if the football program is shut down.</p>

<p>And - again - let’s not forget the athletes in the other sports programs. At the London Olympics, there will be current and former Penn State students competing in cycling, volleyball, gymnastics, track & field, rowing, soccer, and fencing. With the possible exception of women’s volleyball, these programs wouldn’t exist without the revenue from the football program.</p>

<p>[Penn</a> Staters in London Olympics](<a href=“http://www.imakenews.com/psaanews/e_article002461145.cfm?x=b11,0,w]Penn”>http://www.imakenews.com/psaanews/e_article002461145.cfm?x=b11,0,w)</p>

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<p><<is that=“” true,=“” there=“” other=“” colleges=“” with=“” similar=“” football=“” cultures?=“” i’m=“” asking=“” seriously=“” because=“” i=“” don’t=“” know.=“”>></is></p>

<p>OMG! There are numerous college with huge football cultures. Ohio, Michigan, USC, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, TX A&M - those are just the ones that come to mind immediately.</p>

<p>As for other colleges that have statues of their football coaches - try Notre Dame (5 statues of coaches), Alabama (statue of 1, stadium names after another), and Tennessee.</p>

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<p>The fact that this case involves sexual abuse of children drives the discussion so strongly that it makes it hard to weigh some of the issues. It’s certainly true that this is an unusual case for the NCAA–the criminal actions here don’t appear to have involved any PSU athletes at all. It doesn’t cast doubt on the recruiting process, or eligibility of players, or anything like that. It involves a cover-up of criminal activity by a former coach, some of which occurred on University property. Its connection to football is the idea that the coverup was made possible by the outsize importance of the reputation of the football program at PSU.</p>

<p>Imagine if–as an example–Sandusky had been an embezzler, and that he had stolen money from both Second Mile and PSU, and that it had been covered up in the same way. Would the situation–and the appropriate punishments for PSU–look the same? And if it doesn’t look the same, is that just because the crimes Sandusky committed are worse than embezzlement?</p>