<p>By death penalty, they don’t mean literally ending the program. The worst they’ve ever done is shutting down the program for two years (at SMU). It’s not a permanent thing. However, it, obviously, severely crippled SMU’s program permanently.</p>
<p>So, probably not, because the program would continue after a few years. If the program were not to continue then it depends on how UM allocates its money. The problem is that football is a greater source of income than it is a loss of money, so overall the school would probably lose money. Think of football tickets, merchandise, hotel deals, etc.</p>