Penn State Scandal

By Bethany Bray

The Penn State is one of the most talked about topics in history. After Penn. State’s former defensive coordinator Terry Sandusky was found guilty of sexually abusing ten boys over a fifteen- year period, Penn State was fined $60,000,000, and all of Joe Paterno’s wins from the years 1998 to 2011 were vacated.  

The NCAA’s sanctions following the worst scandal in history of the college football stopped short of delivering the “death penalty”, which means shutting down the sport completely. By vacating 112 Penn State victories from 1998 to 2011, the sanctions cost Paterno 111 wins. Former Florida State coach, Bobby Bowden, now holds the top spot in the NCAA record book. Paterno, who was fired days after Sandusky was charged, will be credited with 298 wins.

The scholarship reductions mean that Penn State’s roster will be capped at sixty- five. The scholarship limit for major college football programs is eighty- five. Competing the twenty fewer players is devastating to a program that tries to compete at the highest level of the sport. In comparison, the harsh NCAA sanctions placed upon USC several years ago left the Trojans with only seventy- five scholarships per year over a three- year period. The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four- year ban to Indiana in 1960.  

The scandal may have given Penn State a negative name, but the school as a whole is working to overcome this tragedy.