NCAA Sanctions on Penn State Include 4-Year Bowl Ban, Severe Scholarship Loss, $60 Mil. Fine

Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Emmert announced the NCAA’s “unprecedented” sanctions levied against Penn State football Monday morning. PSU must pay a $60 million fine, with proceeds going to child protection organizations. The Nittany Lions are banned from postseason play for four years, the longest such ban since Indiana was barred from bowls from 1960-1963. Of course, qualifying for a bowl after the ban is lifted will be no easy feat — PSU’s scholarship reduction is a staggering 10 per year, from 25 to 15, over the next four seasons.

Emmert addressed the oft discussed Death Penalty, or suspension of the football program, that was imposed on SMU in 1987. SMU was also barred from hosting games in the 1988 season. The NCAA president said the impact of suspending the program would be too profound on people and programs innocent of the misdeeds tied to Jerry Sandusky’s terrorizing of children.

Every Nittany Lion win since 1998 is also vacated, removing Joe Paterno from atop the list of most winning Division I head coaches.

With the sharp decline in scholarships, PSU becomes a Championship Subdivision program for all intents and purposes. Most FCS programs are allotted 63 scholarships; PSU will have 65 annually.

The NCAA is also extending amnesty to currently signed athletes, allowing them transfer without sitting out the mandated one season, so long as said player meets eligibility requirements. With no hope of a bowl game for the duration of an entire signing class, an exodus out of Happy Valley would not be surprising. It’s unlikely in late July, but come next off-season would be the time to keep tabs on PSU.

Aside from suspension of the program, seemingly the only major sanction PSU avoided was a TV ban. The most severe sanctions prior to those given PSU on Monday were those levied against Auburn in the mid-1990s, that prevented the Tigers from appearing on televised broadcasts. Exposure is a vital tool to recruiting, so Bill O’Brien and his staff will have at least one outlet still at their disposal. There are some glimmers of hope in NCAA history for O’Brien to cite to his returning players.

USC reinvented its recruiting tactics amid NCAA sanctions, targeting four and five star prospects almost exclusively. The result has been Lane Kiffin landing highly rated classes. USC also avoided a mass transfer exodus prior to its two-year bowl ban. AU finished 11-0 in its TV-less, NCAA sanctioned 1993. The Tigers seemingly rallied around head coach Terry Bowden as their response to the turmoil.

Otherwise, the future outlook is grim. But O’Brien is in for the long haul. Per his released statement:

"Today we receive a very harsh penalty from the NCAA and as head coach of the Nittany Lions football program, I will do everything in my power to not only comply, but help guide the University forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence. I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.I was then and I remain convinced that our student athletes are the best in the country. I could not be more proud to lead this team and these courageous and humble young men into the upcoming 2012 season. Together we are committed to building a better athletic program and university."

O’Brien also has no provision in his contract allowing an early departure.

Emmert emphasized “culture change.” Indeed, the culture will be forced to change at PSU. A declarative statement is also sent to athletic programs nationwide. The positive is that putting wins ahead of basic decency, as is alleged to be the case at PSU, will face punishment. The negative is the NCAA has rewritten its authority, moving its jurisdiction from athletic supervision to judicial.