The Lions' Pride

The online college football community feels a little big like 2013 apocalyptic land full of tribes and rival gangs just losing their minds.... I am 86% sure we are "Eli" in the Book of Eli....

I just wish O'brien would call his own PC and say a few things to the fans. Anything like "we need your support....these guys are not responsible for what has happened, despite what the media wants everyone to seemingly believe. They are good kids trying to play a sport and get a good education, which many in the media want to take away from them or at least interrupt. We are going to continue to represent the values PSU has stated they stood for before I arrived and we will work hard to ensure that is what happens. This season will be dedicated to all victims of child abuse and we hope the fans, Penn State or not, can support us in that mission."

As an attorney, a couple of thoughts that might make you at least feel better:

1) NCAA faces a slippery slope. Let's say the NCAA decides to give us sanctions for lack of institutional control (I don't see how, but just go with it). Not the Death Penalty, but let's just say a 3-year bowl ban, a handful of scholarships removed, wins vacated, and mandatory ongoing payments. So, it would be bad, but not "game over" bad. By doing so, the NCAA has now gotten into the arena of policing criminal misconduct and enforcing NCAA sanctions as a way to do so. I think the concern here is that any program that has had an issue with criminal misconduct (i.e., drugs, violence, rape), is now potentially subject to NCAA sanctions. AND, since the NCAA would be enforcing these penalties for criminal wrongs retroactively 13 years, any institution party to coaches or players involved in criminal misconduct over the past 13-years SHOULD ALSO BE SUBJECT TO NCAA sanctions. I guess my point is that it's a VERY slippery slope, and my belief is that ultimately the NCAA realizes that.

2) Money talks. It's been said a handful of times by a number of people on this board. PSU is one of the most lucrative programs in the country for television stations and bowl games alike. Part of the reason ESPN is making hay with this scandal is because PSU commands such a high rating. What happens when a very popular celebrity or famous company goes through a scandal? Same is happening to PSU, but ultimately ESPN will want to monetize PSU games because of the RATINGS...because ratings = money.

3) Mark Emmert can't ignore the impact of his decisions on faculty, staff, students and players. It may be really tough, but imagine for a second you are Mark Emmert faced with this same decision but for another school (to help with objectivity, call it Alabama). Do you think about the fact that, like it or not, the institution and all of its parts heavily relies on football as a source of revenue that help drives the greater institution? In other words, if you cut the football program you are terminally punishing the school because it is part of the financial lifeblood of the community. Cliche, but you've heard it before--"too big to fail"--means that ending something like PSU football cannot happen unless you are prepared to terminate professor jobs, shut down classrooms, close businesses, and send players packing. This is not just any football program--it's one of the largest football programs in the country and the university is built around it both financially and culturally. Terminating it would mean terminating everything around it. To me, Mark Emmert and the NCAA would need to be accountable to this decision, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where they would assuming they even have the standing to enforce a decision on the matter.

4) PSU is in a better position to do good with a football program. Quite simply, if the team stays alive, goes to bowl games, and generates revenue, PSU is able to better compensate victims, create awareness for the issues at hand, and help drive positive change that is needed. Killing PSU's football program takes away the means to do so, and it merely becomes about PSU survival at that point. It just makes no sense.

Bottom line: If PSU's football team wasn't so financially and culturally rooted in the university system and community, the death penalty question might be easier for the NCAA. However, we are not dealing with just any football program or university here. We are...