You want to blame someone. Thats fine. Theres plenty of it to go around.
Blame former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was charged with 40 counts of sexual assault against eight boys over 15 years. Blame Tim Curley, the schools former athletic director, and Gary Schultz, the universitys former vice president of business and financeboth of whom were charged with perjury and accused of failing to alert the authorities that they knew of allegations made against Sandusky.
Blame former Penn State president Graham Spanier, who was ostensibly in charge while all this was unfolding, and who seems guilty, at the very least, of gross negligence. Blame former head coach Joe Paterno, who admitted he failed to do more to prevent Sandusky from allegedly preying on children. Blame wide receivers coach Mike McQueary, who said he alerted the police about witnessing Sandusky raping a small boy in 2002even though the police said McQueary never contacted them.
Blame whomever you like. Just dont blame the current Penn State football players. They didnt have anything to do with this. They didnt sexually assault anyone that we know of, and it doesnt appear they were complicit in a cover-up. There are plenty of people who should be punished as a result of the scandal. The players shouldnt be among them.
And yet, now that the NCAA has announced it will investigate Penn State for a lack of institutional control, you get the sense that the players and the program will be disciplined.
"The recount of these tragic events in the grand jury report is deeply troubling," NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a letter to the university. "If true, individuals who were in a position to monitor and act upon learning of potential abuses appear to have been acting starkly contrary to the values of higher education, as well as the NCAA."
No arguments here. Full disclosure is necessary now. The truth must be told, and no one should be spared. Anyone even remotely responsible for enabling Sanduskys alleged behavior should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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Thats the problem when it comes to the NCAA. Theres the law, and then theres the NCAAs own in-house version.
The unpardonable acts reportedly committed by Sandusky and various Penn State administrators are part of an on-going criminal investigation being conducted by the state attorney general, local and state police, and other authorities. On Monday, Penn State officials also announced that the Board of Trustees hired former FBI Director Louis Freeh to lead a comprehensive and independent investigation into the schools governance, controls, procedures and leadership as they relate to the allegations against Sandusky.
This is a criminal matter. The aforementioned groups should handle it. Unfortunately, the NCAA insists on getting involved. Thats more bad news for the Penn State players since the NCAA is only empowered to mete out specific penalties.
When it comes to point-shaving and dirty boosters and student-athletes who trade memorabilia for tattoos and cash, the NCAA knows how to proceed. It has experience in those areas. Its seen those sorts of violations and knows which sanctions to apply.
Bowl-game bans, television bans, player and coach suspensions, reduction of scholarships, even the seldom used death penaltythose are some of the punitive measures available to the NCAA. The Sandusky situation calls for far harsher punishmentsretribution much more severe than anything the NCAAs limited, parochial organization is capable of administering.
After the scandal broke, some people urged Penn State not to play its home game against Nebraska. Others went further and said the Nittany Lions should shut down the football program for the rest of the season and possibly longer. The thinking there, I suspect, was that a former member of the football program stands accused of unspeakable abuse, and so the football program must be disciplined by proxy. I get it. I just dont agree.
Not playing that game against Nebraska wouldnt undo any of Sanduskys alleged crimes. Not playing at Ohio State this past weekend wouldnt save a single victim from being subjected to the monstrous actions of a wicked man. And not playing in the future wouldnt absolve the university of culpability or wash away the attendant shame. Not playing would only hurt Penn States athletes.
The same would be true of any punishment doled out by the NCAA. The organization cant get to Sandusky, and Spanier, Paterno, Curley and Graham have already been fired. Any disciplinary action by the NCAA moving forward will only harm current and future Penn State players. They're kids. They werent involved in creating the scandal. They shouldn't have to serve the sentence for crimes they didn't commit.
In Columbus, after Penn State beat Ohio State, Nittany Lions safety Drew Asterino said this team has been through so much. What he didnt say, but what he and his teammates no doubt know, is that the team will be put through so much more in the future. It is inevitable -- but it shouldn't have anything to do with the NCAA.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com.