Penn State Sanctions: Big Ten Releases Conference Penalties

Penn State University was absolutely decimated by NCAA sanctions on Monday morning, but that wasn’t the only organization to levy penalties in the wake of Louis Freeh’s report on the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

According to CollegeFootballTalk, the Big Ten is forcing the Nittany Lions to be ineligible for the B1G title game for the next four seasons and forfeit $13 million in potential bowl revenue for the next four years.

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Big Ten announces Penn State penalties: ineligible for B1G title game for 4 years; loss of bowl revenue for 4 years ($13 mil).

— CollegeFootballTalk (@CFTalk) July 23, 2012"

That approximated $13 million will be donated to charities in the Big Ten community that focus on protecting children, according to Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten Network.

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Estimated $13 million will be donated to charitable organizations in #B1Gcommunities dedicated to the protection of children.

— Tom Dienhart (@BTNTomDienhart) July 23, 2012"

Considering that PSU was just hit with, among many things, the loss of 20 scholarships per season, bowl ineligibility for the next four years and a $60 million fine from the NCAA, the conference took it relatively easy with its punishment.

It’s going to be tough for the Nittany Lions to claw their way out of this terrible hole that they put themselves in, but the Big Ten did not feel the need to pile on with more harsh sanctions.

Perhaps the conference bigwigs realize that PSU isn’t going to field a team that will be able to compete in the B1G championship game for quite some time anyway. The loss of bowl money is also fair, as Penn State will likely not have a winning record for the foreseeable future.

This is because current players and those who have signed a letter of intent are able to transfer from PSU to another Division I program without penalty this coming year. Most halfway-decent young talents will leave Happy Valley now that they are free to continue their careers elsewhere.

Penn State was effectively delivered a death knell by the NCAA, but at the least the Big Ten had the decency not to spit on its grave.