Mark Emmert: NCAA President Went Too Far with Penn State Punishment

For weeks, the biggest discussion surrounding the Penn State football program following the Freeh Report was whether or not the death penalty would be handed down. Not many people were expecting the punishment to actually be worse.

But that's exactly what happened.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced devastating measures against the school, including a $60 million fine, vacated wins dating back 14 years, loss of scholarships and a ban from postseason play.

Along with all of the negative press the school has received and the ability for current athletes to transfer without having to worry about any potential penalties, that's enough to cripple the program. It could take a decade or more to fully recover.

While nobody should support the actions of those in power who allowed Jerry Sandusky's acts to go unreported, the biggest problem with the punishment is that those who had nothing to do with the problems get forced into a tough position.

The players who committed to Penn State obviously wanted to become a part of the Nittany Lion community. But the NCAA's decision will force them to at least reconsider their future.

It's clear that Emmert wanted to make a point that every school around the nation would take note of, but in doing so, he went too far.

New head coach Bill O'Brien now faces a taller task than he could have ever imagined when he decided to take the job. There's a good chance that his teams will struggle through no fault of his own, and his options to fix it will be extremely limited.

Not only does he have less scholarships available for top recruits, but he will start at a recruiting disadvantage because there isn't a player in the nation who hasn't heard about the Penn State scandal.

And in the dog-eat-dog world of college football, opposing coaches won't be afraid to use it against him, no matter how low that may seem. At the end of the day, it always comes down to winning.

The steps Emmert took today will have a lasting impact on both Penn State and college sports as a whole. The NCAA showed off its immense power, and every other program is now on notice.

More importantly, Penn State's road to recovery just got much longer, even though most people driving on it were of no fault.