Penn State Sex Scandal: Why NCAA Must Put Nittany Lions on Probation

The Jerry Sandusky scandal goes far beyond anything in the NCAA rule book, but if there is any kind of loophole or morality clause listed, the Penn State program needs to pay for this whole thing. 

The university is trying to take action and stay a step ahead by working on an exit strategy with head coach Joe Paterno, according to a report by Mark Viera and Pete Thamel for the New York Times. 

"

"The board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno’s exit, but it is clear that the man who has more victories than any other coach at college football’s top level and who made Penn State a prestigious national brand will not survive to coach another season. Discussions about how to manage his departure have begun, according to the two people."

"

The NCAA has a number of stupid rules regarding recruiting, benefits and any number of pointless items that really do not need to be in the book, but they are there because someone at some point decided they were important and wrote them down. 

While there may not be anything written down in the rule book that prohibits morally and ethically wrongdoing from taking place, the NCAA must find a way to punish the Penn State football program because their credibility will take an even bigger hit if they do not. 

Schools like USC and SMU have had victories and bowl games taken away from them because they had players who were receiving money. 

Surely there has to be something that can be done to let Penn State know that their negligence and failure to report on what they knew is worthy of some kind of punishment from the NCAA. 

It doesn't matter what the NCAA does to Penn State, so long as they do something. Legal ramifications be damned, this whole thing is a black cloud towering over all of college athletics. 

Something has to be done to this program aside from the backlash it is getting from the court of public opinion right now. I don't know what the NCAA can do, but if there is anyway that something can be done, it has to be found. 

As bad as things are for Penn State now, just think how the NCAA will look if it does not do anything to punish this kind of behavior and cover-up.