Penn State Scandal: NCAA May Do Something, But it Won't be Death Penalty

A little over a week ago, I wrote this article claiming that Penn State should receive the death penalty for what Jerry Sandusky allegedly did to those children. Responses contained a ton of different emotions and started this huge debate about whether or not they should receive the NCAA's harshest penalty if Sandusky did in fact molest little boys.

I stood firmly behind that opinion and I still do to this day.

I received tons of comments and emails saying that Penn State could not be punished by the NCAA because they didn't break any NCAA bylaws. Well, not that we know of at least. The case is just getting started and I'm sure more and more evidence will come to light once this goes to court.

But I'm almost positive that you can read the NCAA rulebook and find a few things to use against Penn State if you really wanted to. The rulebook is over several hundred pages, there has to be something that fits this crime.

It didn't take me long as I looked over the rules and regulations to come across this rule 2.4.

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For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and all others associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation, but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting the athletics program. It is the responsibility of each institution...

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Maybe I'm crazy, but I think covering up sexual abuse falls under breaking this rule. Coaches, the school president and athletic directors allegedly knew about what was happening and they chose to cover it up.

As you skim down to section 19, which is the enforcement part of the rulebook, you'll come across rule 19.01.2 which says:

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Individuals employed by or associated with member institutions for the administration, the conduct or the coaching of intercollegiate athletics are, in the final analysis, teachers of young people. Their responsibility is an affirmative one, and they must do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. Their own moral values must be so certain and positive that those younger and more pliable will be influenced by a fine example. Much more is expected of them than of the less critically placed citizen.

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If what Sandusky did happens to be true, this rule has been broken no matter how you want to flip or turn it. Sandusky was associated with Penn State University and allegedly molested little boys in the Penn State locker room.

He did not avoid improper conduct or questionable acts.

But let's say that Penn State didn't break any NCAA rules, they still did something that was beyond horrible. Does it really take a recruiting violation or a player selling a jersey to get the NCAA to step in? So, people can run around raping little boys in the showers of our schools and nothing happens, but Ohio State players get tattoos and it's World War III?

Seems like we need to add a few more rules to the rulebook, huh? Probably the only reason that "molesting little children" isn't in the rulebook to begin with is because nobody would have ever thought something like this would actually happen.

While I still stand beside the death penalty wish, I also understand that it probably won't happen. Penn State is too much of a valuable football program and they bring way too much money in for the NCAA. It also wouldn't be fair to the student-athletes that didn't do anything wrong in this whole mess.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said they will wait and see before possibly punishing the university.

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"Well we have rules and bylaws that while they were never written to address anything quite like this of course, they speak directly to the control that institutions have to maintain over their athletic departments and their programs," Emmert said. "And they speak very directly to ethical behavior of people in those programs and we'll apply those bylaws, and if the allegations hold up then we'll act accordingly."

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I proved that what Sandusky allegedly did violates NCAA rules.

Let's see if the NCAA will do something about it.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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