Penn State Scandal: Latest News and Analysis out of State College

Developments in the Penn State scandal do not take weekends off. Here is an attempt to get you up to speed if you missed anything over the last few days. 

NCAA Announces Inquiry of Penn State

NCAA President Mark Emmert sent a letter to Penn State informing them that they would be examining Penn State's institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs.

You can view the full letter here.

Lack of institutional control gives the NCAA a very broad base to issue punishment. These circumstances have never been seen in college sports, and it very well could result in an unprecedented punishment by the NCAA.

I expect the NCAA will give Penn State, and the federal government, every opportunity to handle any punishments and sanctions for this before they decide to step in.

If they are not satisfied with the results of those investigations they won't hesitate to exert their will on the issue.

Paterno Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Friday afternoon, Joe Paterno's son, Scott, revealed that his father had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer. Scott let reporters know, quoted from pennlive.com, that Joe is receiving treatment and doctors expect him to "make a full recovery." 

Jay Paterno Speaks

Joe Paterno's son sat down with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN to discuss the scandal and his father's lung cancer diagnosis.

Paterno Denounces Bullying

The mother of the first boy to come forward with accusations of sexual assaults by Jerry Sandusky of sexual assault told ABC News that her son is now being bullied in his high school.

The boy's mother indicated that the bullying kids are blaming her son for the scandal that has rocked Penn State. She said that the harassment was so severe that it caused the boy to leave school.  

Paterno's attorney J. Sedgwick Sollers relayed the following message for Paterno on ABC's Good Morning America:

"

Coach Paterno strongly condemns harassment or bullying of any kind, and he asks anyone who truly cares about Penn State to conduct themselves honorably and with respect for others.

"

Seriously? Hasn't this kid been through enough? Here's to hoping he finds an environment where he is comfortable and free from harassment. 

Penn State Panel to Hold Press Conference on Monday

Penn State trustee Ken Frazier, president and CEO of Merck, will chair a special committee appointed to internally investigate "the circumstances that gave rise to the grand jury report."

According to Reuters, this committee "is expected to be made up of a majority of university trustees, plus faculty, students and alumni."

This committee will hold its first press conference on Monday.

If Penn State is going to earn back the trust of the public then that needs to start with this committee. They need to be relentless in their pursuit of the truth and open about their findings—no matter how damaging those details are to the university.

Second Mile Considers Closing

The charity Jerry Sandusky founded, The Second Mile, is at a crossroads. They are in the midst of contemplating their future. They released a statement and this excerpt comes to us via wnep.com:

"

Because the focus of our organization is on the children, The Second Mile is currently exploring three options: (1) restructuring the organization and keeping its programs going, even if it means doing so at a reduced level of service and funding, (2) maintaining the programs by transferring them to other organizations or (3) not continuing.

Our primary goal is to sustain the programs for the sake of the kids.

"

This charity is forever tainted by the completely tarnished image of Sandusky. They will never be able to shake that. The good intentioned people of this organization should focus on starting a new foundation and just close The Second Mile.

Penn State vs. Ohio State

Amid the ongoing controversy the football team came out and handled their business. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 20-14. 

All the scoring was done in the first half of this game. The Big Ten rivals battled to a standstill in the second half. It was a big win on the road for Penn State.

What's Next for the Football Team

Penn State has a game with Wisconsin next week. The winner will go to the Big Ten championship game to face Michigan State for the right to go to the Rose Bowl. The loser will wait around for a bowl invite.

The Nittany Lions will be on the road for this game and be huge underdogs. It will take their best effort to beat a Wisconsin team that has been absolutely unbeatable at home.