Penn State Guilty - Update

UPDATE:

Pen State Trustees held a news conference to react a report on the child abuse charges against former coach Jerry Sandusky.  Sandusky was convicted of numerous charges of child abuse while a coach and afte his coaching careers was over at the univesity.

Members of the broad said the blame belongs to them for not having better oversight of programs and personnel at the university.  The report created after an investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh had 119 recommendation for changes at the university to prevent this kind of lack of oversight and control.

Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was praised for his entire career at the university, but the report says his involvement demonstrates a lack of university control and lack of ethics.

That statement will go along way in the investigation to be conducted by the NCAA on the football program and all university athletics.  Penalties could range from a mere slap on the wrist to the "death penalty."  The NCAA has been reluctant to penalize "big time" programs, but sanctions against Ohio State last year prove it will if necessary.  In Penn State's case, it is necessary because it involved criminal activity and critical information was withheld for publicity reasons.

Can a university with the academic and athletic reputation survive a report of this kind?  Survive, yes.  Be the same, never!

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Penn State may not be guilty in a court of law yet, but the in court of public opinion they are and will remain so for many years.

Today a report issued by the university concluded that university officials "concealed critical facts" about the conduct of former coach Jerry Sanduky.  Sandusly was convicted on multiple counts of child abuse and faces a long prison sentence.

The report is the result of an eight month investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh.
Freeh was hired by university trrustees after Snadusky's arrest in November.

The over 200 page report concludes that Paterno, president Graham Spainer, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."

The report continues, "In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university -- Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley -- repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse."

Singled out in the report is the Penn State football program and Paterno for failing to protect children from abuse.  

Paterno who died in January did not speak to Freeh's team on what he knew and when he knew it. Accounts from other witnesses in the investigation show Paterno was more concerned with the football program and not the welfare of children.

The report will now become part of an NCAA investigation into the football program, but had no comment to make on the report.  The university must now answer four main questions in a letter from the NCAA concerning "institutional control and ethics policies."

This is a sad day for Penn State and for college athletics.  It demonstrates that the success of an individual team is sometime more important that the success of an individual athlete or other child in their care. Penn State deserves what ever punishment the NCAA delivers and courts decide.

Full report  Report from Fox News