NCAA restores the roar, and 112 Penn State wins

The time is 1:06 p.m. on a Friday. I texted my father, who I assumed may have been on his lunch break at the time.

“NCAA restored all of Penn State’s vacated wins,” I sent.

“Just saw that. It’s about time,” my father, a long-time season ticket holder despite actually being a graduate of West Chester University, responded. “Now… where’s that statue?”

One thing at a time I suppose.

The NCAA announced Friday it had reached an agreement with Penn State and Pennsylvania state officials following a week of negotiations that will restore all vacated wins stripped from Penn State during the sanctions of 2012. All wins ranging from 1998 through 2011 have now been put back on the record books, with 111 going to Joe Paterno and one to Tom Bradley. Paterno, for the second time, is now Division 1 college football’s all-time winningest coach.

The agreement between the negotiating parties comes with some stipulations, which have already been approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees;

• Penn State agrees to commit a total of $60 million to activities and programs for the prevention of child sexual abuse and the treatment of victims of child sexual abuse.
• Penn State acknowledges the NCAA’s legitimate and good faith interest and concern regarding the Jerry Sandusky matter.
• Penn State and the NCAA will enter into a new Athletics Integrity Agreement that (with concurrence of the Big Ten) includes best practices with which the university is committed to comply and that provides for the university to continue to retain the services of Sen. George Mitchell and his firm to support the university’s activities under the Athletics Integrity Agreement and in the areas of compliance, ethics and integrity.

Penn State was initially fined a penalty of $60 million as part of the hefty sanction terms levied on the program in the summer of 2012. I have been on record of suggesting that if there is only one portion of the sanctions that Penn State ultimately fulfills, it should be the fine as a gesture of good will towards a worthy cause. Here’s hoping that money is used properly to spread awareness of child sexual abuse.

Everything else after that is some mumbo jumbo that essentially allows the NCAA to avoid getting grilled in court at a time when the NCAA has a number of issues it actually has authority to control brewing.

Penn State already had scholarship limits lifted and was given a chance to perform in the postseason two years earlier than initially planned due to positive reports from George Mitchell in his annual reviews of the university and athletics department.

So, now what?

It is uncommon for the NCAA to restore vacated wins, nevermind doing so to 112 wins. As a result, Penn State rejoins the 800-win club in college football with 849 all-time wins putting the Nittany Lions ninth overall, just a game behind Oklahoma and Alabama (both with 850 all-time wins). Paterno is once again the leader in Division 1 college football victories with 409, a number I am sure has been drilled into your mind well enough by now.

By now there is not much that can be said one way or the other that will sway one’s opinion on Paterno, and I am not going to waste time doing so. I have my opinions on Paterno and the entire Jerry Sandusky scandal, who I believe deserves blame and who does not. I am sure you have your own opinions as well. We are each allowed to make our determinations about the legacy of Paterno, so have at it. Should the Paterno statue be returned to its home outside Beaver Stadium? I don’t know. I don’t even really care, but I will stand by what I wrote on Crystal Ball Run in July 2012 (although as time has passed and more has become known about the Freeh Report, I would take back some of the things I said at the time, including the title);

Should the Paterno statue be taken down? Probably, but keep it in secure storage because in time it may become appropriate to give the community a symbol to gather around once again. Opinions and feelings change over time. Who is to say in 20 years, or 50 years the sentiment about Paterno will not change? We don’t know, so take it down but do not melt it down.

I do not really care what happens next. I never cared about the wins, but if people see it as a victory, I will not be there to rain on the parade. Ultimately, what is significant here is the NCAA caving being an admittance of wrongful prosecution. In the face of an unprecedented situation, those in charge at the NCAA office were dumbfounded with their response.