What’s next at Penn State?

Larry Brown of the eponymous Larry Brown Sports said it best today, when he stated that thinking first of what will happen to Penn State football (in the wake of the release of the Freeh Report) is exactly how Joe Paterno and the Penn State brass reacted when they found out about Jerry Sandusky’s atrocious actions.

That said, I can’t even begin to comprehend the pain Sandusky’s victims feel, or figure out how to make life better for them, how to fix anything. I can’t even begin to empathize with the victims, because I can’t imagine something so horrible happening to me or someone  I cared for. The only feeling I can identify with, truly, is the outrage the nation is feeling  at the Penn State governing body and the sense that we, as a nation, can’t ever let this happen again.

I don’t say this lightly when I say that Penn State football must be destroyed. For the gravity of the crimes committed, the only punishment is to directly dismantle the thing that the offenders were so eager to protect.In this case, it was specifically Penn State football. Penn State is an excellent university, and by and large, the school outside of it’s highest ranking members, wasn’t involved in this scandal. Besides, the football team was the most influential, most profitable and most marketable element.

That said, how does one go about destroying an entire football program? It can, and should be made in multiple steps, through multiple authorities. First, the NCAA should ban Penn State from playing football for 5 years, and be left without a conference for an additional 5. The Department of Education is already investigating the University for violations and may end up mandating a cessation of public funding to the school. Instead, they could mandate that cessation IF the school continues to field a football program for the 5 years they would be banned by the NCAA.

Now, I understand that the current players (and almost all of the former players) had nothing to do with this mess. They would be allowed to transfer immediately and without punishment. If they choose not to transfer, Penn State would be obliged to honor their scholarships as they continued to seek an education at the fine scholastic institution that Penn State is.If there was a way to do it, I would say that Penn State should pay for the education of it’s former athletes even at other schools.

Additionally, the Big Ten would not be beholden to allowing Penn State back into the Big Ten. Over the course of 10 years, surely the Big Ten would be able to, and want to replace Penn State in their conference. It wouldn’t be that difficult either, aside from figuring out who to choose from the many applicants.

When Penn State comes back, they can’t be any vestige of their formal selves. New nickname, new colors, new uniform, everything. Start from scratch. Expunge the old Penn State from the record books, both in State College and across the country. . No legacy, no history, no nothing. Eventually, a new generation of Pennsylvanians will come to form their own football tradition, but at the same time, our national outrage is expressed, and a strong message is sent to anyone and everyone.

Don’t ever let something like this happen again.