Here's how Penn State were punished (and they only had ONE abuser! -
Jerry Sandusky)
SIX Celtic Boys Club and Celtic FC officeholders have been convicted of child sexual abuse (so far).
Jim Torbett (Celtic Boys Club founder),
Jim McCafferty (Celtic FC kit man and Boys Club coach),
Frank Cairney (Celtic Boys Club manager and coach),
Gerald King (Celtic Boys Club chairman)
John Cullen (Official Photographer with the Celtic FC magazine - The Celtic View)
Neil Strachan (former Celtic Boys Club (East) secretary).
$60 Million Fine over 5 Years
Nothing grabs attention quite like a large sum of money, and the NCAA dropped a bomb on Penn State in the form of a $60 million fine for Penn State's role in the cover-up, payable over five years.
The fine itself isn't completely ruinous—Penn State made $18 million in profits last season—but for the years ahead, Penn State's football program isn't going to be nearly the cash cow it used to be. This sanction could turn the athletic program into a money loser for years to come. And that's before the Big Ten takes any action toward the TV revenue.
The good news, at the very least, is that, according to the NCAA, the money is going "into an endowment for programs preventing child sexual abuse and/or assisting the victims of child sexual abuse."
4-Year Post-season Ban
From a competitive standpoint, Penn State's football program is going to be crushed by a four-year ban on postseason play, which means no conference championships, no bowls, no bowl practices and certainly no eligibility for the championship playoff.
Essentially, Penn State's season is capped at 12 games no matter what, and while that type of sanction didn't cripple USC last year and doesn't figure to cripple Ohio State this year, the fact that this penalty will affect some players' entire careers of eligibility will probably affect numerous transfers—more on that in a bit.
4-Year Reduction of Scholarships
Compounding Penn State's misery over the next four years is the fact that the football program will be severely limited in its level of scholarship talent.
5 Years of Probation
It's extremely unlikely that Penn State's athletic department is going to run afoul of NCAA regulations in the near future. But just to make sure everything's up to par in Happy Valley, the NCAA has imposed a five-year probation on Penn State.
This isn't a passive punishment. As the NCAA notes, it includes "an on-campus, independent Integrity Monitor and periodic reporting as detailed in the Corrective Component of this Consent Decree."
The NCAA also warns of "additional, more severe sanctions" if this probation is violated. The mind shudders at what that could entail short of the death penalty.
Vacation of Wins Since 1998
Penn State will vacate all wins since the first allegation of misconduct by the athletic department in 1998. This means Joe Paterno is no longer anywhere near the all-time Division I wins record, now held once again by Grambling's Eddie Robinson.
All in all, Penn State vacates a whopping 112 wins in this scenario, 111 of which belong to Paterno.
Waiver of Transfer Rules and Grant-in-Aid Retention
One of the most potentially ruinous sanctions is a waiver of transfer rules, which means the usual one-year penalty of eligibility whenever someone transfers within the FBS is now no longer applied.
Essentially, scholarship athletes are now allowed to flee Penn State with impunity, and as soon as those athletes declare their intent to transfer, it is open season.
Implementation of Athletics Integrity Agreement
The Penn State athletic program now has a narrow line to toe for the next few years in terms of integrity and NCAA compliance, and failure to toe that line carries massive consequences.
The worst NCAA punishment to ever befall a Big Ten football program—repeat: the worst ever for a Big Ten football program —was levied at Penn State this morning, with ...
bleacherreport.com