Update 8:00 P.M. 7/23/2012
The NCAA may not call it the "death penalty", but to fans and supporters of what, not long ago, was one of college football's most revered programs-it may feel like one.
But one local resident we spoke to says the scandal that has rocked Penn State University's football program is more than just a football issue.
"If people really think about it," said Richard Egnor of Parkersburg, "they will get closer to the church and get away from a lot of things that are not pleasing to God's sight."
"It puts the rest of the college community on notice that they have to monitor situations like this," says Bret Adams, a Columbus-based sports and entertainment attorney. "They have to be better prepared to deal with scandal. This is a significant penalty that will stand up and make everyone take notice."
That's because it's more than about recruiting or payments to student athletes-or even about football players at all. It's about the integrity of those in charge of the system.
"I think every other university in the nation is saying, 'the NCAA made a statement here'," Adams says "The penalties are now; it's going to be handled a little bit differently."
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UPDATE: 11:15am 07/23/2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - New Penn State coach Bill O'Brien says he's committed to the school despite the harsh sanctions imposed Monday by the NCAA, including a four-year postseason ban and a big loss in scholarships.
In a statement released by the school, O'Brien said, "I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes."
School President Rodney Erickson says Penn State accepts the penalties. He says the NCAA sanctions will help the school "define our course."
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
UPDATE: 11:15am 07/23/2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Big Ten says Penn State will not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenues while it is banned from the postseason by the NCAA.
The Big Ten announced its own sanctions against Penn State about two hours after the NCAA handed down crippling penalties against the Nittany Lions football program.
The sanctions by the governing body of college sports, which capped eight months of turmoil on the central Pennsylvania campus, stopped short of delivering the "death penalty" of shutting down the sport. But the NCAA hit Penn State with $60 million in fines, ordered it out of the postseason for four years, and will cap scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for four years.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
ORIGINAL STORY
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA has slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
Other sanctions include a four-year ban on bowl games, and the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years.
NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the staggering sanctions Monday at a news conference in Indianapolis. Though the NCAA stopped short of imposing the "death penalty" - shutting down the Nittany Lions' program completely - the punishment is still crippling for a team that is trying to start over with a new coach and a new outlook.
Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, was found guilty in June of sexually abusing young boys, sometimes on campus.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
