Penn State will have to return all of the football trophies they won during a 14-year span as a result of sanctions handed down by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for school's role in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal, a school official said on Wednesday.
The move is another blow to the State College community, which has been plagued by the scandal for nine months.
Earlier this summer the NCAA fined Penn State $60 million, banned the football program from bowl games for four years, stripped scholarships and vacated the team's wins from 1998 to 2011 following the Freeh Report, which issued a scathing statement about how much the university knew and when.
Some of the trophies that the school will have to return include their bowl game wins. Penn State won the Outback Bowl in 1999 and 2007, the Alamo Bowl in 1999 and 2007, the Orange Bowl in 2006 and the Capital One Bowl in 2010.
While those residing in Happy Valley are still trying to resurrect their image in the wake of the scandal and show they still back their team, they do have one thing to smile about this week as they head into their first football game without famed coach Joe Paterno in more than four decades.
Their spirit has won them $10,000 for the school's general scholarship fund after they beat out more than 200 other schools in a voting campaign hosted on ESPN.com, according to a press release sent out by the school.
Penn State led the competition from start to end, the release said.
“We are elated to see this incredible expression of Penn State pride, spirit and support demonstrated by our students, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends and fans in winning the Pledge Your Allegiance contest,” Roger Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association, said in a statement. “This national victory is what Nittany Nation is all about. We know Penn Staters everywhere will join us in celebrating by wearing their blue and white with great pride.”
Say what you will or Blog but punishing college kids who play sports and rightfully win trophies, etc. who've also had nothing to do with a tragedy like this is just plain wrong; it also smacks of the old coots at the NCAA covering their butts petrified of lawsuits themselves. Oh, it's also nothing more than a self-righteous bleedin witch hunt.
Couldn't agree more. The athletes are not at fault here and deserve their accomplishments. Stripped of all wins back to 1998? That's just wrong. Why would a football player who graduated 14 years ago be held accountable for this? Just makes no sense.
Agree. The NCAA officials wanted to kill and bury Penn State and its football program. There is more to their conditions than football.
You Penn State fans put to much trust in this so call man Joe Paterno and staff and look what happened!!! You got caught . So put Mr Sandusky and dig up Mr Paterno and hang them up in the oak tree there on campus for all the young men they abused to see. and invite the local ants over for a party and then see what happens. Once a thug always a thug!!!!!!!!!
The NCAA has too much power and absolutely NO intelligence what so ever...They need to be disbanded ASAP !!
Too late the SKULLS already confiscated and is in their lair.
Is it just me or did Penn St win 4 bowl games in 2 years?
Penn State won the Outback Bowl in 1999 and 2007, the Alamo Bowl in 1999 and 2007.
Sounds to me like they were cheating and should def have to give back the trophies!
The alamo bowl takes place in december the other bowl in January
It is perverse to punish all the players on those winning teams....they won the games, not Paterno, not Sandusky, not the school. This whole issue is twisted.
Wow somone finally said the same thing i have been... I agree that punishments need to be severe but punish the players who were innocent? pure bull hookey
The NCAA is making up new rules as the go along here, total mockery that they contunue to pick what, when they fell like adding on to the punisment of these kids, lost all respect for that bunch of morons.
This is the NCAA's way of throwing a quick blanket over this fire before they get accused of complicity themselves. I can just imagine the president of the NCAA freaking out saying, "What do you mean, not reporting you have a pervert on your coaching staff isn't a violation and we can't actually punish those responsible?!"
Thank you Dave. The polically correct are punishing young men to please the radical liberals. Why punish the players?
I also agree with you...the students and the TEAM won those trophies...the coach never wins the game, the players do...
Joe said you can have them When You Pry Them From My Cold Dead Hands.
looks like they did lol...
Figures... a LOL response from Bama, home of the tree poisoners. Classy group.
So much hate and ranting. Please stop hating. The guilty are horribly guilty and should be/were/are being punished. Let the innocent students/parents/staff/professors at Penn State enjoy their college years. Everyone that ever played football, or sports at or attended Penn State, or live in Pa, etc should not constantly have to feel this much hatred and wrath.
Just what is meant by "give back' trophies? What is this? How do you "give back" that you rightfully earned? What EXACTLY would happen if you did not give them up? Would the sun stop shining? I think PSU should keep the trophies and tell NCAA where to stick it!
Totally agree !
Amen brother
Just like james said they earned them and its not just hurting former players its hurting past and future players
One thing that is good about PS is that the chant of the ladies who graduate is "Three holes, no waiting!"
Penn State has to put away football and focus only on academics for 4 years???
I thought they were supposed to be getting PUNISHED!
Reggie Bush had to give back his Heisman trophy, He was heart broken since he had to look for it in the garage for over an hour. Somebody moved it to the other side of the Ferrari!! Pete Carroll had to give up his parking space USC. The NCAA what a joke!!
The NCAA has become a joke, they keep making up new rules as the go along here taking away trophies from inncent kids. They would have saved themselves a lot of embarasement by just handing down the death penalty and move on like they shoud have. The criminals have been and will be brought to justice. This all should have been done with the inital penalties. So basically there is no NCAA rules, just when they fee like adding on to the pain of innocent kids who had absolutely nothing to do with this. Very sad and the NCAA is making a mockery of itself.
I think that's wrong. The players did what they were supposed to. As far as I know none of them had any knowledge of Sandusky's actions. Sandusky's actions would not have caused Penn State to win more games. The school should be punished but aimed, as the as best is can, towards the higher ups, (although I know it ulitimately would affect the players), and for the future only.
Good! Penn State can not suffer enough for what they did and did not do!
And what exactly did the kids there now do? They're the ones being punished. If you're white, are you going to be the first one with wallet open to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves? If not, shut up hypocrite...