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.”
Emmert is on an ego trip fantasizing he is "taking back" colleges and universities from atheltic usurpers. Problem is the cusre is worse than the disease and it's really about money/power. Time for the NCAA to be reigned in or dismantled.
Wonder what are they going to do with them?
The NCAA meted out "justice" in order to preserve the status quo. Collegiate sports is big business plain and simple. The Penn State scandal just reflected how NCAA monopolized collegiate sports and has twisted the role of higher education.
A few trophies, $60m, and prolonged bowl banishment won't stop this well oiled machine.
I don't know who you work for, but if a couple people in your business do something wrong, say “murder” (and that is what molesting does to a person) and hide it, should you be found guilty when you knew nothing about it?
That is what is happening to the kids. This was an illegal and heinous act! Arrest the guilty and send them to prison as accomplices! Don't take further education and past work from the kids! “That’s throwing the baby out with the water!”
@Haleene I'm usually a cynical troll, but your comment was poignant while elegant. I appreciate your point and agree whole-heartedly, the absurdity of this reprimand system is difficult believe.
What a crock of crap. They earned those trophies. So, all the great athletes that busted their rear to have those trophies in the trophy case are not not a part of that schools history? Come on NCAA, try to get somewhat fair. 60 million and stripping scholarships is more than enough.
I do not understand why the students are being punished for the acts of the coaches and administration. Innocent people are being punished when the perpetrators and administration who not only kept these events secret but continued to allowed the abuse to occur are receiving a slap on the hand. An extensive investigation needs to be done and all those involved should be prosecuted and spend time in prison. It's a shame how criminals with money and power are protected more than victims in this country! DISGUSTING!
Yeah, I'm weeping for them...but my tears are from laughter!
Stupidity and arrogance are supposed to hurt, and I hope Penn State is feeling the sting right now!
Hope they are hurting intensely and I hope it lasts a good long time.
I have seen nothing that says the "players" had any knowledge of the scandal. With that, I see no reason to take anything away from the young people that won these trophies, or to stop their further education by taking their scholarships away. They earned the trophies and scholarships fair and square. Why should the School be punished for what a few members of the staff did? How does this punish the school staff? That’s like blaming innocent people for what a few guilty ones did. I know nothing about this school or even the state, but I know injustice when I see it.
Take the blinders off. JoePa was their leader. The cover-up which JoePa did was for the football team. JoePa was the power at PSU. He could have stopped it way back in 2001 if not earlier. That is why the NCAA took the wins.
I will say it again. The cover up was done to protect the PSU football teams rep. NCAA saw that, and that is why the football program is taking the hit. They should have got the death penalty. People with blinders on, can't see this. Whereas, anyone with just one ounce of "common sense" can see it all day.
Don't be for the football team and JoePa precious record/fame/legend or whatever, there wouldn't be any need for a cover up, and the crook would have been stopped.
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