For the NCAA it is all about the money. They need to join the 21st Century and come up with some type of pay program for the athletes and about a hundred other changes.

But I disagree that they have no authority or responsibilty in this case. What this case is really about is the inner functionings of large corporations and not just a little college football problem. Every university of any size relies on its football or major sports programs to fund not just other and smaller programs but also university projects outside athletics. In any corporation there is often a closed culture that develops with its own internal rules and hierarchy and this is where the larger football programs are at.

Just before Penn State's debacle the NCAA had gone hard after Ohio State and succeeded in getting certain sanctions, a change in staffing and other things by invoking their most common rule which involves "failure to properly monitor" athletes and situations. OSU damn near made the "death penalty" because of it. The real story was that some players had traded away football memorabilia for tickets and free tattoos plus in a few cases some really good deals, although quite legal deals, on used cars. It was pretty nickel and dime stuff. The coach DID know and so did quite a few others so heads rolled starting with Jim Tressel. Players were suspended, victories and trophys taken away, and financial penalties ensued. Now if the NCAA went ballistic over THAT, I can't help but think the Penn State rapes just might also be a failure to monitor.

Penn State is well on its way to doing the right things but I think they have to do more and closing down the football program for a year and showing a complete restructuring and philosophy that would prevent anything even remotely like this in the future. Something that would stand as a model for other schools. In the long run they have the possibility of becoming the model for other schools to follow and could once again say they can have "Success with Honor." And this time it would be true.


Spaw