The Rest of College Football

[Jeff Buchanan]

These situations are not analagous and should not be compared. Doing so gives both of these inferior-to-Michigan programs more perceived legitimacy than they deserve. It trivializes what Sandusky did if they are processed through the same filter, and makes OSU look good in comparison.

I cannot over-state the importance of this point to those who value what Michigan football represents when they are faced with arguments like talent would like to advance here.

No comparison ..... none.

jim tressel is a lier and a cheater. During his ten years at osu, he recruited players who succumbed to accepting inducements to play in the program he ran ..... he knew about it, he lied to the NCAA about it and every football related accomplishment that he claims is tarnished for it.

The only comparison that is valid between Sandusky, PSU and tressel, osu is that men figure out ways to hide their own terrible behaviors in incredibly surprising ways. When they are discovered, the institutions they work for will go out of their way to prevent exposing their evils when it is in their financial interests to do so.

[hack]

It's lots of fun on gameday in an SEC town -- I've been in a few. Fun on gameday does not erase or change what makes UM football great, and anyone who appreciates it has no business rooting for an SEC team.

Or any other, for that matter. Personal preference on this one, but I don't buy into the idea that you can have a secondary team. BS.

[Jamie H]

On the "importance in life" scale, obviously the Sandusky situation is far far more serious than a violation of NCAA rules.

However, the Sandusky situation is a story of a perverted individual who committed crimes 100% unrelated to the Penn State football team that was then apparently covered up by other people at Penn State allegedly including members of the football team staff. None of this really had anything to do with football or Penn State playing within the rules of the NCAA.

Tressel's flaunting of NCAA rules (especially evident when he got the Tat 5 reinstated to win the bowl game last year, knowing full well they were incredibly ineligible) acutally had far more effect on the field than the Sandusky issue. It can't come close to it on a scale of things that are important in life, but if you are strictly looking at a fair and level playing field in college football, Tressel's cheating had a far greater effect on that. The Sandusky incident really has nothing to do with NCAA football. It is a heinous crime that happened to be committed by a coach, but is pretty much unrelated to NCAA football in any other way.

So I agree--the two issues are 100% incomparible.

[Rocky Bleier]

They compare in that the coverups were both motivated by winning games and making money.

[Jamie H]

Since Sandusky hasn't been a Penn St. coach in a long time, how would covering this up help Penn State win football games?

[WM Wolverine]

32 pages of material here, probably worth a sticky?

[UMStan White]

Since Sandusky hasn't been a Penn St. coach in a long time, how would covering this up help Penn State win football games?"

Well I gotta believe it would have had a negative affect upon recruiting had it been revealed when first known by the administration.

[WingsFan]

Joe Paterno's right-hand man, he was in line to replace him when he suddenly resigned years ago. Now we understand more fully why. It involves a huge fouandation in Pennsylvania to benefit children. And somebody - the founder - allegedly taking advantage of it to become engaged in despicable acts against minors. This makes any thing involving breaking NCAA rules pale in comparison.

[Jamie H]

Well I gotta believe it would have had a negative affect upon recruiting had it been revealed when first known by the administration.

Does anyone know yet exactly when the administration knew? The guy hasn't been a coach at Penn State for 12 years. Did they know while he was still a coach? Was he allowed to stay as a coach after people knew? I believe a majority of the complaints are from the time period after he was no longer a Penn State coach.

Note, none of those questions are relevant in individual criminal charges against the people in question. Covering up for a criminal is obviously a criminal act no matter if he was still a coach or not.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The incidents Sandusky has been charged with stem from his time as defensive coordinator as well as after his "retirement". A retirement that, if people old enough to remember, was very sudden and unexpected. He was still in his 50's and was viewed by many as Paterno's eventual successor. I think that retirement is now being viewed as very suspicious and that somebody knew something was up at least as early as 1999

[UMStan White]

Uh.. the alligetion is that a grad assistant observed him sexually assaulting a ten year old in the shower. He reported it to JoePa who reported it to the Ad who after interviewing the grad assistant decided they were "just horsing around" and nothing improper happened. He apparently never asked Sandusky about the incident Oh but he told Sandusky he couldn't bring any more young boys into the locker room.. And this is the guy the president of PSU has publicly supported 100%. Can't wait for the harpies of the media to decend upon his decaying carcass in the next few days.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Joe Pa reported him to his superiors. He fulfilled his legal duties and the prosecutors have already said he was very helpful and all that. HOWEVER, the question arises over whether he fulfilled his moral duties to make sure the investigation reached a satisfactory conclusion. I don't know what he may have thought seeing Sandusky still around campus. Maybe the AD and Campus police told JoePa they'd cleared Sandusky. I really don't know. I do think it's possible he isn't complicit in this and pretty much did what he should. Maybe he should have asked a few more questions.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Here's a statement from Joe Pa released a couple hours ago

http://pennstate.scout.com/2/1125552.html

Supposedly the PSU Board of Trustees has called an emergency meeting and is meeting as I speak

[whodean]

Alabama only falls to #3 in the BCS, its quite conceivable Stanford could lose to Oregon and Oklahoma St. to Oklahoma setting up a rematch in the title game.

[lineygoblue]

I don't think Alabama should have dropped at all. I think LSU and Bama are #1 and #2. I don't see any other team out there that I'd put at either position.