In the aftermath of revelations of Jerry Sandusky’s predatory child molestations, the NCAA swiftly entered into a stunning agreement in which it extracted a $60 million fine from Penn State, imposed a ban on its football program from bowl games and post-season play for four years, a reduction in scholarships from 25 to 15 per year for four years, vacated all of the team’s wins from 1998 to 2011, and put it on a five-year probationary period. News reports are unclear about the exact destination of the $60 million fine, but suggest that an endowment will be established to serve victims of child abuse.
In this torrent of outrage, no one seems to be asking some important questions: Why should $60 million of taxpayer and tax deductible donor money from a public school be put into the control of the NCAA? Why should the football team’s many innocent players suffer a ban from bowl games and post-season play because of the criminal misconduct of one coach and a clear abdication of moral accountability of a few individuals in the administration?
