By Tanner McCarron
The nightmare that has plagued one of the world’s most
iconic public universities is about to come to an end. On Monday, October 28th,
Penn State University announced that it would pay $56 million to 26 young men, the
victims of former Penn State defensive
coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s sexual assault1. The announcement comes
as the University attempts to move on from the legal and public relations
disaster that has hung as an albatross around the neck of the University.
In November 2011 it was revealed that former Penn State
football coach Jerry Sandusky had raped multiple children in the showers of the
Penn State locker room. Following this discovery, the university hired former
prosecutor, Louis Freeh, to investigate the matter. The investigative report revealed that Penn
State leaders, including President Graham Spanier and legendary football coach Joe
Paterno, willfully withheld information regarding the child abuse in order to
protect the reputation of the University at the expense of the young victims.
Freeh wrote, “"In order to avoid the
consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State
University - Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley - repeatedly
concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the
authorities, the Board of Trustees, Penn State community, and the public at
large.2" Ironically, the investigation that the
University spent millions to fund ended up serving as the evidence the NCAA
used to enact heavy sanctions against one of Americas largest football
programs. The sanctions included a 60 million dollar fine, an elimination of
all wins dating back to 1998, a reduction of 20 total scholarships for the next
four years, and the most damning being a four-year postseason ban3.
The University was quick to accept the penalties as well asto compensate the
victims that were affected.
When the heavy sanctions were levied against the Penn State
Football program many questioned the legality of the penalty. There had been no
precedent to follow, and the University had not violated any football related
regulations. However, football was put on the backburner, and the University
did what was in the best interest of the University, and accepted the penalty.
The announcement on Monday is another clear indicator that the University is
more concerned with doing right by those who were victimized and creating a
positive public appearance rather than fighting for every nickel and dime in
court.
A lot can be learned from the scandal that rocked Happy
Valley. First it shows that even if punishments, plea settlements, or sanctions
seem overly severe against a University, it is in the best interest to accept
them, because it is the quickest way too move on and preserve its image.
Universities strive to attract the brightest and most promising students the
world has to offer, and a messy court battle or negative PR is the easiest way
to turn these students away. Second, this scandal brought to light the danger
of having a solitary figure, embody an institution. Joe Paterno was not only
worshiped in Pennsylvania and amongst college football diehards, but was
admired throughout the countryfor his widely held status as an exemplary
citizen. His power and influence was limitless. Unfortunately he used his power
at the expense of justice. As the final chapter of the Penn State scandal is
written, the moral of the story is that all power must be checked.
Bibliography
1. Gough
J. Paul. “Penn State pays $56M in claims to Sandusky victims”.
Bizjournals.com.
28 October 2013. http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2013/10/28/penn-state-pays-56m-in-claims-to.html
2. PBS.org.
“Report: Penn St. Paterno Chowed No Concern for Sandusky Victims”.
12
July 2012. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/07/report-penn-st-paterno-showed-no-concern-for-sandusky-victims.html
3. ESPN.com.
“Penn State Nittany Lions hit with $60 million fine, 4 year bowl ban,
Wins
dating back to 1998”. 24 July 2012. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8191027/penn-state-nittany-lions-hit-60-million-fine-4-year-bowl-ban-wins-dating-1998
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