Tough sanctions handed down against Penn State’s football program

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The NCAA is not the only one that threw the book at Penn State’s football program Monday for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The Big Ten Conference announced additional sanctions.

The biggest one is a loss of around $13 million, which would have been Penn State’s share of Big Ten bowl revenues over the next four years.

The conference said it would donate the money to charities in Big Ten communities, including Madison, which deal with protecting children.

The league also issued an official censure against Penn State, placed the school on five years’ probation and made the football team ineligible for the Big Ten Championship game for the next four seasons.

Wisconsin won the inaugural Big Ten title game last December. Earlier Monday, the NCAA said it would fine Penn State $60 million dollars, order a four-year post-season ban and limit scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for the next four years.

Also, all of Joe Paterno’s coaching victories since 1998 will be vacated. That means Paterno’s last official win will have come against Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions crushed the Badgers at State College Pennsylvania 35-10 on Nov. 22 of 1997.

In a statement, the Big Ten said Penn State has been working to “right a terrible wrong. There is more to be done.”

The league said its sanctions were not meant to destroy Penn State, but to “seek justice and constructively assist a member institution with its efforts to reform.”

The school said it would accept its NCAA penalties. New coach Bill O’Brien said he would stay and do his best to rebuild the program.

Tags: sports, football, proam, crime