Say it ain't so, Joe

[coozapalooza]

Good to see the creepy surrogate grandpa thing is going on with Joe Pa and Penn Staters. Un-Fing-believable. I swear if the NCAA doesn't hand out something severe, I will be so pissed. Time to show they're in control.

I guess it's different for me to say, but I don't know how the football team could possibly go on like this right now...It's just not...right. But then again neither is Joe Pa's apparent sainthood.

[crashcarson15]

A slightly random question that popped into my head during my visit to the University of Pittsburgh last week...

Will Penn State see a reverse "Flutie Effect," seeing their freshman application numbers drop thanks to the scandal?

[BRM_PTX]

Good to see the creepy surrogate grandpa thing is going on with Joe Pa and Penn Staters. Un-Fing-believable. I swear if the NCAA doesn't hand out something severe, I will be so pissed. Time to show they're in control.

I guess it's different for me to say, but I don't know how the football team could possibly go on like this right now...It's just not...right. But then again neither is Joe Pa's apparent sainthood.

Everything about Penn State has always creeped me out for some reason. I personally find their fans to be creepier than Raiders fans for their thinking of JoePa like a saint and this weird ****

Even their mascot creeps me out

It's always reminded me of this for some reason

[Kevin W.]

A slightly random question that popped into my head during my visit to the University of Pittsburgh last week...

Will Penn State see a reverse "Flutie Effect," seeing their freshman application numbers drop thanks to the scandal?

I don't know about that. Regardless of the corruption within the athletic department, Penn State is still a solid academic choice.

It could definitely happen, though.

[infrared41]

Without their football program Penn State as a whole would be in deep trouble. It's what keeps the engine running.

You really think so? Granted, the athletic dept. would be in a whole mess of trouble without football, but I think the college would be fine. I can't speak for Penn State, but if Ohio State shut down the football program tomorrow, the university would go on no problem. It's a giant state school with relatively cheap tuition. Kids are going to go to college there whether they have a football team or not.

Ohio State didn't develop a creepy cult-like following around a football coach and his program though.

No. They developed a creepy cult-like following for 3 coaches. Paging Messers Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, and Jim Tressel to the white courtesy phone.

Sure, there were Tressel apologists after the whole "tattoo-gate" thing. I'm sure Woody had his apologists after he punched the Clemson player. (I'm not sure that many people even remember that Paul Brown coached at Ohio State.) But none of that is anything even close to what we're seeing with Paterno and Penn State fans. Turning a blind eye to some free tattoos isn't even in the same universe as defending your head coach for standing idly by while his defensive coordinator was -ing little boys in the shower.

I get that you don't like Ohio State or Ohio State fans, but comparing us to Penn State is straight up bull- . You're way off the mark on that one.

[Kevin W.]

infrared is right. There is absolutely no comparison between what Tressel and Paterno did. Not even close.

[crashcarson15]

No, but that doesn't mean that there weren't some Ohio State fans and alums acting in a similar fashion after Tressell's departure from tOSU.

[coozapalooza]

Still a bit off the mark. I get that there were big time apologists for the sweater vest, but still...hiding tattoos that really have no impact other than maybe some NCAA sanctions pales in comparison to Sandusky and hiding his actions and what that causes.

[Kevin W.]

No, but that doesn't mean that there weren't some Ohio State fans and alums acting in a similar fashion after Tressell's departure from tOSU.

Oh, of course. I'm not suggesting that this whole thing makes Tressel innocent. It does, however, make him look like a saint in comparison to Paterno.

[coozapalooza]

But while thinking of Ohio State...if OSU can't play in a bowl game this year because of some free tattoos...come on, what does that mean for PSU?

I really wonder if they'll get the death penalty. Unfortunately I seriously doubt it.

[The_Admiral]

Turning a blind eye to some free tattoos isn't even in the same universe as defending your head coach for standing idly by while his defensive coordinator was -ing little boys in the shower.

Yeah, one of them resulted in serious NCAA sanctions.

[MJWalker45]

But while thinking of Ohio State...if OSU can't play in a bowl game this year because of some free tattoos...come on, what does that mean for PSU?

I really wonder if they'll get the death penalty. Unfortunately I seriously doubt it.

I can't see them getting the death penalty. Probably something close to what happened to USC with more oversight reporting. The fact that the athletic department actually waived reporting training is apalling. It's not something someone can do in corporate America, how were they able to not even pencil whip that type of training? The NCAA does not want Penn State to struggle like SMU did. 27 years between bowl games and a severely depleted program.

[Sodboy13]

The NCAA does not want Penn State to struggle like SMU did. 27 years between bowl games and a severely depleted program.

Yes, let's not lose sight of what's truly important here and what needs to be protected.

[infrared41]

Turning a blind eye to some free tattoos isn't even in the same universe as defending your head coach for standing idly by while his defensive coordinator was -ing little boys in the shower.

Yeah, one of them resulted in serious NCAA sanctions.

Some world we live in eh?

[Kevin W.]

In the NCAA's defense, we don't know yet what they're going to do to Penn State. There's a very slim chance they don't throw the book at them.

[MJWalker45]

The NCAA does not want Penn State to struggle like SMU did. 27 years between bowl games and a severely depleted program.

Yes, let's not lose sight of what's truly important here and what needs to be protected.

I agree. Those boys deserved to be protected. Unfortunately, the NCAA still has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Personally I think shutting down the football team for any period of time won't happen. And I'm not sure it would resolve anything. I think football needs to be de-emphasized. Maybe even dropped down to I-AA. If it screws up everyone else's schedules so be it. The school is still culpable even though the folks who allowed this stuff to happen have been removed.

[IceCap]

No, but that doesn't mean that there weren't some Ohio State fans and alums acting in a similar fashion after Tressell's departure from tOSU.

I don't particularly care, nor does it really matter. Tressell turned a blind eye while players got free tattoos. Paterno turned a blind eye while an assistant coach raped little boys. You could still defend Tressell after tattoo-gate and come across as a well-balanced individual. Anyone who defends Paterno's either drunk to much of the Penn State kool-aid, still pathetically sees him as a surrogate grandfather, or has messed up set of priorities when it comes to the role sports plays in our society. Ohio State, their fans, and their alumni are not as pathetically delusional as their Penn State equivalents, nor were they in the wake of tattoo-gate and Tressel's departure.

[pmoehrin]

I'm just glad I'm not the one making this call. This is unprecedented in terms of the severity of what was allowed to transpire. So I don't think its fair to compare it to anything. SMU football didn't do anything that led to little boys being raped. Penn State football did.

I do know that this is a school that has proven more then any other for the past decade plus, that they could not handle the responsibility of having a Division 1 football team. Having a football team led in direct part to a campus wide conspiracy that went all the way to the top, that not only allowed a child molester to get away with his heinous acts, but enabled them. That's what you have to go on.

I feel like the NCAA has to shut the program just to save face. The fact that they didn't voluntary shut down themselves for a year I think sends a message that the same line of thinking that allowed these acts to happen is still in place. That's a program that needs to get shut down for awhile. And I'm not saying should I'm saying has to. Anything short of that is insulting to the people that suffered because of what the Penn State football program allowed Jerry Sandusky to get away with.

[DarkJourney]

Some will agree. Some will disagree.

I think the Big Ten should take some serious consideration in kicking Penn State out of the conference. What the school covered up is inexcusable. It's my opinion on what I think should happen if they don't get the death penalty or other NCAA sanctions.

[rams80]

Without their football program Penn State as a whole would be in deep trouble. It's what keeps the engine running.

You really think so? Granted, the athletic dept. would be in a whole mess of trouble without football, but I think the college would be fine. I can't speak for Penn State, but if Ohio State shut down the football program tomorrow, the university would go on no problem. It's a giant state school with relatively cheap tuition. Kids are going to go to college there whether they have a football team or not.

Ohio State didn't develop a creepy cult-like following around a football coach and his program though.

No. They developed a creepy cult-like following for 3 coaches. Paging Messers Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, and Jim Tressel to the white courtesy phone.

Sure, there were Tressel apologists after the whole "tattoo-gate" thing. I'm sure Woody had his apologists after he punched the Clemson player. (I'm not sure that many people even remember that Paul Brown coached at Ohio State.) But none of that is anything even close to what we're seeing with Paterno and Penn State fans. Turning a blind eye to some free tattoos isn't even in the same universe as defending your head coach for standing idly by while his defensive coordinator was -ing little boys in the shower.

I get that you don't like Ohio State or Ohio State fans, but comparing us to Penn State is straight up bull- . You're way off the mark on that one.

No but none of the above ever got an opportunity to turn a blind eye to a pedophile so that's neither nor there. My point was Ohio State's fanbase does have the tendency to excessively venerate its more successful coaches. Especially Woody. Dude's been dead for 25 years and folks still love him like he's never left.