Showing posts with label Penn State Scandal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penn State Scandal. Show all posts

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Penn State Revisited; Reports that Settlement is Brewing for Sandusky Victims!

The New York Times reported  this weekend  that   settlement discussions were taking place between the attorneys for the plaintiffs and Penn State . While there are statute of limitations and immunity issues lurking out there, a  " fair settlement" will be the only  appropriate closure of the worst chapter  in Penn State history. My gut tells me that these  cases will settle individually in the $750,000 to $ 5 million range, and will be paid  by Penn State with contributions from their insurers.
  Of course we'll  never know, as an ironclad confidentiality agreement will attach to the settlements. We can only  hope that  this  settlement  money  will provide some security and comfort  in life, that these young men might never of had.  It certainly won't erase  the memories!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Penn State Scandal; What a Fuc__n Joke, Penn State Agrees to Sanctions, Now The Commonwealth of Pa. Is Suing Over Them!

Governor Tom Corbett  of   Pa. has reached  a new  level  "chutzpah "!   After  Penn State  agreed  to  NCAA  sanctions  handed down to their football  program, (Corbett served on  the Board of Trustees) , the State of Pennsylvania has now  sued the NCAA  in Federal Court  alleging  "Sherman  Antitrust  Violations".
   Don't make me laugh...I just ate! Corbett in a blatantly transparent political  move  has orchestrated  the filing of this meritless lawsuit.  Here's what he's trying to  have a Federal Court  Judge  accept. Penn State   University  agreed  to a $60  million sanction and a   four year  suspension from any "Bowl Games " for one simple reason . They were happy to take it on the chin to save  their cherished football program. They even made the first  $12  million payment to the NCAA . Governor Corbett actually  served on the Board of Trustees  who voted  to accept the sanctions . Part of the agreement was that  Penn State  would not contest the sanctions.
    So what does Corbett do ?  Confident  that the sanctions in place "saved the football program"(and cannot get worse )  , he goes out and  challenges the penalty. Hey, a deal  is a deal, isn't it?  No one forced Penn State to accept the sanction. They did, because they feared a  five year ban or worse  of any football...which would have been a death knell.  Tom, you can't have your cake and eat it too! What you  are attempting to do, would be akin to the NCAA   saying " we think the santions are too light, we want to scrap your entire football program instead."  Ridiculous!  IT'S A NO-WIN SITUATION.
  Finally,  somehow I don't believe we"ve heard  the last  of  "santions " here.. A  Federal  Court  Judge when all is said and done,  may very well be inclined to santion Corbett and the State of Pennsylvania for filing  this  frivilous lawsuit .
   Stay tuned.

  NCAA  reporter S.F. Goldman  III   reporting.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Penn State, Syracuse ; Are Big Universities Operating Within 'Their Own Legal System" ?

To me , one of the most troubling revelations that has come out of the " Sandusky " and "Bernie Fine " debacles is that big Universities regularly act as if they are above and beyond the law. Power, prestige, money , national success or "we will deal with our own dirty laundry " do not allow you to take allegations of serious crimes into your own hands . Once private citizens start taking the law into their own hands, the very fabric of a civilized society starts to shred and acrimony takes over. No excuses for that! Ever, ever, ever!
So now that we've heard of Penn State's and Syracuse's "lame attempts " to conduct "the old internal investigation " of allegations that their coaches were molesting boys, you realize that this practice is probably common in the world of big time college sports .(Did someone say sweeping things under the rug?) As we have known forever , powerhouse college sports programs and athletic departments operate in their own little world because they are "cash cows". The only time there is any accountability is when the NCAA catches them on a recruiting violation and all hell breaks loose.
In my opinion, the NCAA and all colleges and Universities must immediately start working on the implementation of guidelines laying out what must be done when allegations of "sexual misconduct " are made. No ifs, ands or buts...Law enforcement gets notified .
No more protecting a fu__in football program when kids' well-being is at stake.
This is wrong ! The whole culture must be rethought! Your comments?

Monday, November 14, 2011

Penn State Student Body; Nice Job Saturday!

With all the craziness, uncertainty, emotion, shock and horror of this past week, the Penn State student body was awesome this weekend . The peaceful vigils, calm, reflection and support for their excellent University took "front and center " , while the violence , anger and protest took a back seat.
While the healing process will start now for the school, the administration must " officially clean house in the football program " and start a new, fresh era without any connections to the old. That way there will never, ever be any questions about so and so's connection to this tragedy. The Paterno Era sadly is over.
As victims come forward, they too will have to be counseled , assisted and watched . Only time will tell there . Not going to be easy.
By the way , Penn State lost Saturday to Nebraska. Big fu_in deal! You know what at the end of the day, it's only a game . You heard what I said, at the end of the day it's only a game !
Maybe that is one of the lessons that will come out of this painful ordeal.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Penn St. Sex Scandal; The Immediate Concern is Can the University Ensure the Safety of All Attending the Game Saturday ?

The " Penn State Scandal " has taken on a life of it's own. Story breaks, arrests, Paterno and the University President fired, campus unrest, "Paterno Demonstrations" , new rumors surfacing and more! All the other breaking stories seem trivial in light of this story. Wall Street, the European crisis, "Occupy Wall Street ", Herman Cain , etc.....Who cares ? All people are talking about is the "Penn St. Story ". Not since the "OJ Simpson chase " which pre-empted game 6 of the Knicks-Rockets NBA Championship series 17 years ago has a single story so captivated an entire nation !
And why ? The horrific, unthinkable nature of the allegations ?Big time college sports . Joe Paterno , the legend , and his beloved Nittany Lions ? The coverup , or simply the cumulative effect of all of the above? Mark my words...This story will be front page news for the next year.
Which brings us to Saturday's football game at Penn St; Penn St. vs. Nebraska. The final home game for the seniors. Bowl Game at stake . The first game in over 40 years where Joe Paterno has not been the head coach in "Happy Valley". Wow!
The real issue with all the raw emotion percolating around out there is will the players, fans and media be safe ? We all truly hope so and want to believe that cooler heads will prevail, but will they? We've seen demonstrations up there over the last 48 hours, albeit not all 1000 % peaceful. Can the campus police, local law enforcement and if necessary the State National Guard peacefully control and protect 80,000-100,000 people ? Excellent question. None of us know the answer.
So Penn St., carefully monitor the situation between now and Saturday. Make safety, safety, safety your number one concern .And if there are genuine safety concerns, listen to your experts and remember this is still only a game . Do not make another major mistake which could put students and others in harms way. To the student body......Enjoy the game . Remember . Peace, calm, contol.