National Collegiate Athletic Association Needs To Strip Joe Paterno’s Wins From 2002 And Forward

Saying this is a criminal matter only and has nothing to do with football is false. This scandal is closely tied to Penn State football. And if the allegations of child abuse by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky turn out to be true, then the following will also be true:

Joe Paterno was in charge of the Penn State football program. A former Penn State football coach raped at least 8 children, often using Penn State football facilities to molest them. He took his victims to Penn State football practices, Penn State football games and Penn State football banquets. A graduate assistant football coach (Mike McQueary) witnessed former assistant football coach Sandusky raping a boy in the Penn State football lockers in 2002 and reported it to head football coach - Joe Paterno. Paterno stated in his grand jury testimony that McQueary told him he witnessed former football coach Sandusky "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature" in the football lockers to a young boy. The graduate assistant football coach was promoted several months later. And even though he had officially retired as assistant Penn State football coach in 1999 - after previous accusations of molestation - Sandusky was given emeritus status at Penn State, an on-campus office, a pension, and continued use of Penn State football facilities for more than a decade while having continued contact with children.

Claiming Paterno might not have believed McQueary regarding Sandusky raping the child in the Penn State football lockers in 2002 does not stand up to logic. If Paterno believed McQueary would fabricate such a horrendous accusation against one of Paterno’s previous football coaches, it is highly unlikely Paterno would have allowed him to continue to work with his football program. However, in 2003 McQueary was promoted from graduate assistant football coach to administrative assistant for the Penn State football program, and later promoted to full time Penn State football wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator- positions he still holds today though he is on paid administrative leave.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno could have prevented further children from being molested by going to law enforcement or simply following up within his own university, since he knew Sandusky was still associated with the school and in contact with young boys.

The NCAA has stripped wins from coaching records before. In 2009, the NCAA sanctioned Florida State University and vacated 12 football wins from Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden due to an academic scandal in which students cheated on an online quiz. Bowden is currently the second winningest coach in college Division I football history and was not personally implicated in the scandal.

All Joe Paterno’s wins from 2002 - when he was first told of the rape of child by Sandusky in the Penn State football lockers - and forward, should be stripped. Someone with such blatant disregard for the well being of children as to knowingly allow a predator among them does not deserve those wins nor to be the most winning coach in Division I college football history.

If the existing NCAA rules and bylaws do not cover this horrendous situation, they must immediately address it and create a rule that does and make it retroactively effective.

College football players trading personal items for tattoos, receiving payments, getting limo rides and even shaving points pales in comparison to the events which occurred - or sadly failed to occur - at Penn State.

If the NCAA wants to be taken seriously as a governing body for collegiate sports, they have no choice but become involved with the sad events at Penn State. And stripping football wins from a man who failed to protect children from a serial sexual predator to remove him from the top of the record books is a good way to start.

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