Joe Paterno's Vacated Wins to Be Restored: NCAA Signs Settlement in Lawsuit Over Sanctions
ByThe NCAA struck down one of the last of the two remaining sanctions against Penn State University (PSU) over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and it was not the $60 million fine.
According to the Associated Press, the NCAA agreed to a settlement with the school that will restore the late Joe Paterno's previously vacated 112 wins. The settlement achieved its main purpose in settling the lawsuit over the large fine, directing the sum to be spent fighting child abuse within the state.
Penn. State Senator Jake Corman and Penn. Treasurer Rob McCord brought the lawsuit forward over the $60 million fine and it was scheduled to be heard in court soon. Both men reportedly consider the matter to be closed.
Paterno will once again have the most wins for any head coach in NCAA Division I college football history with 409. The Penn State Board of Trustees decided to fire Paterno in Nov. 2011, shortly after news of the Sandusky scandal broke. Paterno was implicated to have known about at least one instance and went no further than alerting his superiors, who are currently awaiting trial for charges relating to covering Sandusky's crimes up.
The coach's family released a statement regarding the settlement, calling it a "great victory for everyone who has fought for the truth in the Sandusky tragedy." They believe the NCAA should never have taken away the wins Paterno accumulated from 1998 to 2011.
The reaction to the settlement has been highly divisive on Twitter, with the majority of those expressing an opinion were upset to see the wins being restored.
As part of the lawsuit, several emails within the NCAA regarding the sanctions were exposed. Among the revelations was certain NCAA officials considered the historic sanctions a "bluff" while others believed the Penn State football program should have been suspended as a whole. There was also memos regarding Louis Freeh, the former FBI director whose independent report was the basis of the NCAA's sanctions.
Jerry Sandusky, 70, was convicted on 45 criminal counts of a possible 49 and is about three years into a sentence of at least 30 years. He has been denied appeals and new trials repeatedly, but maintains he is innocent. The PSU football recently had its four-year bowl ban lifted and all its scholarships restored.