Slippery Slope

Today the NCAA spoke and it was in a clear deep voice that Penn State would pay the supreme price for not having control of it's football program.  $60 million dollar fine, five years probation, Four years of reduced scholarships from the normal 25 per year to 15.  In essence Penn State can play football but they will do it at the rate of not of a  BCS school but a FCS or division 2.  They will play with one hand tied behind their back.

Penn State had to give up all their football victories since 1998.  111 which dropped Joe Paterno from first on the list to 8th.  As we all know for the past 15 years or so almost every year the question came up when was Joe Paterno going to retire.  Using 20/20 hindsight vision we can see that Paterno was more concerned with himself over the perception that Penn State gave to the world .  Every discussion of retiring was rebuked by Paterno and there was not one person including the Board of Regents or what ever Penn State calls them that would stick his neck out and say Joe it's time to go.  The problem was any one who did lost their job.

Looking back these past 15 years or so Penn State has had good football teams but they are no where near the dominance they had in the 70's and 80's .  In fact 2002 and 2003 were the worse two years of Paterno's time in Happy Valley.  Those there now must suffer for the misdeeds of others.

North Carolina is a college basketball hotbed and Dean Smith was almost at the same situation as Joe Paterno and he upped and said goodbye  from right out of the blue.  He saved the Tar Heel Nation from having to possibly going  through with  what Penn State was drug through  with their legendary coach .

 Could Duke be next?  Mike Krzyzewski right now today is what Joe Paterno was to Penn State.  Coach K is approaching his mid 60's and already there  is fear in Durham about when he leaves who could possibly come close to accomplishing what K has done.  If K takes the Dean Smith  route within the next five years then there will not be a worry that he stayed too long.

Somewhere along the way college athletics has got to be down sized and sports put in it's place of being part of the college life but not in such control that the administrator of a university can't tell the coach you got to go.  That responsibility needs to go to the Athletic Director not the fund raising group of any university.  Any one who has ever complained about  the play that happened and what was the coach doing to call that play is just as guilty  of letting college athletic get out of control.  I hope that this case, the Penn State case will be the turning point where a college education is the method to help kids get high paying jobs that can last a life time over we need a fast running back to score touchdowns.