The Paterno family speaks

 I take issue with the first statement right out of the gate... What do you think?

Here is the Paterno family’s full statement:
 
Sexual abuse is reprehensible, especially when it involves children, and no one starting with Joe Paterno condones or minimizes it. The horrific acts committed by Jerry Sandusky shock the conscience of every decent human being. How Sandusky was able to get away with his crimes for so long has yet to be fully understood, despite the claims and assertions of the Freeh report.

The release of the Freeh report has triggered an avalanche of vitriol, condemnation and posthumous punishment on Joe Paterno. The NCAA has now become the latest party to accept the report as the final word on the Sandusky scandal. The sanctions announced by the NCAA today defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best.

That the President, the Athletic Director and the Board of Trustees accepted this unprecedented action by the NCAA without requiring a full due process hearing before the Committee on Infractions is an abdication of their responsibilities and a breach of their fiduciary duties to the University and the 500,000 alumni. Punishing past, present and future students of the University because of Sandusky’s crimes does not serve justice. This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public’s understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did.

The point of due process is to protect against this sort of reflexive action. Joe Paterno was never interviewed by the University or the Freeh Group. His counsel has not been able to interview key witnesses as they are represented by counsel related to ongoing litigation. We have had no access to the records reviewed by the Freeh group. The NCAA never contacted our family or our legal counsel. And the fact that several parties have pending trials that could produce evidence and testimony relevant to this matter has been totally discounted.

Unfortunately all of these facts have been ignored by the NCAA, the Freeh Group and the University.

NCAA source: "Unprecedented" penalties against Penn State

Sounds like "judgement" day is coming for Penn State University tomorrow. It sounds like the sanctions are going to be unprecedented. It will be interesting to see what the sanctions are and how much teeth they actually have to them.

(CBS News) CBS News has learned that the NCAA will announce what a high-ranking association source called "unprecedented" penalties against both the Penn State University football team and the school.

"I've never seen anything like it," the source told correspondent Armen Keteyian.

NCAA President Mark Emmert will make the announcement Monday morning at 9 a.m. at the organization's headquarters in Indianapolis.

The penalties come in the wake of the independent report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that chronicled repeated efforts by four top Penn State officials, including former football coach Joe Paterno, to conceal allegations of serial child sex abuse by Jerry Sandusky over a 14-year period.

The NCAA had been awaiting the school's response to four key questions pertaining to the sex abuse scandal, including issues involving institutional control and ethics.

UPDATE: Also, the Joe Paterno statue that was erected in front of Beaver Stadium to honor Paterno, has been taken down today by Penn State University. Here is what former FSU football coach Bobby Bowden had to say about the statue.

NCAA to wait for 'appropriate time' for action on Penn State

I don't think that Penn State is out of the woods yet and I do believe that there has to be some kind of NCAA punishment or sanctions for Penn State University football team. What happened on their campus is disgusting and heinous crime and might have been covered up.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – The NCAA says that it will decide on whether to take action at the "appropriate time" in connection with its inquiry into Penn State and the child sexual abuse scandal that led to the ouster of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno.

The NCAA says Penn State will have to formally respond to questions from President Mark Emmert about the conduct of its athletics department in connection with the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal.

Findings from Penn State's internal investigation into the case of ex-defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky are due to be released at 9 a.m. ET Thursday. The NCAA says it has already been collecting information from the probe led by former FBI director Louis Freeh.

The NCAA says Penn State will have to formally respond to questions from NCAA President Mark Emmert, even after Freeh unveils his findings.

The governing body says it won't interfere with other ongoing inquiries and will determine if additional action is necessary. It offered no specific timeline.

If investigations reveal that Penn State did in fact cover up these heinous crimes then,  PSU needs to have the book thrown at them by the NCAA - but I would say lets let the investigations play out before the long arm of the NCAA wields its punishment. I don't like the fact that the University knew about this back in 2001 and this didn't get exposed. If in fact there was a coverup then PSU should feel the pain of NCAA Sanctions.