National Collegiate Hockey Conference Announces Selection of Don Adam as Director of Officiating

National Collegiate Hockey Conference Announces Selection of Don Adam as Director of Officiating. Press release to follow.
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) September 20, 2012

Colorado Springs, September 20------The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has announced that Don Adam will assume the role of Director of Officiating for the conference at the conclusion of the 2012-13 college hockey season.

NCHC men’s ice hockey will make its debut during the 2013-14 season with eight successful Division 1 programs- Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University (Ohio), University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of North Dakota, St Cloud State University and Western Michigan University.

“We are excited about having Don Adam join the NCHC staff and look forward to having him assist us in overseeing the important officiating program,” said NCHC Commissioner Jim Scherr. “Don brings a proven level of on-ice and supervisory officiating expertise and his long term commitment to the college game is invaluable to our goals. Don’s hiring is another significant step for our conference as we move towards a new era in college hockey and the start of our new conference playing in 2013-14.”

Adam has served as one of the top NCAA Division I Ice Hockey officials in the nation for 24 seasons. As an on-ice official he has worked numerous WCHA championships, NCAA tournaments, and NCAA national championships. He was also selected by the International Ice Hockey Federation to officiate an impressive list of key international competitions which includes five World Championships, as well as the 1992 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, and Nagano, Japan. 

Adam was also an NHL referee trainee for three seasons, as well as an NHL-contracted official for one season. He brings additional prior experience as the Director of Officiating for both the West Coast Hockey League and Roller Hockey International. His reputation and involvement as a supervisor of officials for USA Hockey’s Officials Development Program to the professional hockey ranks reflects his commitment to ice hockey officiating at all levels for over 25 years.

“I am excited to join the staff of the NCHC and recognize this as a unique opportunity to positively contribute to what I believe will become one of the top conferences in the nation,” Adam said. “I’ve had the good fortune to work with many of the NCHC’s coaches and administrators over the course of many seasons and, based upon my respect for them both personally and professionally, I look forward to continuing those relationships in the future. Under the leadership of both Jim Scherr and Joe Novak, this opportunity will allow me to implement and develop an officiating staff that the NCHC will be proud of.”

Adam currently resides in Denver and is employed by the city of Louisville (CO) as a police officer, where he has served the public for the last nine years. Adam compares his two current professions and looks forward to applying his experiences to his new position: "Both professions require a lot of quick decisions in pressure-filled situations. Experience, judgment, common sense and clear communication are all huge factors in achieving success, and I’m excited to face the challenges that this new position will present me with.”

NCHC coaches are enthusiastic about the new conference executive:

George Gwozdecky- University of Denver- “For over two decades, Don Adam has been regarded as one of the top hockey officials in the NCAA. His leadership skills, organizational ability along with his experience will be a valuable asset to the conference and 

will assure that, under his direction, the league will receive the finest collegiate officiating available.”

Rico Blasi - Miami University Ohio “It’s very exciting to have someone like Don with the knowledge and experience leading our on-ice officials. Along with his experience, his communication skills make Don a great asset.”

Dean Blais - University Nebraska at Omaha- “Don Adam brings a wealth of experience in officiating to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Don, as Director of Officiating, will be active in evaluating, recruiting, coaching and directing our conference officiating staff according to NCAA rules and regulations. He is a great communicator and will have a lot of significant responsibilities with our new conference. We are all looking forward to his role and leadership with our officiating program.”

Dave Hakstol/ University of North Dakota- “Don is very well respected throughout college hockey. Over the years his officiating style has constantly evolved as changes have come to the way the game is played and he is very well equipped to build a quality staff of officials for the NCHC.”

And: "Don has always been the personification of an honest, well-prepared and knowledgeable official. What more can you ask for?" - Lou Vairo - 1984 United States Olympic Hockey Coach • Former Assistant Coach; New Jersey Devils (NHL) • Currently: Director, Special Projects; USA Hockey

Summary of Don Adam's officiating career

One year under contract as an NHL referee (1993-94).

Two Olympic Winter Games as a referee (1992 in Albertville, 1998 in Nagano).

Two NCAA Frozen Fours as a referee (1997 in Milwaukee, 2003 in Buffalo, N.Y.).

Director of Officiating for both the West Coast Hockey League and Roller Hockey International

USA Hockey Officiating Development Program staff member

22 years as a Western Collegiate Hockey Association referee (plus two as a linesman).

National Collegiate Hockey Conference · The Copper Building · 1631 Mesa Avenue, Suite C · Colorado Springs, CO 80906 · 719.203.6818 · www.nchchockey.com

NHL prospects represented by many current and former College Hockey players

Originally posted at The Hockey Writers - Combine

As most of us know, the NHL players have been locked out by the NHL owners effective on September 15^th, 2012 – when this lockout ends is anyone’s guess – the prospects of the two sides coming to a quick settlement doesn’t look very good. From everything that I have been reading during the past week does  suggests fans shouldn’t expect any NHL hockey games during the months of October and November and we probably won’t have any games until sometime in  December.

So while the NHL and the NHLPA try to settle their differences – NHL hockey fans are going to have to look for other hockey options.  Much like the 2004-05 lockout that cost us a whole season, hockey fans are going to have a lot of extra free time on their hands that they used to fill by watching NHL Hockey. Personally, I watch at least 3-6 NHL hockey games on NHL Center Ice during the regular season – when my favorite college hockey team is in town during the weekend, I spend those nights at the local hockey arena watching college hockey. Obviously, there are other NHL hockey fans that watch even more NHL hockey than that. That being said, there is going to fill a void that has been caused by the lockout, obviously there won’t be as much watchable hockey on TV.

There are many options when it comes to filling the hockey void left by the NHL lockout – hockey fans in the States can watch NCAA Division I Hockey on the various regional sports networks and or watch games in person at a stadium near you.

The NCAA is filled with many top players that have been drafted by NHL teams  and quite a few of them currently play in the NHL.  Corey Pronman from the Hockey prospectus has ranked the top 100 NHL Prospects and I have posted the players from the list that have played college hockey or are currently playing Division I college hockey.

Looking at the list that Pronman has compiled, you might notice a few familiar names, but also a few familiar universities as well. There might have been a few names that I have omitted and I apologize ahead of time if I have.

 12. Justin Schultz, Defense, Edmonton Oilers – Wisconsin
14. Brendan Smith, Defense, Detroit Red Wings – Wisconsin
21. Jaden Schwartz, Left Wing, St. Louis Blues – Colorado College
24. Nick Bjugstad, Center, Florida Panthers – Minnesota Gophers
26. Gustav Nyquist, Right Wing, Detroit Red Wings – Maine
32. Chris Kreider, Left Wing, New York Rangers – Boston College
36. Rocco Grimaldi, Center, Florida Panthers – North Dakota
37. Jon Merrill, Defense, New Jersey Devils – Michigan
42. Jacob Trouba, Defense, Winnipeg Jets – Michigan
47. Kyle Palmieri, Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks – Notre Dame
48. Charlie Coyle, Center, Minnesota Wild – Boston University
50. Brandon Pirri, Center, Chicago Blackhawks - RPI
56. Joe Colborne, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs – Denver University
58. Brian Dumoulin, Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins - Boston College
61. Torey Krug, Defense, Boston Bruins – Michigan State
67. Brock Nelson, Center, New York Islanders – North Dakota
69. Corban Knight, Right Wing, Florida Panthers – North Dakota
71. Reilly Smith, Right Wing, Dallas Stars - Miami
72. Matt Donovan, Defense, New York Islanders – Denver University
79. Cory Conacher, Left Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning - Canisius
81. Drew Shore, Center, Florida Panthers – Denver University
82. Beau Bennett, Right Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins – Denver University
83. J.T. Brown, Right Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning – Minnesota Duluth
85. Derek Forbort, Defense Los Angeles Kings – North Dakota
86. Scott Mayfield, Defense, New York Islanders – Denver University
94. John Gaudreau, Left Wing, Calgary Flames – Boston College
98. T.J. Tynan, Center, Columbus Blue Jackets – Notre Dame

Related articles

• NHL Fans Do Have Other Options (insidehockey.com)
• NHL Hockey fans, you have options (thehockeywriters.com)
• You have options during an NHL Lockout (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• The NHL Lockout: An Alternative View (insidehockey.com)

Are there more than one set of rules for certain universities?

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a story that happened to catch my eye today - especially after the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. It appears that the NCAA has cleared the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill of any wrong doing when it appeared that UNC did in fact commit academic fraud. I guess the unprecedented precedence the NCAA set this past summer only applies to certain schools and not to other schools.

First off, I want to be clear - in no way is accademic fraud as bad as a child sex abuse scandal - that being said there should have been some kind of punishment for UNC's transgressions.

Dan Kane, News Observer --- The NCAA’s position that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has done nothing wrong by offering bogus classes that helped athletes maintain their eligibility has spurred a wave of skepticism from national sportswriters and others who follow college sports.

“The NCAA concludes no violations in UNC academic scandal,” tweeted Stewart Mandel, a college football writer for Sports Illustrated’s website. “This actually happened.”

Several said the announcement last Friday has given universities looking to gain the advantage in the big-money sports of football and basketball a license to bend the rules.

Bruce Feldman, a college football columnist for CBSSports.com, said in a blog post the announcement shows that the “NCAA MAKES IT UP AS IT GOES ALONG. The NCAA finds pretty much whatever it wants to find ... or not find.”

Jay Bilas, ESPN analyst and former Duke basketball player, said on Twitter: “And the NCAA wonders why it’s a laughingstock? Cue NCAA Prez to lecture on integrity, and who’s ‘in charge.’ ”

Neither UNC-CH officials nor the NCAA offered an explanation for the determination. UNC-CH officials announced the news Friday morning ahead of a holiday weekend. The NCAA did not issue a statement, but provided a brief confirmation of UNC’s announcement later in the day.

Again, I want to be clear, while  child rape and abuse for 15+ years is much worse than academic fraud - in anyone's universe; because in the end the fact that PSU athletic department knew about Jerry Sandusky and and covered up the crimes of Sandusky is not acceptable and inexcusable and I have no problem with how the NCAA treated Penn State University. I honestly don't know, if you can punish the PSU football team enough to make things right - they are going to be cleaning up Sandusky's mess for a very long time.

That being said, the NCAA also set a precedence by letting big basketball/football programs let players that shouldn't have been eligible continue to compete on the playing field. By letting one college fudge academic records to keep a player eligible has set  a precedence for other schools that might be entertaining this idea and this is also not acceptable.

If any thing the next school that get's caught cheating and doing the same thing should immediately stand up and say hey, you let UNC get away with it and if they are sanctioned the NCAA will open itself up for a lawsuit in my opinion. I was also wondering how long before something like this happen - you knew the NCAA would return to it's hypocrisy of not treating all institutions of higher living the same way. We should know by now that the big schools in many instances are allowed to skate while other smaller schools feel the full brunt of the NCAA.

Column: After UNC ruling, what does NCAA tell Penn State? Or UConn? m.si.com/news/wr/wr/det…
— Michael Rosenberg (@Rosenberg_Mike) August 31, 2012

And NCAA wonders why it's a laughingstock?:bit.ly/O1bzUF Cue NCAA Prez to lecture on integrity, and who's "in charge."
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) August 31, 2012

Related articles

• Are there more than one set of rules for certain universities?
• NCAA clearing North Carolina leaves some in disbelief

UND Football and Hockey on the Web - the future of broadcasts?

Last night I had the opportunity to watch some of UND and South Dakota School of Mines game on the internet via Big Sky TV.

I stopped watching the game when the score got out of hand it was apparent that one could be more entertained by watching a UND practice with the number one’s going against the scout team. I had a few of my friends make the comment, “why would UND even play a NAIA team?”

First off, game action is always better than practice action. Game action gives the coaches got a chance to see their players in live action against another foe other than their own team mates. Unfortunately, UND lost their starting quarterback Braden Hanson to a leg injury and appears to be unavailable for a couple of weeks.

I would have to say that my first impression of the Big Sky TV’s on-line version was very good.

There are a couple of things that you will need to do to be able to watch the on-line video – you have to have to down load Adobe Flash Player 10.x and the ONE Vision Plugin. I also highly recommend using the Google Chrome Browser as well.

On line broadcasts are going to be a thing of the future – especially with the NCHC kicking off it’s season in 2013-14. As most of you know the NCHC signed an exclusivity agreement with CBSSN to broadcast at least 18 games and UND will not be able to broadcast the games on FCS like they have in the past because of the exclusivity agreement.

While fans aren’t happy with this, this doesn’t mean the University isn’t trying to solve this issue and there is a lot of time yet to come to a solution. Jayson Hajdu aka @UNDSID posted this new nugget on Sioux Sports.

At this point, Fox College Sports is only picking up men’s hockey. All home men’s hockey games will be broadcast on Fox College Sports for 2012-13 only. Once UND joins the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2013-14, CBS Sports Network holds national broadcast rights to all NCHC games. Thus, UND cannot broadcast nationally on another network, even if CBS Sports Network is not showing that particular game.

Is this ideal for UND as an individual institution? Of course not. In college athletics, there is a cost to doing business. Sometimes concessions have to be made for the best interests of the league(s). Now, this doesn’t preclude us from attempting to regain that national footprint in the future. We are well aware of how many loyal fans we have nationwide and we will make every effort to make sure we reach as many as possible, in as many ways as possible.

In the meantime, fans outside of the MidcoSN viewing area will still have the opportunity to view home men’s hockey games via UNDInsider webcasts. We like to think we already offer high-quality webcasts – we pull the feed directly from the television broadcast – but we are still making significant upgrades for the upcoming season.

Specifically, we are upgrading in terms of quality (to near-HD), video player (better streaming for your connection speed) and accessibility (iPad, etc.). Once MidcoSN makes the conversion to HD in 2014-15, our webcasts will also be available in full HD.

With the upgrade to near-HD – and eventually full HD – you’ll still be able to enjoy UND men’s hockey games on your television screen by connecting your computer. It will essentially be the same quality you previously enjoyed, albeit with an extra step involved.

Our goal is to provide our programming to as many fans possible through as many platforms as possible. We’ve come an awful long ways since the days of one or two games per year being broadcast on local network television. In 2012-13, every home game will be available to watch on television, webcasts and mobile devices.

So going forward it appears that on line broadcasts are going to be a wave of the future for UND sports. This is an issue that fans are positive about and while watching sporting events on line is not the best method of watching football and hockey – it at least gives fans an option to listening to the game on line – that’s not a slam on Tim Hennesy either, because he is one of the best hockey play-by-play guys in the business in my humble opinion.

Personally, I prefer to watch hockey live or on a television set as opposed to listening to hockey on a radio or on the computer. Most sports fans that I know are visual people. Talking to other people that I know and through the blog, it appears that there are others that feel the same way.

Let’s not kid ourselves, some schools on line broadcasts are better than others – one of the best free on line broadcasts is the GCI Cable out of Anchorage, Alaska. For the most part the B2 Broadcasts in the past have been questionable and in some cases brutal.

From my vantage point, it appears that the UND will probably be on the fore front of this issue and the athletic department at the University of North Dakota knows that they have a huge fan base outside of the state of North Dakota that is very passionate about UND sports. If there are any updates on this issue I will post it on the blog – I will also keep my ear to the ground.

Is the NCAA’s Nickname policy ‘anti-Sioux’

I never thought I would see this happen but I actually think we have come full circle in this debate – first we had the NCAA telling UND that they’re hostile and abusive because the University of North Dakota used Native American imagery for their logo – now we have the Native American’s from two of North Dakota’s Tribes suing the NCAA because they say that they are discriminating against Sioux Indians. In a nut shell the Spirit Lake Tribe is basically saying that the NCAA’s policy against Native American imagery is ‘anti-Sioux’ – I think my head is spinning now.

Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald --- While the 1969 ceremony has been central to the nickname defenders’ campaign, the discrimination claim had not been made before, the NCAA responded in its filing Wednesday. But “even if plaintiffs had pled and preserved this claim, it has no support in fact or law” and no further oral argument is warranted.

“However sincere plaintiffs’ antipathy toward the NCAA or the policy, as the district court correctly held, they lack standing to sue,” NCAA attorney Jonathan Duncan wrote. Their appeal, he added, “is as procedurally improper as it is futile.”

Nothing in law or in the case record supports the Spirit Lake committee’s “fanciful argument that the NCAA intentionally adopted the policy as an ‘anti-Sioux’ measure designed to cause UND to repudiate its obligation under a 40-year-old oral agreement,” a claim “never asserted before now.”

Spirit Lake’s committee and Fool Bear have until Sept. 5 to respond.

Even if their appeal fails, the pro-nickname forces have said they intend to continue collecting signatures on petitions to force an initiated measure on the issue, likely in June 2014. An effort to restore the nickname through referendum failed in June.

My question to you, is the NCAA policy banning the use of Native American images and nicknames by sports teams during postseason discriminatory against Native Americans?

In conclusion, I don’t know how you would prove in a court of law that the NCAA’s Policy is discriminatory against Native Americans? Most likely the evidence would be anecdotal evidence and hard to prove. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, however, I can see this lawsuit being thrown out as well.

NCAA Sanctions Manhattanville college

The NCAA has busy again as it sanctioned another school this time it’s ECAC Division III west school Manhattanville College.

From the details of the release it looks like the school was giving more money to it's Men's hockey players - which would be a NCAA violation under NCAA Division III hockey rules.

The coach of the Men's hockey team Eric Lang has since resigned to pursue other employment opportunities. 

Manhattanville College failed to monitor financial aid packaging

Manhattanville College failed to monitor its financial aid process, which led to student-athletes receiving more financial aid awards than the general student body, according to findings by the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions. Penalties in this case include two years of probation and increased oversight requirements.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort where the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. The NCAA enforcement staff, university and involved individuals must agree to the facts of the case in order for this process to be utilized instead of having a formal hearing.

During the 2009-10 academic year, international student-athletes received an average of $8,538 more in financial aid packages than non-student-athletes. The difference was most pronounced among men’s ice hockey student-athletes, who received an average of $1,730 more than other student-athletes and $9,671 more than non-student-athletes. While student-athletes comprised 22 percent of the international student body, those individuals received 34 percent of the total amount awarded and distributed as financial aid to international students. Because the percentages were not closely equivalent to the amount of student-athletes within the general student body, the school’s awards were in violation of Division III rules.

The college’s financial aid award process allows students to petition to have their awards adjusted. Seven (35 percent) of the incoming international men’s ice hockey student-athletes went through the adjustment process, resulting in their awards being increased by an average of $7,572. Other student-athletes saw their awards increased by an average of only $5,850, while non-student-athlete adjustments averaged only $4,711. The committee noted that the former vice president for enrollment services, who met regularly with the men’s and women’s ice hockey coaches, exercised sole discretion regarding the adjustments and failed to document his reasons for adjusting the aid of the international student-athletes.

The university failed to monitor the conduct and administration of the athletics program when its staff did not educate the admissions and financial aid personnel in the determination of financial aid awards. The college also failed to establish record-keeping procedures in the college’s financial aid appeals process. Because the college failed to keep records regarding the financial aid appeals process, it could not be determined whether the same types of violations occurred in previous years.

The penalties include:

Public reprimand and censure.

Two years of probation, from August 7, 2012, through August 6, 2014.

Attendance at an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar by the vice president of enrollment management, the director of financial aid, the athletics compliance officer and the director of athletics during the probationary period (self-imposed by the college).

Request of a Level Two review from the NCAA Committee on Financial Aid during both years of the probationary period. During this review, the committee looks closely at an institution’s policies and procedures for awarding aid, as well as the impact of those factors on aid received by student-athletes.

Establishment of a comprehensive compliance and rules education program. Details are noted in the public report.

Completion of a written report detailing the composition of the college’s financial aid to the committee within four weeks of the beginning of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years.

Additional details are noted in the public report.

NCAA to allow Canadian Universities

I was wondering when this was going to happen – here is the latest from the Associated Press. I am all for teams like the University of British Columbia Thunder Birds joining Division I hockey. The Thunder Birds play DU this fall in the Pepsi Center in Denver.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA is on the verge of going international.

By supporting a change in constitutional language, the NCAA’s Executive Committee paved the way for Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, to become the first member from outside the U.S. to join America’s largest college sports governing body.

All it will take now is a vote from the Division II President’s Council next Thursday. If approved, Simon Fraser could be playing games as of Sept. 1 as an NCAA member.

It’s the first time since the NCAA adopted a 10-year pilot program for Canadian schools that a university has moved this close to full NCAA membership.

The move will expand membership, provide more dues money to the NCAA, pave the way for more international schools to join the organization and allows the NCAA to extend its reach beyond the American borders — as Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL have already done.

The Executive Committee voted Wednesday to include Mexican schools for NCAA consideration, too. The expansion to Mexico could begin as early next year if the Division II presidents approve the proposal next week.

The holdup has been accreditation.

Current rules require all NCAA schools to be accredited by a U.S. agency.

Division II presidents want the language changed to also include schools in good standing in their own nation’s accreditation program and has applied to one of six American accreditation agencies for approval in the U.S. The Executive Committee voted to support the change.

Fighting Sioux nickname news

Here is the latest from the Fighting Sioux nickname. While the vote this summer during the primary allowed UND to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname – there is still a petition driving currently taking place - the Fighting Sioux nickname supporters have until the 8th of August to turn in their petitions. They need to have at least 26,904 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.

University of North Dakota to keep its Fighting Sioux nickname. The deadline for turning in petitions to Secretary of State Al Jaeger's office is midnight Aug. 8.

--------(snip)----------------

The sixth proposed measure would change the North Dakota Constitution to require that the University of North Dakota's sports teams be known as the Fighting Sioux.

In June, 67 percent of North Dakota voters approved an initiative that allows UND to retire the nickname, which the NCAA considers demeaning to American Indians.

Sean Johnson, a nickname supporter, said the constitutional amendment would prevent UND from permanently severing the link to its nickname.

"This is a different ballot measure ... It doesn't require the sports teams at UND to do anything. They don't have to wear the logo, they don't have to use the name," Johnson said Wednesday.

No decision has been made about whether to submit the Fighting Sioux amendment in time for the November election, or target the June 2014 primary, which is the next scheduled statewide election. Amendment supporters have until Dec. 12 to turn in their petitions.

"We haven't decided which election we want to have the initiated measure to be a part of," Johnson said. "We're still weighing the options, and keeping those options open

Also - according to SAB- the Spirit lake Tribe has filed their Appeal in the Lawsuit against the NCAA...

So is Montana next?

You have to wonder if the University of Montana is next? While the situation at the University of Montana isn't quite as bad as the issues at Penn State - the situation is not good either - let's not forget that the NCAA did set a precedent with Penn State University.

Montana is sitting out there with some serious allegations of criminal wrong doing. I don't know if I would like to be their athletic director right now. In fact he might be just a little bit worried; I wouldn't want to be an administrator on  a campus that had the attention of the NCAA right now. 

Gwen Floario, Missoulian.com --- “The NCAA just can’t look only at Penn State if they take this leap,” said Ridpath, author of “Tainted Glory: Marshall University, the NCAA, and One Man’s Fight for Justice.”

The NCAA has not said what brought its investigators to UM. But the school also is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for how it handles reports of rape and sexual assault, and the U.S. Department of Education has its own investigation into allegations of harassment by members of the football team.

UM President Royce Engstrom said Monday he hasn’t heard from the NCAA since the organization notified him Jan. 30 of its investigation into unspecified allegations. At that point, the NCAA said such investigations usually take about six months.

“I don’t know how strictly they adhere to those timelines they set for themselves,” Engstrom said. “I think until we hear from the NCAA we are just going to go about improving things the way that I’ve discussed throughout this.”

-----(SNIP)------

When the alleged gang rapes at UM originally came to light in December, then-Vice President Jim Foley described them as “date rapes” and later, in an email obtained in a joint FOIA request by the Missoulian and the Wall Street Journal, complained about media accounts that didn’t use his preferred term. In another email, he questioned whether a victim who had spoken publicly about her ordeal had violated the Student Code of Conduct.

Engstrom announced last month that Foley had resigned as vice president, although he will retain his university job and nearly $126,000 salary through the end of his contract in June 2013.

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.

Breaking down the sanctions

The Penn State Nittany Lions American football team takes the field (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The NCAA has spoken – Penn State will play a $60 million fine – they will face a four-year postseason ban – lose a total of 10 scholarships for four years. Lastly, all of Joe Paterno’s team’s victories from 1998 to 2011 have been vacated and he loses 111 career wins. So by deducting the  111 career wins from Joe Paterno's win total he is no longer the all-time winningest coach in NCAA football history.

Penn State has signed off on the agreement with the NCAA to accept these harsh penalties.

With the correction, Paterno goes from number one all-times winningest coach to eighth on the all-time wins list. Paterno is fifth among FBS coaches.

Here is a breakdown of the NCAA Penalties – while it’s not the death penalty the sanctions are harsh.

$60 million fine. The NCAA imposes a $60 million fine, equivalent to the approximate average of one year's gross revenues from the Penn State football program, to be paid over a five-year period beginning in 2012 into an endowment for programs preventing child sexual abuse and/or assisting the victims of child sexual abuse. The minimum annual payment will be $12 million until the $60 million is paid. The proceeds of this fine may not be used to fund programs at the University. No current sponsored athletic team may be reduced or eliminated in order to fund this fine.

Four-year postseason ban. The NCAA imposes a four-year postseason ban on participation in postseason play in the sport of football, beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2015-2016 academic year. Therefore, the University's football team shall end its 2012 season and each season through 2015 with the playing if its last regularly scheduled, in-season contest and shall not be eligible to participate in any postseason competition, including a conference championship, any bowl game, or any postseason playoff competition.

Four-year reduction of grants-in-aid. For a period of four years commencing with the 2013-2014 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 academic year, the NCAA imposes a limit of 15 initial grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 25 allowed) and for a period of four years commencing with the 2014-2015 academic year and expiring at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 academic year a limit of 65 total grants-in-aid (from a maximum of 85 allowed) for football during each of those specified years. In the event the total number of grants-in-aid drops below 65, the University may award grants-in-aid to non-scholarship student-athletes who have been members of the football program as allowed under Bylaw 15.5.6.3.6.

Five years of probation. The NCAA imposes this period of probation, which will include the appointment of an on-campus, independent Integrity Monitor and periodic reporting as detailed in the Corrective Component of this Consent Decree. Failure to comply with the Consent Decree during this probationary period may result in additional, more severe sanctions.

Vacation of wins since 1998. The NCAA vacates all wins of the Penn State football team from 1998 to 2011. The career record of Coach “Joe” Paterno will reflect the vacated records.

Waiver of transfer rules and grant-in-aid retention. Any entering or returning football student-athlete will be allowed to immediately transfer and will be eligible to immediately compete at the transfer institution, provided he is otherwise eligible. Any football student-athlete who wants to remain at the University may retain his athletic grant-in-aid, as long as he meets and maintains applicable academic requirements, regardless of whether he competes on the football team.

There is no doubt that the NCAA hammered Penn State – hard - to quote Brandon Noble a former PSU football player that was on ESPN the morning and he said, “The NCAA has opened up a can of worms.”

There are many that have asked the question, why act now? Why not wait for the investigations to finish before the NCAA acted against Penn State University.

Ed Ray, the president of Oregon State and chairman of the N.C.A.A.'s executive committee, said the case, and the sanctions imposed, represented a declaration by university presidents and chancellors that “this has to stop.” By that he meant a win at all costs mentality with respect to intercollegiate sports.

“We’ve had enough,” he said. [New York Times]

Penn State is also not done being punished – they still have to face the Big Ten who is also set to announced that they are going to take away their share of the bowl revenue for the next four seasons and they won’t be able to play in the Big Ten Conference championship for the next four season that means Penn State will suffer about a 13 million dollar hit – that’s a huge loss for PSU.

Penn State failures draw unprecedented NCAA sanctions

The NCAA throws the book at Penn State...

Official Statement

By perpetuating a "football first" culture that ultimately enabled serial child sexual abuse to occur, The Pennsylvania State University leadership failed to value and uphold institutional integrity, resulting in a breach of the NCAA constitution and rules. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors and NCAA Executive Committee directed Association President Mark Emmert to examine the circumstances and determine appropriate action in consultation with these presidential bodies.

"As we evaluated the situation, the victims affected by Jerry Sandusky and the efforts by many to conceal his crimes informed our actions," said Emmert. "At our core, we are educators. Penn State leadership lost sight of that."

According to the NCAA conclusions and sanctions, the Freeh Report "presents an unprecedented failure of institutional integrity leading to a culture in which a football program was held in higher esteem than the values of the institution, the values of the NCAA, the values of higher education, and most disturbingly the values of human decency."

As a result, the NCAA imposed a $60 million sanction on the university, which is equivalent to the average gross annual revenue of the football program. These funds must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university.

The sanctions also include a four-year football postseason ban and a vacation of all wins from 1998 through 2011. The career record of former head football coach Joe Paterno will reflect these vacated records. Penn State must also reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period. In addition, the NCAA reserves the right to impose additional sanctions on involved individuals at the conclusion of any criminal proceedings.

The NCAA recognizes that student-athletes are not responsible for these events and worked to minimize the impact of its sanctions on current and incoming football student-athletes. Any entering or returning student-athlete will be allowed to immediately transfer and compete at another school. Further, any football student-athletes who remain at the university may retain their scholarships, regardless of whether they compete on the team.

To further integrate the athletics department into the university, Penn State will be required to enter into an "Athletics Integrity Agreement" with the NCAA. It also must adopt all Freeh Report recommendations and appoint an independent, NCAA-selected Athletics Integrity Monitor, who will oversee compliance with the agreement.

Effective immediately, the university faces five years of probation. Specifically, the university is subject to more severe penalties if it does not adhere to these requirements or violates NCAA rules in any sport during this time period.

"There has been much speculation on whether or not the NCAA has the authority to impose any type of penalty related to Penn State," said Ed Ray, Executive Committee chair and Oregon State president. "This egregious behavior not only goes against our rules and constitution, but also against our values."

Because Penn State accepted the Freeh Report factual findings, which the university itself commissioned, the NCAA determined traditional investigative proceedings would be redundant and unnecessary.

"We cannot look to NCAA history to determine how to handle circumstances so disturbing, shocking and disappointing," said Emmert. "As the individuals charged with governing college sports, we have a responsibility to act. These events should serve as a call to every single school and athletics department to take an honest look at its campus environment and eradicate the 'sports are king' mindset that can so dramatically cloud the judgment of educators."

Penn State fully cooperated with the NCAA on this examination of the issues and took decisive action in removing individuals in leadership who were culpable.

"The actions already taken by the new Penn State Board of Trustees chair Karen Peetz and Penn State President Rodney Erickson have demonstrated a strong desire and determination to take the steps necessary for Penn State to right these severe wrongs," said Emmert.

Judgement day for Penn State

What I have read today - the sanctions that Penn State University is going to experience - is going to be more punitive than if the Penn State University football program had suffered the death penalty.

I am not sure how that is possible? According to all of the reports, "Unprecedented," said one NCAA source. "This is just unprecedented."

So just what is it that we will see tomorrow in the way of punishment that is so unprecedented? It will be something we have never seen before.

If there is no death penalty for Penn State University - what penalty would be unprecedented that we have never seen anything like it before? There are some that aren't happy about the NCAA deciding to punish Penn State without even so much as a hearing and it appears that Mark Emmert was the lone arbiter on this mater as well. Some are going to ask as well - what actual NCAA violation was violated?

(ESPN.com) --- NCAA president Mark Emmert has decided to punish Penn State with severe penalties likely to include a significant loss of scholarships and loss of multiple bowls, a source close to the decision told ESPN's Joe Schad on Sunday morning.

But Penn State will not receive the so-called "death penalty" that would have suspended the program for at least one year, the source said.

The penalties, however, are considered to be so harsh that the death penalty may have been preferable, the source said.

The NCAA will announce "corrective and punitive measures" for Penn State on Monday morning, it said in a statement Sunday. Emmert will reveal the sanctions at 9 a.m. ET in Indianapolis at the organization's headquarters along with Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, and Oregon State's president, the news release said.

It is expected the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and/or the NCAA Executive Committee has granted Emmert the authority to punish through nontraditional methods, the source told Schad.

This begs the question - what stops the NCAA to just punishing schools without so much of a hearing? Who is the arbiter? Who decides the punishment? Where is the due process? I have no problem with the NCAA giving something in the way of punishment to Penn State - however - do they not have the benefit of at least being heard?

According to Rival.com Penn State is going to have 10-plus [scholarships stripped] for four years or five years - plus a multi year bowl ban.

NCAA boss Mark Emmert is open to PSU death penalty

While I do think that PSU football could receive the death penalty – color my cynical – I just don’t see it happening. In the end the almighty dollar will prevail. Mark my words… A death penalty would affect the bottom line of more than one school – the NCAA would be hard pressed to cause suffering on the other B1G schools.

NEW YORK (AP) --- The president of the NCAA says he isn't ruling out the possibility of shutting down the Penn State football program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

In a PBS interview Monday night, NCAA President Mark Emmert said he doesn't want to "take anything off the table" if the NCAA determines penalties against Penn State are warranted. Emmert said he's "never seen anything as egregious as this in terms of just overall conduct and behavior inside a university."

He added, "What the appropriate penalties are, if there are determinations of violations, we'll have to decide." The last time the NCAA shut down a football program with the so-called "death penalty" was in the 1980s, when SMU was forced to drop the sport because of extra benefits violations.

After the NCAA suspended the SMU program for a year, the school decided not to play in 1988, either, as it tried to regroup.

While I would personally have no problem with the NCAA throwing the book at Penn State University, however, I don't think it's going to happen. Not in this case. All you have to do is look to the SMU scandal of the 1980's to realize that there might never be another NCAA death penalty handed out again – the death penalty buried the SMU football program into a twenty year period of mediocrity that they are finally recovering from now.

In 2002, John Lombardi, then president of the University of Florida and now president of the Louisiana State University System, expressed the sentiment of many college officials when he said:

“ SMU taught the committee that the death penalty is too much like the nuclear bomb. It's like what happened after we dropped the (atom) bomb in World War II. The results were so catastrophic that now we'll do anything to avoid dropping another one.”

That’s not to say that the acts that happened on PSU’s campus aren’t egregious, because they are disgusting – there is also no way to sugar coat this mess. I am just not hopeful that the NCAA will do it in this instance. We will be watching to see how this shakes out.

Now we find out from an L.A. Times article that the Sandusky might have been abusing young boys as early as the 1970’s. Wow!

Joe Paterno’s family continued its fight Monday to save the reputation of one of college football’s most honored coaches, insisting that it will conduct its own investigation into the Penn State University child sex-abuse scandal tied to Jerry Sandusky. Meanwhile, reports that Sandusky may have abused some victims as early as the 1970s raised new questions about the already complicated legal liability issues in the scandal.

Citing "sources close to the Jerry Sandusky case," the Patriot-News reported that three men have told police that they were abused in the 1970s or 1980s by Sandusky, who was convicted in June on 45 criminal charges of sexually abusing boys. He is in jail awaiting sentencing...

So the sports world is watching – what the NCAA does next is anyone’s bet…

Farwell 'NCAA has been similarly accused of making it attractive financially to keep these players playing in their system'

To tonight while I was riding my bike and I was listening to the Pipeline show on Team 1260 A.M. out of Edmonton, Alberta .

The hosts Guy Flaming and Dean Millard had on Mike Farwell who is a radio analyst for Kitchener Rangers hockey team and works for  570 A.M. News. Farwell is also a sports anchor on the Sportsnet 590 A.M. The Fan out of Toronto, Ontario.  

You can listen to the show in question by clicking on this link or you can download the show on iTunes store.

Guy asked Mike Farwell about the various allegations surrounding the CHL and if there is any truth to some of these rumors.  The response to the question was quite interesting.

“In my personal opinion and I am heading into my thirteenth season in this league,” Farwell said. “Where there is smoke there is fire and we hear unfortunately about these types of situations far too often. “

“You listed some of the power houses but again; I don’t want to get into a naming of names and who said what and he said – she said sort of thing again. It’s not too hard if want to just Google it you can find the members clubs across the entire 62 team Canadian Hockey League that have been accused of these things before.”

Then Farwell dropped this little throw away nugget out there, “having said that, the NCAA has been similarly accused of making it attractive financially to keep these players playing in their system, despite that fact that it goes against their rules and regulations as well.”

“I want to make that abundantly clear we hear this so often, you have to ask what is going on.  To me this is really the elephant in the room for the Canadian Hockey League and its incumbent on the league to do something.” 

Wait, What? I was disappointed that the hosts didn’t dig a little further and ask for clarification from Farwell, he also gave no specific example of what he was referring to.

College is pretty regulated and there just isn’t a lot of dirty under the table stuff going on in college hockey. When is the last time a team in the NCAA hockey was given the death penalty for improprieties? You don't have the violations in college hockey that happen in NCAA Division I Basketball and Football. If you don't think the NCAA is looking up North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Boston College and Denver's rear ends you're highly mistaken.

This is also not the first time I have heard Major Junior Hockey Fans make the charge that NCAA hockey has questionable recruiting practices. Really! There has not been a lot in the recent past and there has only been six NCAA violations since 1974 according to Joe Meloni of the College Hockey News. 

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.

QMJHL having trouble with recruitment of American players

s/t Cam Charron, Buzzing The Net... s/t to Kathleen Lavoie, Le Soleil... Note the article is in French, so you have to use Google Translate to read the article. This is good news for Division I college hockey, I am also sure that the QMJHL isn’t going to get a lot of people to feel sorry for them.

Aiming to favour its smaller markets, the governors* voted in a new rule concerning "special arrangements" with players. This new rule, starting now, puts an annual limit of $10,000 on scholarships/bursaries allotted to Americans, for a maximum total of $40,000.

This amount is in addition to the one already outlined in the QMJHL's scholastic policy, which puts an annual limit of $5,000 on bursaries awarded to these student athletes, for a possible total of $60,000.

And yet, one year's tuition in colleges such as Boston University, Boston College or Cornell University can easily cost anywhere between $25,000 and $40,000, depending on the program. As such, it's not uncommon for an American player to be offered a full scholarship ranging from $100,000 to $150,000.

"The League's message is paradoxical", according to Jean Gagnon. "On the one hand, for the last year we have been forcing teams to draft two American players, but on the other, we're preventing teams from making competitive offers to these players."

If you’re a college hockey fan and one of your recruits is being perused by the QMJHL, this is good news.

I am not anti-CHL by any stretch of the imagination; I think that the CHL route is a good way to make the NHL if you’re one of the “top” blue chip hockey players. If you’re a late bloomer or a player that takes longer to develop the NCAA route is going to be a better path to take.

Let’s not kid ourselves, I do favor the NCAA Division I college hockey route... I have been around college hockey for a very long time and have seen some really good hockey players make the NHL from the NCAA route. All you have to do is watch the AHL or the NHL on a weekly basis to see that there are very talented players making their way to the AHL and or the NHL from the NCAA hockey ranks. This season’s AHL Calder Cup playoffs were a perfect example of this. This year's Stanley Cup playoffs also featured many former NCAA alumni.

I do also think that the NCAA is on par with the major junior route when it comes to players making the NHL. Contrary to some in the thump your chest with everything that is CHL Hockey - there is more than one route of the NHL and I don't think that any one fan base can claim that their route is better than another route. Finally, I also look at the revelations of this article as a positive for the NCAA route.