Citing a lack of due process among other reasons.
"McCombie wrote in the letter Monday to fellow trustees that he respected and appreciated Freeh's work, but that the report did not equate to legal hearing or review.
His attorneys in writing the NCAA challenged a finding that trustees did not perform oversight duties.
They also said:
-President Erickson lacked the authority to agree to the sanctions and waive any appeal since the full board wasn't informed of the matter or didn't sign off on the sanctions.
-That the NCAA didn't follow its own procedures by conducting its own investigation ''that was never intended as a foundational platform for punitive action by the NCAA.''
-That the NCAA penalties were unfair since the Freeh's report reached conclusions ''based on assumptions, conjecture and misplaced characterizations that are contrary to available facts and evidence.''
-That the sanctions were ''excessive and unreasonable,'' and it hurt athletes and coaches who weren't involved in wrongdoing at a school that had never before had major NCAA violations.
Paul in PA
That last bullet point cracked me up. USC is probation for something Pete Carroll Did. Reggie Bush is long gone. FSU is on probation for something Bowden Did. The kids that cheated are long gone. OSU is on probation for something Tressell did. Pryor is long gone. This is nothing new. In college football, the next guy always pays for what the last guy did. Hard to believe the trustee at PSU doesn't know this and thinks this will make the NCAA change their minds.
But good luck with the appeal. PSU is appealing the ruling of a private organization, to which they belong to voluntarily, which has total power to do whatever they want.
Jul 19, 2012
A message from BOT Chairman Karen Peetz
Penn State Board of Trustees Chairman Karen Peetz shared her perspective in a July 18 letter regarding the Freeh report and the University's path forward as a Penn State family. The content of her note follows. For more BOT updates go to http://www.psu.edu/trustees /.
July 18, 2012
The recent release of the Freeh Report marked one of the most sorrowful days in what has been without a doubt the most difficult chapter in our University's history. I am certain that many of you have read or heard about the report's findings, and you may have seen President Rodney Erickson's recent message on this topic. As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees since January of this year, I would like to also share my perspective on the Freeh report and our path forward as a Penn State family.
Clearly, no one has been hurt more than the victims of Mr. Sandusky's conduct and we must not lose sight of that fact. Additionally, as members of the University community, we all feel a personal sadness, disappointment and indeed, anger, over the failures of our leadership.
The Board of Trustees, as the group that has paramount accountability for overseeing and ensuring the proper functioning and governance of the University, accepts full responsibility for the failures cited in the Freeh Report. The Board, in cooperation with the Administration, will take every action to ensure that an event like this never happens again in our University community.
I want you to know that I see with great clarity that the future for this institution can be stronger than it has ever been before. Implementing the recommendations called for in the Freeh Report is one of the first steps we will take as we work to move forward. These recommendations include structural changes for the way the University is governed to ensure greater transparency and collaboration. President Erickson and I have appointed a special task force composed of both Board of Trustees members and senior members of his administration to ensure these recommendations are enacted with care and urgency, and positive changes have already begun to occur.
At the same time, progress will be about much more than responding to recommendations, but about evaluating the fundamental culture that is Penn State. As we move forward, we will work to rebuild a culture that will be shaped by the highest commitment to academics and athletics — but ultimately, a culture of transparency and accountability that will be defined by the actions of men and women, in all positions across the university, committed to always doing the right thing without fail.
Now more than ever, the Board of Trustees is open to hearing your thoughts and concerns, and can be reached at BOT@psu.edu. I also will continue to share updates with you via http://progress.psu.edu/ and http://www.psu.edu/trustees/ .
Sincerely,
Karen B. Peetz
Chairman, Penn State Board of Trustees
Jul 25, 2012
Board of Trustees statement regarding NCAA sanctions – July 25
The Penn State Board of Trustees met for a discussion tonight. A vote was not required and none was taken. The Board finds the punitive sanctions difficult and the process with the NCAA unfortunate. But as we understand it, the alternatives were worse as confirmed by NCAA President Mark Emmert’s recent statement that Penn State was likely facing a multi-year death sentence. The University and Board resolve to move forward together to recognize the historical excellence in Penn State’s academic and athletic programs. We anticipate and look forward to demonstrating our outstanding performance in complying with the sanctions. We continue to recognize the important role that intercollegiate athletics provides for our student athletes and the wider University community as we strive to appropriately balance academic and athletic accomplishments. Penn State will remain a world-class educational institution of which our students, faculty, staff and alumni can be justifiably proud. The commitment demonstrated by our student athletes in recent days embodies all that is good about Penn State and we look forward to unprecedented support by the Nittany nation when we take the field this fall.
been thinking about this...
I've always been a Chicago Bears fan. And for my generation, no coach is more loved than Mike Ditka. He is the epitome of "Bear football", in much the same way that Paterno is forever connected to Penn State.
But I know that without a doubt, if news came out that he allowed his coaches or players to sexually abuse children OR didn't at the very least call the POLICE or the FBI to investigate, I would throw my opinion of him down the sewer in a heartbeat. For the life of me, I can't understand the people who continue to bow down at the feet of this clearly despicable character.
I think that is what really gets me fired up about this..
I mean clearly Sandusky is a sick animal, probably abused by someone when he was a kid AND Joe P, you can at least argue that he thought it was over and wanted to protect the school..
BUT THE FREAKING FANS?? for you to still be kissing Paterno's butt after all that has come out? YOU have no excuse. just gross.
And I'm not just talking about people on this board, because I know some of them personally as well.
it makes me want to puke.
That is the irony of life, it is usually those left behind that are left to suffer the penalties that should have been dealt to the trouble makers.
To some extent the school reigning rulers themselves are the responsible party because it happened on their watch.
Were I a member of the sanctioned group, I would be transferring out of there and play for another school ASAP.
"no winners here"
Overheard at the campus tour ...
