Notes from around the Human Experience…
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME: When Penn State’s punishment in the Jerry Sandusky child molesting scandal was meted out by the NCAA in 2012 we thought they got off easy.
We still do. Penn State, which harbored a child molester for decades, has returned to the top of college football heap, playing in the Rose Bowl last season and ranked #2 in the country this season, is back mining the gold that attends a successful major division college football program. It is as if the scandal never happened.
To Review: At the time – the scandal broke in November 2011 when Sandusky, an assistant coach with the football team, was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation – the prospect of major sanctions, including a complete shutting down of Penn State’s football program, loomed large.
Don’t Kid Yourself: Of course, neither the NCAA nor Penn State wanted this. Penn State is one of only eleven major division football teams to win 800 games, has a rabid fan base and makes everyone concerned an awful lot of money. No one was interested in shutting this license to print money down.
The NCAA took the matter so seriously they cited the unprecedented magnitude of the crimes and decided to act outside of its normal procedures and act as judge, jury and executioner in the matter. Penn State accepted this. At the time it seemed like the NCAA was taking extraordinary measures to deal with an extraordinary situation and that Penn State was showing an appropriate amount of contrition.
More Don’t Kid Yourself: The whole thing now looks like a charade designed to get Penn State back up to speed as quickly as decently possible. They got off easy. The penalties included five years probation, a four-year ban on bowl game appearances, plus losses and limits on the number of football scholarships. There was a $60 million fine plus some administrative sanctions as well. They were allowed to continue to play major division football. The NCAA was so anxious to get Penn State back to full strength they began rescinding the penalties in 2013.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: Penn State has no business being allowed to make money off major division college football. They should have been dispatched to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association to play coed marbles with other Penn State campuses.
The Bottom Line: People and institutions will do what is in their self-interest. Our collective human experience has shown that since time immemorial. All anyone cared about was getting the Penn State football machine humming on all cylinders again.
Mission accomplished. Penn State’s wrist was slapped. Nothing has changed. There are no long-term penalties. It’s as if children were never molested in Penn State locker rooms.
ON THIS DATE! ON THIS DATE! George III becomes king of England and Ireland on this date in 1760. He was 22 and would reign for 60 years, then the longest reign of any British monarch.
FunFact: His two kingdoms were merged in 1801 making George III monarch of Great Britain.
George III served during momentous times. Early in his reign England and other countries won the Seven Years War and later George III would supervise England’s loss in the American Revolution. He succeeded his grandfather George II because George III’s father Prince Frederick had died in 1751.
Good Morning, Sir: Benjamin O. Davis becomes the first black general in the United States Army when he is promoted to brigadier general on this date in 1940.
Davis served in the Army for 50 years. He was first commissioned in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. In March 1899 he was discharged then soon enlisted as a private. In 1901 Davis was commissioned again. He retired in 1948.
Great Moments In Being On The Brink Of Nuclear War: During Day 10 of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States confronts the Soviet Union with pictures of their nuclear weapons in Cuba on this date in 1962. The Soviets, however, refused to acknowledge the presence of missiles. Also, the US begins to enforce its naval blockade with mixed results. They were unable to intercept one ship, though they did stop and ultimately board and inspect another vessel that was cleared to proceed
“Marshall Is Running The Wrong Way!”: Jim Marshall, a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings run a recovered fumble the wrong way into his own team’s end zone on this date in 1964.
The play came in the fourth quarter of a game in San Francisco. 49ers quarterback John Brodie had completed a pass to Billy Kilmer, then mostly a halfback, deep in their own territory. Kilmer fumbled, however, and Marshall picked it up at the 34-yard line and confidently began running the wrong way. He crossed the goal line, which didn’t end the play because a player in possession of the ball in his own end zone can run it out. Marshall, however, thought he had scored a touchdown and tossed the ball out of bounds, which did end the play and gave the 49ers two points on the safety.
The Post Game Show Is Brought To You By Hertz, Where The Winners Rent: The two points didn’t matter, as the Vikings won the game 27-22.
Quotebook: The man who finds the smell is the one who sniffs. – Nicholas Monsarrat, Smith and Jones
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: The New York Stock Exchange’s largest point gain was 936.42 on October 13, 2008. It’s largest percentage gain was 15.34 percent on March 15, 1933. It’s largest point loss 777.68 on September 29, 2008. It’s largest percentage loss 22.61 percent on October 19, 1987.
Today’s Stumper: Who was the American ambassador to the United Nations during the Cuban Missile Crisis? – Answer next time!
