Penn State Cult (Joe Knew)

[OSUBucks22]

I don't know the NCAA bylaws to have any real opinion, Cinci, but the fact that the NCAA sent a letter indicates to me there must be something they think they can get their hands in.

That said, it could have been a PR letter the NCAA sent knowing it would go public and make them look like they care.

The only thing I can see is that all NCAA coaches have a waiver in their contracts to protect SA's under their care from any know illicit behavior or something to that effect.

 

[AKAK]

Probably SOME truth to that. But the folks at BP do a better job moderating to the point that most folks know not to go overboard here. We HAVE had some epic meltdowns...I definitely remember the Disaster in the Desert, but there were relatively few threads on it...people kept their hate funneled at least. Over there, it's mayhem.

Also, again there are plenty of out-of-touch Buckeye fans, but the BP team does a good job of providing real/relevant information so that folks don't believe in ghosts. (I mean- the notion that Sabin or Miles was coming to PSU when they had no ties to the program...that's WAY out of touch.)

I know what you mean... I mean, if you were way off the mark, I'd just ban you right now.

However, there is "losing the National Cahmpionship game" kind of meltdown. (You know, you were in the championship game... how bad are things really?)

Then there is... well... whatever we're witnessing here. Which, to be fair, is a tragedy at every level. From the victims of Sandusky, to how those in the know reacted, the revealing of the arrogance of Paterno, the circus of a prosecution, the black mark on the school (nicest way to put it), to the point of being reduced to hiring someone, that to my knowledge, other than attending Brown, has little history of success, no head coaching experience, and whose contract was not renewed by his current employer. (I point this out because the first time I heard Tress's name surface, I had to ask who he was, well, I knew, but, I needed the full resume, and once I heard that he was also the AD at YSU, coupled with the winning records and I-AA national championships, I think all we were left to worry about was whether he could be an outstanding recruiter in the B1G.)

This isn't losing a game badly. This is full fucking MacBeth+Romeo and Romeo+King Lear+Julius Caesar Shakespearean Tragedy. In addition to the human toll this has taken, lots of money is at stake here, both for Penn State and the B1G.

To be honest, I think they're taking it pretty well on the PSU message boards, I mean they're actually posting (some of them) and not in the fetal position behind the door sucking their thumbs. Good for them.

 

[Woody1968]

What else could they do? I'm amazed that the BOT, the Gov and the state legislature haven't demanded that the entire football staff resign or be fired.

I shouldn't be surprised though. When comparing the responses of PSU fans to the Sandusky mess to the responses of BP when the news broke on the Tat 5. The BP response was much more realistic.

I have a good friend who's a PSU grad - class of 58 - we were discussing the issue and he gives me a jab about the loss of the bowl game. I jab back that this mess hasn't gotten to the NCAA yet.

He maintains that it never will, that this is all simply an internal matter to be decided by the university and possibly the local courts and that the NCAA would have no jurisdiction - thus no resulting penalties.

I maintain that what goes on inside a football program is the responsibility of the university, that the deliberate failure to disclose, or even to pursue a criminal investigation of a reported rape, is a failure of that responsibility.

Any of our local legal beagles have an opinion? I know NCAA law is different than almost any other form of law, but give it a shot.

I'm sure an argument could be made, but I'm not sure it would be a good idea for the NCAA to do it.

 

[devily_buck]

Has anybody seen anything mentioned about the status of the previous coaching staff? I assume they won't be bringing back Tom Bradley because he interviewed for the head coach and lost out but what's going to happen to other guys like Larry Johnson, etc?

If all of those guys are given their walking papers and O'Brien stays with the Patriots through to the super bowl (which takes him right to the days before NLOID) this could destroy what's left of their already depleated recruiting class.

A second though i had based upon the comments above are the sentiments of patriot fans and those connected with the program. If O'Briend isn't thought highly of amongst the Patriot faithful will his hiring have an impact on the parents of Camren Williams?

 

[cincibuck]

I know what you mean... I mean, if you were way off the mark, I'd just ban you right now.

However, there is "losing the National Cahmpionship game" kind of meltdown. (You know, you were in the championship game... how bad are things really?)

Then there is... well... whatever we're witnessing here. Which, to be fair, is a tragedy at every level. From the victims of Sandusky, to how those in the know reacted, the revealing of the arrogance of Paterno, the circus of a prosecution, the black mark on the school (nicest way to put it), to the point of being reduced to hiring someone, that to my knowledge, other than attending Brown, has little history of success, no head coaching experience, and whose contract was not renewed by his current employer. (I point this out because the first time I heard Tress's name surface, I had to ask who he was, well, I knew, but, I needed the full resume, and once I heard that he was also the AD at YSU, coupled with the winning records and I-AA national championships, I think all we were left to worry about was whether he could be an outstanding recruiter in the B1G.)

This isn't losing a game badly. This is full fucking MacBeth+Romeo and Romeo+King Lear+Julius Caesar Shakespearean Tragedy. In addition to the human toll this has taken, lots of money is at stake here, both for Penn State and the B1G.

To be honest, I think they're taking it pretty well on the PSU message boards, I mean they're actually posting (some of them) and not in the fetal position behind the door sucking their thumbs. Good for them.

Great post Akak. To which I would add, Tressel was announced after Stoops turned the job down. Other names, coaches who had been interviewed, seemed more prominent. It wasn't until he took the mic at St. Johns and made that incredible speech that any Buckeye fan I knew was ready to say, "OK, good hire."

 

[AKAK]

What else could they do? I'm amazed that the BOT, the Gov and the state legislature haven't demanded that the entire football staff resign or be fired.

I shouldn't be surprised though. When comparing the responses of PSU fans to the Sandusky mess to the responses of BP when the news broke on the Tat 5. The BP response was much more realistic.

I have a good friend who's a PSU grad - class of 58 - we were discussing the issue and he gives me a jab about the loss of the bowl game. I jab back that this mess hasn't gotten to the NCAA yet.

He maintains that it never will, that this is all simply an internal matter to be decided by the university and possibly the local courts and that the NCAA would have no jurisdiction - thus no resulting penalties.

I maintain that what goes on inside a football program is the responsibility of the university, that the deliberate failure to disclose, or even to pursue a criminal investigation of a reported rape, is a failure of that responsibility.

Any of our local legal beagles have an opinion? I know NCAA law is different than almost any other form of law, but give it a shot.

I don't know the NCAA bylaws to have any real opinion, Cinci, but the fact that the NCAA sent a letter indicates to me there must be something they think they can get their hands in.

That said, it could have been a PR letter the NCAA sent knowing it would go public and make them look like they care.

Yeah, I mean, any action they do take will probably be symbolic. I think (and of course I'm usually wrong) that they mentioned that they wouldn't do anything (or was this the BIG letter?) until the legal processes had run their course. (Not sure if this was in relation to Sandusky or the perjury against the adminsitrators).

If that's the case, either way, and given the reputation for the NCAA to conduct their own investigation and mete out justice, I'd say there's a 50/50 shot that Bill O'Brien won't even be the HC by then, and who knows who the AD will be. It's sort of like punishing your dog 2 weeks after he shit on the floor. It only makes you feel better.

They will have suffered enough by then. This shit's only begun.

 

[BigWoof31]

I don't really give a shit about Penn State. I can't imagine a scenario in which we'll play them since they're going to be terrible for years to come.
However, I can't believe they didn't hire a coach from a small school. The CUSA or MAC champion coach would have been ideal because at least he could hit the ground running and assemble some sort of recruiting class.

It'll take this guy 1-2 weeks to name a staff and by that time it's almost NLOI day and your class is destroyed.

Coach Meyer is going to rip through 3-4 Blackberry phones in the next month simply firing off all the texts to PSU commits.

 

[buckeyboy]

Has anybody seen anything mentioned about the status of the previous coaching staff? I assume they won't be bringing back Tom Bradley because he interviewed for the head coach and lost out but what's going to happen to other guys like Larry Johnson, etc?

If all of those guys are given their walking papers and O'Brien stays with the Patriots through to the super bowl (which takes him right to the days before NLOID) this could destroy what's left of their already depleated recruiting class.

A second though i had based upon the comments above are the sentiments of patriot fans and those connected with the program. If O'Briend isn't thought highly of amongst the Patriot faithful will his hiring have an impact on the parents of Camren Williams?

I'd be shocked of Williams is still in the PoSU class on NLOID. Their class may be less than 10 commits when all is said and done.

 

[AKAK]

Audibles.

whostolemyxanax wrote:
Joyner needs to back away from this one if the contract isn't signed and just say that O'Brien jumped the gun. Deny, deny, deny, unless there is a copy of a contract.

 

[EgonSchiele]

As a Pats fan, I can tell you that most of New England is glad that O'Brien is leaving.

Tis true.

 

[OSUBucks22]

Former LB Brandon Short's happy too:

ESPN:
"Short said some members of the group were considering a range of options to express their displeasure, including asking current players to transfer and recruits to de-commit. Short told USA Today they were mulling a lawsuit in an effort to bar Penn State from using their likenesses or images for marketing purposes."

 

[Gatorubet]

What else could they do? I'm amazed that the BOT, the Gov and the state legislature haven't demanded that the entire football staff resign or be fired.

I shouldn't be surprised though. When comparing the responses of PSU fans to the Sandusky mess to the responses of BP when the news broke on the Tat 5. The BP response was much more realistic.

Hard to compare institutionalized cover up of pedophile staff engaging in continuing child rape on campus to - well - anything remotely NCAA rule oriented.

Fans have a huge emotional attachment to programs and coaches. Huge emotional attachments result in various levels of impaired thinking. Hell, Florida still has Charlie Pell-as-victim adherents after all this time.

But Charlie did some wonderful things for UF, and he was by all accounts a guy that many folks personally loved, and who was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back or help you with a problem. Tat-5 brain aneurysm aside, Tress lived a life that evokes similar loyalty - loyalty that transcends mere on-field wins. The thing is, it would be equally false to dismiss the fact that Paterno gave his whole life to the school and the athletes he coached, or to say that JoePa did not actually change many lives for the better.

While we do not like to separate the act of helping cover up his friend's horrible acts (or, more charitably, not doing enough follow up), the fact remains that his life and contributions did not start or end in 1999 or 2011. That existed in the 50s 60s, 70s, 80, and 90s.

They are struggling with that. And no, I'm not using that as an excuse or a reason to justify anything. Just stating something that is perhaps too easily ignored.

I have a good friend who's a PSU grad - class of 58 - we were discussing the issue and he gives me a jab about the loss of the bowl game. I jab back that this mess hasn't gotten to the NCAA yet.

He maintains that it never will, that this is all simply an internal matter to be decided by the university and possibly the local courts and that the NCAA would have no jurisdiction - thus no resulting penalties.

I maintain that what goes on inside a football program is the responsibility of the university, that the deliberate failure to disclose, or even to pursue a criminal investigation of a reported rape, is a failure of that responsibility.

Any of our local legal beagles have an opinion? I know NCAA law is different than almost any other form of law, but give it a shot.

I stand with BKB. Pure PR move.

 

[kn1f3party]

Oh man. The tweets by former players, the way the current staff still hasn't been notified about the hire, how public all of this is, the dissatisfaction with the hire by fans and players... this is epic. This kind of thing kills a program. They are about to be blown back to the stone age. I'm torn between enjoying it and being concerned about the larger ramifications to the Big Ten... eh, fuck it, pass the popcorn.

 

[cincibuck]

As a Pats fan, I can tell you that most of New England is glad that O'Brien is leaving. He's been trashed for the last few years for his lack of in-game adjustments, quick abandonment of the running game, and then recently his clashes with Brady. No sleep will be lost up there over this one...

Still, it was nice that they bought him a plane ticket and offered to drive him to the airport...

 

[buxfan4life]

Awwww yeah!! Let the games begin!!