Indianapolis, IN

Penn State has escaped "so-called" death penalty but is expected to receive severe penalties in connection with the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, according to multiple sources.

A source said NCAA president Mark Emmert has decided to slap Penn State with punishments such as "significant loss of scholarships and loss of multiple bowls" but not the death penalty that would have shut down the program for at least one year.

"The penalties are considered to be so harsh that the death penalty may have been preferable," a source told espn.com.

In a statement, the NCAA will announce "corrective and punitive measures" for Penn State Monday morning. Emmert will reveal the sanctions at the organization's headquarters along with Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, and Oregon State's president.

The source said the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Executive Committee has granted Emmert the authority to punish through nontraditional methods.

The NCAA decision will be announced days after a report by former FBI director Louis Freeh alleged that Paterno, former president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz had concealed allegations of child sexual abuse made against Sandusky.

Freeh said their motive was to shield the university and its football program from negative publicity.

Curley and Schultz await trial on charges of failing to report child abuse and lying to a grand jury while Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of child abuse and currently awaits sentencing.

Freeh's report has forced Penn State officials to order the removal of Joe Paterno's statue outside Beaver Stadium. The 7-foot statue was taken down Saturday.

NCAA's unprecedented decision to penalize Penn State without the due process of a Committee on Infractions hearing has caused alarm among its own officials and university heads.

According to NCAA rules in conducting investigation, the league issues a notice of allegations and then allows the university 90 days to respond before a hearing is scheduled. After hearing, the committee will issue its finding that usually takes between six weeks to one year.

But in Penn State's case, the NCAA appears to be using the Freeh report instead of its own investigation.

"Unbelievable," a Penn State trustee informed of the NCAA statement told espn.com.

"Emmert has been given full reign by the pansy presidents to make his own decision," said another trustee who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He has been given the authority to impose these unprecedented sanctions. It's horrible."

For a former Committee on Infractions chairman and current Division I Appeals Committee member, the NCAA's decision to penalize an institution and program for immoral and criminal behavior breaks new ground.

"This is unique and this kind of power has never been tested or tried," the former chair said. "It's unprecedented to have this extensive power. This has nothing to do with the purpose of the infractions process."

"Nevertheless, somehow the NCAA president and executive board have taken it on themselves to be a commissioner and to penalize a school for improper conduct," the official added.

The former chair added that in previous cases, the NCAA didn't get involved in punishing the school for criminal behavior, saying the courts are perfectly capable of handling these situations.

"This is an important precedent. And it should be taken with extreme care," the chair added.

The NCAA said that that it would levy "corrective and punitive measures" against Penn State Monday in the wake of the child sex-abuse scandal involving former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky

Penn State Escapes 'Death Penalty' But Not Severe Penalties

 

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