Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The NCAA has said it will announce
sanctions against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual child
abuse scandal.
A press conference is set for Monday at 9 a.m. ET.
The NCAA scheduled its press conference shortly after Penn State removed the
statue of legendary head football coach Joe Paterno from the front of Beaver
Stadium.
Various reports indicate that Penn State will be severely punished for its
actions stemming from the Sandusky scandal, but the university will likely
avoid the "death penalty."
Scholarship losses and a postseason ban will be among the likely penalties.
The "death penalty" would put the football program on hiatus for at least one
year and possibly longer.
Any sanctions will come without the NCAA's usual lengthy process. The NCAA
normally does its own investigation, sends a school a list of infractions,
waits for a response and then issues penalties.
The NCAA is likely using the Freeh Report, the findings of an investigation
commissioned by Penn State and conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh,
as its source for determining sanctions.
Sandusky was found guilty last month on 45 of the 48 counts charging him with
sexual abuse against 10 boys over a 15-year period and will likely spend the
rest of his life in jail after he is sentenced later this year.
The Freeh Report accused many Penn State officials, including Paterno, school
president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley, of concealing
"critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the
board of trustees, Penn State community, and the public at large."
Paterno was fired as Penn State's head coach last November, just days after
Sandusky's arrest, and died of lung cancer in January. Paterno's family has
denied the Freeh Report's assertions against the coach.
The Sports Network