More bad news for Penn State: The NCAA says it will issue sanctions Monday against the school over the child sex abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky.
The announcement came the same day the school removed the famed statue of legendary football coach Joe Paterno from outside the Penn State football stadium. Our colleague Eyder Peralta has written more about that move.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that the NCAA said it would levy "corrective and punitive measures" against Penn State over the scandal. On its Facebook page, the NCAA said it would outline those sanctions at a news conference Monday.
According to the AP: "NCAA President Mark Emmert hasn't ruled out the possibility of shutting down the Penn State football program in the wake of the scandal, adding that he had 'never seen anything as egregious.'"
Both the NCAA announcement as well as the taking down of the statue come in the wake of an investigative report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh accusing top Penn State officials, including Paterno, of concealing allegations of child sex abuse against Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach, who was convicted last month of more than 40 counts of sexual abuse of 10 boys.
Freeh's report alleged that Paterno, ousted Penn State President Graham Spanier, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz failed to report Sandusky to authorities in 2001, allowing him to continue molesting boys.
In a statement, Freeh said:
"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest."
The university's Board of Trustees said it takes "full responsibility" for the school's failings.
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