From the end of the Sandusky Trials to the revelations of the Freeh Reports, the sports world was abuzz, with questions on how Penn State would be punished. Some said that they should fine the school, others lobbied for lifetime bans and stripped records, and some even pushed for the notorious "death penalty" for the football program. Their fate was decided on July 23rd, 2012. The NCAA brought down the hammer, punishing Penn State so harshly that the death penalty was considered to be a more merciful option by many. The punishment Penn State received included: * A $60 million fine, to be paid over a 5 year period. The money itself will fund programs yo help prevent child sexual abuse and assist victims of child sexual abuse. Additionally, the NCAA ruled that Penn State cannot cut funding to other sports programs or scholarships to help pay the fines. * A 4-year postseason ban. The football program will not be able to compete in any bowl games, the BIg Ten Conference Championship Games, or in any other playoff game. The Big Ten will also cut Penn State's $13 million bowl revenue during the same time frame and donate it to charitable programs within Big Ten communities. * A decrease in their initial recruit scholarships from 25 to 15 for the next four years. Also starting in the 2014 season and going to 2017, the amount of college players Penn State can have on scholarship will drop from 85 to 65. * All of the program's 112 wins from 1998-2011 will be vacated. 111 of those wins were attributed to former head coach Joe Paterno, stripping him of the record for most wins in college football history. * The university must hire compliance officers and monitors approved by the NCAA and Big Ten committee to oversee the athletic department and the school's ethical and legal matters to prevent any future cover ups. This includes setting up a hotline for anonymous questions and disclosures about any issues regarding the school's athletic program or any NCAA issues as well as training to school employees about "issues of ethics, and civility, standards of contact and reporting of violations." * Penn State football players will have the right to transfer out of Penn State to play for another school without losing a year of eligibility, as would normally be enforced. What Jerry Sandusky did was unforgivable. Plus, the lack of action by Joe Paterno along with the university's leadership was dispicable. That all being said, did the NCAA do the right thing? Each individual who was involved in the scandal and cover-up has been either fired, jailed, or has paid fines. But does an entire school deserve punishment for the crimes of a few? Should the Penn State football players miss the chance to compete in Bowl Games because their former coaches were human scum bags? You decide. -Ryan L. Fox
Summer is halfway over, and we are just a few days away from the beginning of NFL Training Camp. We have seen some pretty interesting stuff occur this offseason. We saw free agents fly off the shelves, a top-heavy draft where everybody tried to make moves to trade up for the best players, ‘Franchise Tag’ drama, the New Orleans Saints’ ‘Bounty Gate’ and the ensuing court battles between Roger Goodell and Jonathan Vilma, not to mention the 3-Ring Circus otherwise known as the New York Jets. But at the same time, there was a startling trend this offseason that is even more concerning. Although it does not involve the Jets or Saints, nearly every other team is affected. The issue is with the startling number of NFL players who have found themselves in legal trouble, arrested for a variety of charges. As of July 23rd, there have been 32 sepreate incidents involving NFL players which led to arrests. Even worse, 14 of those arrests were DUIs/DWIs. Call me stupid but doesn’t the NFL have a special program where if a player has been drinking, regardless of the time and location, they can get free private transportation just by contacting the league office? But here are some fun facts for you: * The team with the most arrests is the Detroit Lions with 4. * Out of the 32 players, two of those players were arrested multiple times. For example, the now-former Detroit Lion, Aaron Berry was arrested for a DUI charge on June 23rd and then again on July 21st for three counts of simple assault after brandishing a firearm. * Berry’s former teammate, RB Mikel Leshourse was arrested twice in one month for the same charge: marijuana possession. * Eight. That’s how many times Titan receiver Kenny Britt has found trouble with the law with since entering the NFL back in 2009. This past offseason, we've seen Goodell come down hard on the Saints for 'Bounty Gate' and hand out suspensions and fines left and right. Personally, Goodell should just lay off the Saints and pay more attention to these growing arrests. At this rate, we could see an entire 53-man roster wearing orange jumpsuits instead of pads and helmets. -Ryan L. Fox (The following is the translated version of Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino's letter to Red Sox season ticket holders) Dear Pink Hats of Red Sox Nation, Thank you for your unwavering loyalty and support for our team this year. By unwavering support and loyalty, we mean your blind stupidity and devotion to our subpar team this year. Forget about the fact we have a top 5 payroll in all of MLB, but still put out a very slipshod roster. At least we are not like those a-holes from the Bronx who actually make wise decisions with their money instead of throwing it around. Yes, times are tough in this economy, with the national jobless rate still being above 8%. But if you come to the ballpark, you can spend $5.75 for a hotdog, $3.50 for a large soda, and for the older fans, $8.00 for a cup of beer. That, and all the pointless 100th Anniversary souvenirs that we've been cramming down your throats all season. Now I know you've been hearing about the turmoil going on within the clubhouse between the players and the coaches. Rest assure, we took care of that problem. We sent the only player that could add some form of stability to the Chicago White Sox. We also decide to keep around a few players that cause continual distractions in order to provide entertainment for our fans and fodder for the local media. So with the second half of the season underway, I implore you to keep showing that blind loyalty for our subpar team. Keep coming to our games 2 hours early and stay 1 hour later. Please do not leave the game during rain delays as your late night cheering is vital to our success. We'll provide you with rain ponchos at $12 for adults and $7 for children and senior citizens. Keep cheering for our younger players like rookie Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava as they outperform and oust your beloved veteran players. Let's welcome back our All-Star players coming off the Disabled List, though they might end up back down in Pawtucket a few games later. And let's keep singing that good ol' Red Sox song 'Sweet Caroline' in the 8th inning. Just remember folks. We could be going under .500 this year and not even make the 2nd WildCard Playoff spot. There could be irreparable relationships between teammates and coaches, and there could be more players traded away before the July 31st deadline. But the one constant fact is, with all the gripes, complaining, the whining, and the screaming for change, you will all still come back and root for your beloved Red Sox. We thank you for your blind loyalty/stupidity and support of our team. Thank you all and see you next year. Sincerely, Larry Lucchino P.S. We are working out a 3 year extension for John Lackey at $25 million extension because we all know how much he's Red Sox nation most favorite player. -Ryan Fox Things keep getting worse and worse at Penn State. Former FBI director Louis Freeh unveiled his findings from the investigation into the negligence of school officials regarding the offenses of its disgraced former assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky. The results are damning. Just weeks after Sandusky's conviction, this Freeh Report has highlighted ongoing willful negligence by multiple persons within the athletic department, university, and law enforcement. Freeh's independent investigation into the school's infraction highlights multiple liabilities and points to multiple offenders who opted for self-preservation over justice, allowing a terrible situation to become worse, much worse. Here are a few of the "highlights" from the Freeh Report: * "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized." Although aware of the 1998 criminal investigation, Joe Paterno, school President Graham Spainer, Vice-President Gary Shultz, and athletic director Tim Curley took no action to set up further precautions and protections against the continued abuses. * "Based on the evidence, the only known, intervening factor between the decision made on February 25, 2001 by Messrs. Spanier, Curley and Schulz to report the incident to the Department of Public Welfare, and then agreeing not to do so on February 27th, was Mr. Paterno's February 26th conversation with Mr. Curley." Freeh claims that the administrators discussed the option of contacting child services to report Sandusky, however this idea was scrapped after a meeting between Paterno and Curley in February of 2001. Curleysent an email saying he was not comfortable with the ideas of turning Sandusky in. * "It is more reasonable to conclude that, in order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State University – Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley – repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the Board of Trustees, Penn State community, and the public at large. Although concern to treat the child abuser humanely was expressly stated, no such sentiments were ever expressed by them for Sandusky's victims." Basically, Penn State was fully aware of Sandusky's transgressions, weighed the pros and cons of reporting the offender to authorities, and opted to bury the information to protect their image, thus allowing the abuse to continue. So, although Sandusky has already been locked up, the institutional verdict is now in. Penn State fostered a culture of indifference regarding these extremely serious and egregious allegations. From school officials, coaches, and even the janitors, these offenses started at the top, and trickled downward and outward. Who knows how many of the abuse victims may have been spared trauma had these incidents been handled appropriately. However, now that the facts have been unveiled, and the crude and unfortunate reality has been exposed, the remaining injustices from this malfeasance can be addressed. There is wide-ranging disagreement about what actions should be taken in order response to the gross negligence within Happy Valley. The most common proposal is the NCAA Death Penalty. The NCAA has only instituted the Death Penalty (barring a school from participation in a sport for at least 1 year) 5 times, and only in football once. These season-long bans have always been instituted for ongoing NCAA violations, not criminal or civil infractions. However, the seriousness of these crimes, as well as the participation from the football and athletic leadership at Penn State have raised questions of how these infractions should be settled. Although a football ban does seem to be an adequate punishment, those who would be hurt the most are the ones who had the least to do with the crimes. Current players, vendors, and small businsses near Penn State would be the collateral damage of this penalty. I don't know how the NCAA should handle this situation, but I do know that examples needs to be made of Penn State, Joe Paterno's legacy, and the lack of culpability in these football factory schools. The punishment needs to be fair, swift, and ensure that such dispicable offenses and conduct NEVER happen again. -Kevin Aherne At the beginning of the 2012 offseason, a majority of the NFL teams were able to franchise-tag one player they desired to try and work out a long-term deal. Most teams were able to re-sign those players to mutually beneficial deals while others couldn't agree on anything. Then came the fateful day of July 16th, 2012, the last day for teams to work out a deal with their franchise tagged players. Once the deadline passed, 3 sets of teams and players were able to finalize deals while a good handful did not . The Chicago Bears were able to ink running back Matt Forte to a 4 year, $32 million dollar deal, with $18 million guaranteed. Forte, one of the Bears most potent offensive weapons, came off a season where he rushed for 997 yards and 3 touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 490 yards and a touchdown. He missed the last 4 games due to injury, but he still was the Bears' most consistent offensive threat while he was healthy. Down south, kicker Josh Scobee and the Jacksonville Jaguars inked a 4-year deal, $14.2 million deal that included $4.75 million guaranteed. Scobee went 23 for 25 in field goals (92.0%) and a perfect 24 for 24 in PATs. His new contract makes him the 2nd highest paid kicker (non-franchise tag) for 2012 behind the Oakland Raiders' Sebastian Janikowski ($4 million). And finally, the Baltimore Ravens were able to come to terms with their franchise running back Ray Rice, inking him to a 5 year deal that would be worth up to $40 million. This is coming off a year were Rice posted career bests in rushing yards (1,364), rushing touchdowns (12), receiving yard (704) and receiving touchdowns (3). But for every winner, there are losers. Kansas City wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and Redskin Tight End Fred Davis are without a long term contracts after posting serviceable receiving stats. Defensive backs Brent Grimes of the Atlanta Falcons and Dashon Goldson of the San Francisco 49ers are still stuck with their tags. Even defensive linesmen Anthony Spencer of the Dallas Cowboys and Cliff Avril of the Detroit Lions (both putting up career best in tackles and sacks in 2011) could not come to terms with their respective teams for a contract. And while Scobee signed his franchise tender, fellow kickers Phil Dawson of the Cleveland Brown and Mike Nugent of the Cincinnati Bengals did not. Now with training camp a few days away, we will see how today's deadline will play a factor in the upcoming 2012 season. Will the franchise tagged players still be with their teams by the end of the season or will they become walking free agents.? -Ryan Fox
Well folks, it seems that Superman will not take his soaring dunks to Metropolis. As of today, the Dwight Howard-Brookyln Nets trade negotiations have come to an end. According to many sources, the mega-deal that would have sent Dwight Howard to Brooklyn has ended. The proposed deal would have included the Nets, Magic, Cavaliers, and Clippers with dozens of players and draft picks being shipped all over. For those who are brave enough to read what the specifics of this trade plan was, get yourself some tylenol because you may feel migraine symptoms. The Howard trade would have included: Nets: Receive Dwight Howard plus SG Jason Richardson, PG Chris Duhon, and F Earl Clark from the Magic. Magic: Receive C Brook Lopez, SF Damion James, PF Shelden Williams, and G Armon Johnson, plus two future 1st round picks from the Nets as well as SF Luke Walton from the Cavaliers and a protected lottery pick from the Clippers. Cavaliers: Receive PF Kris Humphries, G Sundiata Gaines, a future 1st round pick and $3-million in cash from the Nets plus SF Quentin Richardson from the Magic. Clippers: Receive SG Marshon Brooks from the Nets. In NBA 2K12, that trade would have more than likely happened. In the real world, that trade crashed and burned. The Cavaliers decided to back out due to discomfort in participating with a Kris Humphries sign-and-trade. Humphries wanted a multi-year deal while Cleveland wanted to offer just one year. When Cleveland backed out, the Nets tried to convince the Charlotte Bobcats to participate. However, the Bobcats used common sense and stayed away. With no other teams willing to participate, the Nets announced the trade was dead. This is how the Nets feel right now: So even with all that planning, all that hard work with negotiations, and with all the talks, the Nets ended up with nothing at the end of the day. Well at least they get to have their soup. Whoops, never mind.
-Ryan L. Fox The Dwight Howard saga continues. For nearly two years, the star Center of the Orlando Magic has been jerking the proverbial chain of team management. He privately makes thinly veiled threats and hefty demands from ownership, but lacks the cojones to stand by these comments when facing public criticism. Dwight Howard pushed ownership to fire its coach and GM in order to appease the sullen giant, then appeared to be disappointed about the decision once the cameras began to roll. Realistically, nobody blames Dwight for covetting a larger market. Orlando is the second smallest NBA city, making Howard a very big fish in a extremely small pond. While the Magic did enjoy some success earlier in his career, they have failed to add key pieces around their franchise center to make them formidable contenders in future seasons. So, while I think that it is acceptable for Howard to seek alternative employment, I think his actions have made a mockery of his team, his fans, and mostly himself. Lebron James faced wide-spread criticism when he left Cleveland for South Beach, and he did that as a free-agent. Lebron didn't force his team to trade him, he did not whine to ownership about firing their coach... he simply chose not to re-sign with his original team. However, the buzz that he caused by making himself a spectacle was the reason for the public vitriol. Dwight Howard is making the same mistake. All he needed to do was privately approach the GM and make the following statement "I do not intend to re-sign with the magic when my contract expires, so it may be in your best interest to trade me before you lose me with no compensation." Then... shut up! Don't whine. Let it play out, and you will likely get your way. Be a man, Man! -Kevin Aherne |
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