[nolemmings]

One other point, for those who would say this is so very much worse than Reggie Bush's parents receiving benefits while he was at USC or when SMU players were paid by boosters. Why severe sanctions there--including a "death penalty"--and none or less here?

The NCAA is charged, I would say primarily or at least fundamentally, with upholding the integrity of the game and the amateur status of the athletes. We can all complain that it does so unevenly or heavy-handedly, but no agency has more interest in upholding those goals, which frankly aren't so societal that anyone else is going to get involved or perhaps even care. In short, it is the NCAA's job to make sure everyone is participating on a level field, and to mete out punishment when it discovers that someone is "cheating". Here, the integrity of the sport is not really at issue, or at least not directly so, nor is the status of any athletes, and there are plenty of other institutions and mechanisms to protect against and punish what has happened. It is true that the NCAA also has a vested interest in insisting upon the integrity of its coaches and participating institutions, if only to protect its product, but it need not be the lead watchdog in this arena, for again, there are others who are more experienced and better equipped to deal with the kind of criminal conduct that occurred at PSU.