[drc]

I should add that I respect but entirely disagree with Todd's conclusion. When the head coach, athletic director, university president and head of the university police together aid and shield felony level crimes over a multi year period by a former coach (with position and I believe office at the university), and commit their own crimes in the process, this deserves very substantial punishment. Re-reading what I just wrote, it sure sounds like something that might deserve a NCAA death penalty.

The significant difference with SMU is they were repeatedly warned and penalized for acts they simply continued to do. Penn State wasn't given earlier NCAA warning. However ad of course, one shouldn't need NCAA warning to stop shielding a child rapist. That they weren't told to stop by the NCAA is a more than feeble excuse at best.

Another interesting aspect is before the brouhaha, SMU had been trying to better its university reputation and academic standing. Administrators wanted to increase academic standards for athletes and some even threatened to drop football if it got in the way of the school's academic mission. Many at the school thought football and it's lax academics and unethical behavior hurt the university. Thus, when the NCAA considered the final punishment, many at the university were already not adverse to football team punishment and dropping the program had already been considered. In short, the school was not as tied to football as you might think.