Penn State hit with $60m penalty over sex abuse case

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The governing body of US college sports on Monday fined Penn State University $60 million and voided its football victories for the past 14 seasons in an unprecedented rebuke for the school's failure to stop coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said the school had put "hero worship and winning at all costs "ahead of integrity, honesty and responsibility.

Penn State was not given the so called death penalty that could have suspended its football program, but it was banned from lucrative post-season games for four years and had the number of scholarships available to players reduced from 25 to 15.

Penn State officials were accused of not taking action after being alerted that Sandusky, a former assistant football coach, was sexually abusing children. The scandal tainted one of college football's leading coaches, the late Joe Paterno, and led to his firing last year along with other top school officials.

The punishment, announced by the National College Athletic Association at a news conference in Indianapolis, was unprecedented for its swiftness and breadth. It was the latest blow to an institution still reeling from Sandusky's conviction last month on child molestation charges.

The case was another blotch on the diminishing legacy of Paterno, who until Monday's action had held the record for victories among big-time US college football coaches in a career that spanned more than 40 seasons. Paterno lost that status since the NCAA's punishment includes voiding the Nittany Lions' victories between 1998 and 2011 - the time from the first allegations made against Sandusky to his arrest.

The Paterno family said on Monday the NCAA's actions "defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator without any input from our family or those who knew him best".

Later on Monday, the Big Ten Conference of college sports announced Penn State would forfeit its share of revenues for post-season bowl games organized by the league, and the estimated $13 million would instead be donated to charities devoted to the protection of children. The $60 million will also go to programs to combat child abuse.

"No price . . . will repair the grievous damage inflicted by Jerry Sandusky on his victims," said Emmert. "However, we can make clear that the culture, actions and inactions that allowed them to be victimized will not be tolerated in collegiate athletics."

In June, Sandusky, 68, was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys over a period of 15 years. He awaits sentencing and could be given as many as 373 years.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.