This is a comment by Inners, Mike L, and Christian Coleman on the post “Open Thread: Should Penn State’s Football Team Be Shut Down?“
Inners said:
“Shutting down the program entirely just sounds like something which would have the net effect of putting a lot of young men, who did not do anything to anyone, out of school because their football scholarships would be revoked along with the program. Young men who might be, to a large degree, African-American or not of a terribly high socioeconomic status and rely on college football—for better or worse—to fund their educational and career ambitions.”
Mike L added:
“Inners has it completely right! Few people know this, but because of the current Tax Code, athletic scholarships are only ever given out on a year-by-year basis. This means that anyone who has not yet completed their education, and is depending on an athletic scholarship (and let’s not forget that this can include up to 85 students on scholarships for a single team, according to the NCAA), has received no guarantees about continued scholarships beyond the current year.
“Eliminating the program we will harm people who were dependent upon football to get through college. I would also argue that, as the program had attracted a great deal of alumni donations, and there is no way to prove that the average alumnus/alumna knew anything about the scandal, it is improper to essentially rob them of donated funds by forcing a shutdown of the program. The donors should not have to see their money thrown out because of decisions over which they had no control.”
Christian Coleman responded with:
“I concur. I was talking to a buddy today about this. There’s a barbecue stand on The Strip in Tuscaloosa that pretty much only has business during game days. That guy should still be able to pay his mortgage regardless of the evil deeds of those in charge. In a similar sense, I would hate to lose my job because my employer is a bastard. And so on. The economy of Happy Valley needs football. Only rapists and enablers should be punished. Not a whole ecosystem.”
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