NCAA hammers Penn State

We have been awaiting to see how the NCAA would punish Penn State and their football program in the aftermath of the Sandusky scandal, and on Monday the news came out on how hard they were getting hit. As it turns out, the hit would be hard but fair: $60 million out of pocket, a severe scholarship reduction, a four year bowl ban and 112 wins vacated between 1998-2011. Here's the scoop from Pat Forde on Yahoo! detailing the sanctions.

Paterno's statue was recently removed from Beaver Stadium

It's a harsh penalty for sure, but really it's perfect in this scenario. Considering some were calling for the "Death Penalty" for PSU football, I'd say they should be happy they still have a program altogether.

Short of a death sentence, this accomplishes all sorts of punishment that they deserve. For starters, the $60 million will help start an endowment for abused children. It's a fantastic gesture, though it does nothing for those who were preyed upon by Sandusky. Ultimately, you have to hope that this case has helped raise awareness, and this is the funding that can help those future victims.

When it comes to the football side, its safe to say they avoided death but came out crippled instead. Recruiting was hit the hardest, as they'll be working with 40 less scholarships to hand out over four years. Not only that, but for all the big time recruits you have to think they would be dissuaded from playing for a school that couldn't even make a postseason bowl game. Big players want to play on big stages, and when you can't give them that stage they will find someone who can.

In my mind, this is the most important part of these sanctions, and the place were the NCAA got it right. Yes, there were harsher penalties in play that PSU could have deserved. But at this point, why shut down the entire program? How will that help the victims in the crime? Is the death of the program these conspirators worked for really going to help anything, especially considering most of the Penn State execs involved aren't even affiliated with the school or amongst the living? If anything, that approach would hurt the futures of the men who will get a college education and experience while they play for the crippled lions.

And ultimately, isn't that the point of these college athletic programs? Yeah, we know all the guys who went pro playing football, but there are plenty of other folks who benefit by getting to simply go to college. The reduction in scholarships certainly hurts their ability to provide that, but it's better than killing it all together. All that does is limit the chances of future students. After four years, they'll get those scholarships back, but I doubt they'll be considered football elite at that point. Which is just what we want, right? Knock them down a bunch of pegs while still letting them operate for their student athlete's benefit.

The vacated wins simply work as another blow to the legacy of JoePa. Some may say this is an injustice to the players to have their wins removed, but what real injustice has been done? So the records are gone, but is the experience? Was the memory of a joyous victory in a bowl game or rivalry vacated too? Are the guys in the NFL who played at Penn State having their contracts voided because something in the past got wiped? One general rule of sport is that if you're only playing for the numbers, then you're playing for the wrong reason. Don't play for the wrong reason. Get DirecTV.

Bobby Bowden becomes the all time winningest coach in Div 1 history after Paterno's 111 vacated wins

Ultimately, this is just another blow to a program that is already hurting. None of this takes into account the deterioration of the school's image, the further fines and penalties PSU will be responsible for on top of this, or the countless civil suits they will be facing. None of this will ease the suffering of the victims of that monster, and really nothing will. But it is a great decision that the NCAA and the people in charge aren't willing to shut the whole thing down when it gives young people great opportunities for future success. And because of that, the NCAA got it just right.