The Worst of Sport: Character Ed and the PSU Scandal

This is an installment in the Best and Worst of Sports Scandal chronicling the Olympic Games and the Sandusky scandal at Penn State.

In the wake of the severe sanctions imposed on Penn State by NCAA President Mark Emmert, commentators have fiercely debated the justification for the NCAA’s intervention in the first place.  Given Sandusky’s conviction and the devastating findings of the Freeh report was the NCAA simply piling on? 

The NCAA typically functions to maintain fairness in college football and is best known for enforcing recruiting violations and academic standards.   In order to avoid NCAA penalties, most colleges now have a staff specifically devoted to compliance.  Yet conventional compliance offices with their focus on the adherence to specific NCAA rules are ill-equipped to address the cultural malaise that overtook Penn State.

The key to understanding why Emmert responded so decisively is in his November 17, 2011 letter of inquiry to Penn State following the allegations of Sandusky’s history of blatant abuse.  Emmert noted that Article 2.4 of the NCAA Constitution holds athletic departments responsible for the “character education” of their participants and that in order to carry out that responsibility, all those involved in athletics should adhere to moral principles in all aspects of their operations.  Emmert went on to point out that because coaches are “teachers of young people,” the NCAA Constitution holds them to a higher ethical standard than most citizens.

In spite of Emmert’s lofty moral vision, the NCAA has yet to require any formal preparation for or credentialing of college coaches.  Yet the rationale for the sanctions clearly broadens Athletic Departments’ responsibility for their coaches. Coaches have extraordinary power and influence over young people.  As such, they have a responsibility to not only protect athletes from exploitation and abuse but to nurture their development. 

In punishing Penn State, Emmert raised the bar for all colleges and sports organizations throughout the country.  Sports organizations from college athletics to knee-high leagues must replace a culture of compliance with a culture of compassion.  Building a culture that protects and nurtures children requires they provide coaches and administrators with the best possible education for their role as moral teachers.