The NCPA commends the NCAA and Penn State for including the exact provisions the NCPA requested to avoid some of the collateral damage on student-athletes who had nothing to do with what happened at the university...but allowing student-athletes to transf
As a result of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual crimes against children and the cover-up by Penn State officials, the NCAA imposed significant punishments today on the Penn State football program. Included among the punishments is a $60 million fine that will be given to organizations fighting sexual assaults against children.
While there are no winners in this tragedy, the NCPA commends the NCAA and Penn State for including the exact provisions the NCPA requested to avoid some of the collateral damage on student-athletes who had nothing to do with what happened at the university. According to the consent decree signed by the NCAA and Penn State, incoming and current football players who wish to transfer will be able to do so without penalty. And, for the first time, the NCAA ruled that players will retain their athletic grant-in-aid regardless of whether or not they compete on the football team, provided they meet and maintain applicable academic requirements.
It is encouraging that the NCAA acted definitively in allowing football players that no longer want to be at Penn State to transfer without having to sit out for a season or allowing their Penn State to deny other scholarship opportunities for a year by holding their eligibility hostage. While Penn State players may have compelling reasons to consider transferring to another school, the NCPA will continue to work to ensure that the NCAA applies protections for players fairly and uniformly. Allowing student-athletes to transfer one time without punishment should be the rule, not the exception.