Worst sports scandal ever?

[NKR1978]

Is there any sports scandal, not just college sports, worse than this?

Jim Tressel got fired over some tattoos.

As another aside... Zach Spence, who a PSU colleague of mine said was their top recruit, tweeted he didn't want to be involved with that program. So, I guess there is already some recruiting fall out.

 

[Cuseman78]

Dave Bliss and Baylor takes the number 1 spot but this is clearly #2.

 

[NKR1978]

A one off murder cover up vs. A decades long child molestation cover up?

Dave bliss was the only thing even on the ball park.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[dash-30-dash]

Baylor was worse. He tried to make the murder victim look like a drug dealer.

 

[cto]

Is there any sports scandal, not just college sports, worse than this?

Jim Tressel got fired over some tattoos.

As another aside... Zach Spence, who a PSU colleague of mine said was their top recruit, tweeted he didn't want to be involved with that program. So, I guess there is already some recruiting fall out.

The Black Sox scandal threatened the integrity of Major League Baseball... and threatened to bring down an entire sport (the major team sport in the nation then), and it resulted in major structural changes in MLB (e.g., bringing in a commissioner with broad powers). The PSU scandal, while horrendous and despicable, involved a few people at one university. And some of the old college basketball point-shaving scandals also threatened the integrity of an entire sport.

I know everyone, including me, is totally repulsed by this because it involves innocent children, but I think there have been bigger "scandals."

 

[jekelish]

Well apparently my post was somehow deleted, though I can't figure out how that happened. Anyway, while the Black Sox scandal was more impactful, I don't think it's "worse" than this scandal. I can't think of a scandal that's as bad as this. The Baylor thing is probably the closest, but considering the victims involved, the timeframe, and the the reputation of Penn State, this has got to be the most horrifying scandal I've ever seen.

Joyce, you're correct, the Black Sox thing is the most impactful...but that was just as bunch of people who gambled who lost money, when you get right down to it. This is about kids who were sexually abused, which makes it "worse" in every imaginable way.

 

[rrlbees]

Well apparently my post was somehow deleted, though I can't figure out how that happened.

In this thread? There aren't any deleted posts in this thread.

 

[Jake]

IMHO, when this is all said and done, this will far surpass the Baylor situation, simply because its Penn St football. Baylor basketball, eh - not exactly a pillar of the sport. Penn State football - synonamous with high character throughout the country. This will get 100x the coverage that Baylor got. We're talking Casey Anthony type of coverage until it ends. Seriously, this is the mother of all PR disasters. High profile program. High profile coach. Rape, eyewitnesses and a coverup. This is going to keep Nancy Grace busy from now until eternity. Add in the fact that the PSU adminstration is doing everything it can to add to the problem. Plus, if this goes to trial, you could have all kinds of awkward situations, including an assistant FB coach, contradicting his coach's testimony, which contradicts the Athletic Director and VP of Finance, which may contradict the President.

Seriously, this is screwed to the Nth degree.

 

[Orangello]

IMHO, when this is all said and done, this will far surpass the Baylor situation, simply because its Penn St football. Baylor basketball, eh - not exactly a pillar of the sport. Penn State football - synonamous with high character throughout the country. This will get 100x the coverage that Baylor got. We're talking Casey Anthony type of coverage until it ends. Seriously, this is the mother of all PR disasters. High profile program. High profile coach. Rape, eyewitnesses and a coverup. This is going to keep Nancy Grace busy from now until eternity. Add in the fact that the PSU adminstration is doing everything it can to add to the problem. Plus, if this goes to trial, you could have all kinds of awkward situations, including an assistant FB coach, contradicting his coach's testimony, which contradicts the Athletic Director and VP of Finance, which may contradict the President.

Seriously, this is screwed to the Nth degree.

Curley and Schultz could now very well turn State's evidence against Spanier and the university. They see that they have been made the scapegoats and are ruined. You couldn't make this up if you tried. Those fantasizing about PSU to the Big East may finally get their wish.

 

[jekelish]

In this thread? There aren't any deleted posts in this thread.

Bees, I didn't mean anyone deleted my post; just that somehow when I was going to post it, it vanished.

 

[rrlbees]

Bees, I didn't mean anyone deleted my post; just that somehow when I was going to post it, it vanished.

Gotcha.

 

[stuckinbig11]

This will get 100x the coverage that Baylor got. We're talking Casey Anthony type of coverage until it ends. Seriously, this is the mother of all PR disasters. High profile program. High profile coach. Rape, eyewitnesses and a coverup. This is going to keep Nancy Grace busy from now until eternity. Add in the fact that the PSU adminstration is doing everything it can to add to the problem. Plus, if this goes to trial, you could have all kinds of awkward situations, including an assistant FB coach, contradicting his coach's testimony, which contradicts the Athletic Director and VP of Finance, which may contradict the President.

I bet Penn Staters are hoping that OJ breaks out of jail and steals a Bronco for a joy ride. Meanwhile, Ohio Staters are breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[JOC44]

1. Dave Bliss and Baylor
2. Penn State
3. All the point shaving scandals
4. Smu football and Kentucky basketball (not now but the Emery Air Freight stuff)

 

[Bayside44]

The Black Sox scandal threatened the integrity of Major League Baseball... and threatened to bring down an entire sport (the major team sport in the nation then), and it resulted in major structural changes in MLB (e.g., bringing in a commissioner with broad powers). The PSU scandal, while horrendous and despicable, involved a few people at one university. And some of the old college basketball point-shaving scandals also threatened the integrity of an entire sport.

I know everyone, including me, is totally repulsed by this because it involves innocent children, but I think there have been bigger "scandals."

Gambling, esp in that era, is nowhere near this.

 

[suthrills]

I can't believe anyone in their right mind would compare gambling to child molestation. Not even in the same ballpark.
The gamblers should be banned from their sport the child molesters should never see the light of day for the rest of their lives.

 

[OrangePA]

How about OJ Simpson murdering two people and getting away with it?

 

[cuseincincy]

1. Coach, I just saw Coach Sandusky raping a ittle kid in the locker room shower.
2. Really? We'll have to do something about that. I'll get a hold of Mr. Curley. Say son, you know you might make a good WR coach, watcha think?
3. Hey Tim? Joe here. You one of the GA's saw something that made him uncomfortable you need to hear about. Yep, I might make him a coach.
4. Gar? Tim here. Yep its Jerry again. We need to talk to the prez.
5. Mr President, there was some horseplay one of the football GA's saw. Yep, Joe's going to make him a coach.
6. Yes this is President Spanier. No, uh Mr Sandusky retired years ago, yes I remember something about some playing around. Uh yes, he's one of assistant coaches I believe...
7. If true, Mrs Paterno and I sure were fooled.
8. Dad was old, he can't deal with this type of stuff.
9. Eaverbody: "We told someone else, that was our legal requirement."

Bliss, the Black Sox, SMU etc. got nothing on this. Tressel didn't get fired for tattoos and trinkets. it was the cover up that got him. Penn State may have an entire new coaching staff next year. Maybe not the sportwide impact, but certainly the most sordid.

 

[Scooch]

How about OJ Simpson murdering two people and getting away with it?

That was not a "sports" scandal.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Is there any sports scandal, not just college sports, worse than this?

Jim Tressel got fired over some tattoos.

As another aside... Zach Spence, who a PSU colleague of mine said was their top recruit, tweeted he didn't want to be involved with that program. So, I guess there is already some recruiting fall out.

What about the deal at Baylor? Didn't Dave Bliss help cover up a murder or something awful like that ?

 

[IthacaMatt]

IMHO, when this is all said and done, this will far surpass the Baylor situation, simply because its Penn St football. Baylor basketball, eh - not exactly a pillar of the sport. Penn State football - synonamous with high character throughout the country. This will get 100x the coverage that Baylor got. We're talking Casey Anthony type of coverage until it ends. Seriously, this is the mother of all PR disasters. High profile program. High profile coach. Rape, eyewitnesses and a coverup. This is going to keep Nancy Grace busy from now until eternity. Add in the fact that the PSU adminstration is doing everything it can to add to the problem. Plus, if this goes to trial, you could have all kinds of awkward situations, including an assistant FB coach, contradicting his coach's testimony, which contradicts the Athletic Director and VP of Finance, which may contradict the President.

Seriously, this is screwed to the Nth degree.

Somehow, I think this makes everyone too queasy. I don't think the media is going to latch on to this like the 24 news channels latch on to the latest missing white girl or baby story.

 

[Cuseman78]

Somehow, I think this makes everyone too queasy. I don't think the media is going to latch on to this like the 24 news channels latch on to the latest missing white girl or baby story.

Really good point. I think you may be right.

 

[bevosu]

PSU got kind of lucky today..the Michael Jackson verdict and Cain's troubles bit off a piece of the national news coverage.

 

[Scooch]

What about the deal at Baylor? Didn't Dave Bliss help cover up a murder or something awful like that ?

Bliss smeared the victim, tried to get the players and coaches to say he was a drug dealer. This was to protect himself because Bliss was paying the kid's tuition which was among many of the dirty things Bliss did.

But...

While Bliss's actions were reprehensible, he didn't literally have a hand in the murder, and it's not like he was trying to keep the murderer free from prosecution.

This is worse, IMHO, because the horrific lack of action by PSU directly enabled Sandusky to molest more kids for years.

 

[StillJimPA]

Bliss trivia...he went to my high school a year or two behind me. At that time he was the ultimate high school preppie. Blonde , popular, multiple sports then played for Cornell. I can still seem him shooting foul shots in a lunch hour tournament. I don't know what his underlying character was back then but the Baylor thing shocked the he'll out of me.

 

[Chip]

Is there any sports scandal, not just college sports, worse than this?

Jim Tressel got fired over some tattoos.

As another aside... Zach Spence, who a PSU colleague of mine said was their top recruit, tweeted he didn't want to be involved with that program. So, I guess there is already some recruiting fall out.

To me, this is the worst:

1. 8 children (at least)
2. Several years of this going on
3. Several people involved in the cover up including one of the most iconic coaches in the history of major sports.

Maybe I'm more sensitive about it as someone who became a father in the last few years, I'd like to think I would have been just as angry if I heard about it, say, 5 years ago. But hearing about it now, it really shook me to read that stuff. Not to say the other situations don't have their place, but I can't imagine anything worse than this.