Penn State is now bowl-eligible

STATE COLLEGE - Penn State football will be eligible for the postseason effective immediately, and the program will regain its full complement of scholarships next season, the NCAA announced yesterday.

The Big Ten later announced that Penn State also will be eligible to compete for the conference championship this season.

During the summer of 2012, the NCAA levied sanctions against Penn State stemming from the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.

In making the announcement, the NCAA executive committee credited "Penn State University's significant progress toward ensuring its athletics department functions with integrity."

The sanctions were a result of Louis Freeh's July 2012 report on the handling of the Sandusky scandal. Sandusky, a former assistant football coach at Penn State from 1969 to '99, was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts of child sex abuse on June 22, 2012.

The sanctions, which included a $60 million fine, 4-year postseason ban and vacating all victories from 1998-2001, were considered "unprecedented" when announced by the NCAA on July 23, 2012.

The NCAA stated that the committee's actions to lessen the sanctions reflected the recommendations of Sen. George Mitchell, Penn State's athletics oversight monitor since August 2012.

Mitchell released his second annual report yesterday, which delves into how the university has progressed in implementing the recommendations in the Freeh Report.

Mitchell's first report, which stated that Penn State demonstrated a commitment to fulfilling the requirements laid out by Freeh, resulted in a reduction of scholarship limitations. The NCAA modified the sanctions so that Penn State would see five scholarships added per year until all 85 were back for the 2016 season.

In his second report, Mitchell said Penn State "has not wavered in this commitment."

Penn State president Eric Barron said Mitchell's report, coupled with the NCAA's action, reflect the university's work over the past 2 years.

"This is welcome news for the university community, particularly for our current and future student-athletes," Barron said in a release issued by the university.

Penn State coach James Franklin said in the release that the program "is appreciative of the opportunities the NCAA and Big Ten have provided" with the announcement.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said at the time the sanctions were enacted that they were "to make sure the university establishes an athletic culture and daily mindset in which football will never again be placed ahead of education."

The sanctions were made effective immediately after Penn State agreed to a consent decree, accepting the NCAA's findings and forfeiting any right to appeal.

"Penn State's commitment to the integrity of its athletics department and its progress toward meeting the requirements of the Consent Decree are clear," Northern Arizona University president Rita Hartung Cheng, who chaired yesterday's executive committee meeting, said in the NCAA release.

According to Mitchell's report, the senator was impressed with Penn State's significant progress toward three difficult long-term projects outlined in the Freeh Report: 1) installing a new human resources information system; 2) fostering an ethical culture; and 3) enhancing security at athletics and recreational facilities.

"While each of these projects will require sustained effort, the work remains on track," the report stated. "Penn State's commitment to completing these projects is apparent."

Also yesterday, it was announced that the NCAA is ending its fight against a 2013 state law requiring that the $60 million in fines against the university, to be spent on child sex-abuse issues, be spent within Pennsylvania.

Mitchell also noted that changes in senior leadership, including the arrival of Barron in May and athletic director Sandy Barbour in July, played a role in facilitating the reduction.

Mitchell's report says he met with Barbour on Aug. 26 and that prior to her selection, Barron had "expressly informed her that continued cooperation with [Mitchell] was a prerequisite for her appointment to the position."

"She pledged that I would continue to receive the full cooperation of the athletics department under her leadership," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said his 5-year oversight role, scheduled to be continued until 2017, may end earlier due to the progress Penn State has made.

Penn State student-athletes, current and former, weighed in upon learning of the sanction modifications.

They took to Twitter and other forms of social media to express happiness, relief and gratification.

"Thank you to all the former and current players who stood by us. Also want to thank our incredible fans! Now lets go and beat Rutgers #weare," senior offensive lineman Miles Dieffenbach tweeted.

Stephon Morris, a senior cornerback on the 2012 team, said he started jumping around and calling his former teammates as soon as he heard the news.

The 2012 squad, honored at Beaver Stadium with that year added on the facility's suites facade, was the first team to feel the impact of the NCAA sanctions.

Former offensive lineman Matt Stankiewitch, a senior in 2012, said he especially feels joy for this year's upperclassmen.

"Those [then] underclassmen are the ones who stuck it out with us," Stankiewitch said in a phone interview. "They've been through it ever since."

Stankiewitch said his initial thought when he heard the news was, "It's about time."

Morris said the 2012 team, which defied the odds in winning seven games, played for the entire Penn State community, and that everyone will share in this news now. With its first Big Ten game on the horizon at Rutgers on Saturday, Penn State is 2-0 and needs just four more wins to be bowl-eligible.

Stankiewitch said he's ecstatic to know that, finally, after more than 2 years, Penn State is going back to what it once was - or better.

"There were some very dark times that happened at Penn State in 2011 and 2012," Stankiewitch said. "But there's a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's just the beginning."