In a rare move that seems to paint the NCAA in a good light, it lifted the postseason bowl ban for Penn State’s football program on Monday and will allow the team the full complement of scholarships for the 2015 season.
Due to Penn State’s progress in ensuring athletics dept functions with integrity, NCAA immediately restores football postseason eligibility.
— NCAA (@NCAA) September 8, 2014
The NCAA has also returned all 85 football scholarships to Penn State, beginning in 2015-16. Read more: http://t.co/wW5nQxl8nF
— NCAA (@NCAA) September 8, 2014
Penn State received a four-year postseason ban back in 2012 after the NCAA sanctioned it follow the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. In addition to this, Penn State was to the number of scholarships it could give to players through the 2016-2017 academic year.
Both of these have been vacated, which means that Penn State can now work towards fixing the damage that the program suffered based on sanctions it received back in 2012.
Considering that the players and new coaching staff had absolutely nothing to do with the Sandusky scandal, this is a move that the NCAA had to make.
Penn State now has postseason eligibility effective immediately, meaning that the program will likely find itself playing in a bowl game this upcoming winter.
The Nittany Lions were 17-9 during the ban, including 2-0 this season.
New Penn State head coach James Franklin had this to say about the NCAA’s decision on Monday (via Pennlive.com).
We are very appreciative of the opportunities the NCAA and Big Ten have provided with today’s announcement,” Franklin said in a statement. “This team plays for each other. We play for Penn State, our families, the former players, our students, alumni, fans and the community. We are so proud to represent Penn State and the Big Ten Conference and are working hard to prepare for our Big Ten opener at Rutgers.
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