Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/590325
ADMINISTRATION Athletics monitor set to end oversight two years early A6er another positive annual report, the NCAA and Big Ten agreed in Sep- tember to end the mandatory monitor- ing of Penn State's athletics program two years early. Acting on a recommen- dation from independent athletics mon- itor Charles P. Scheeler, the oversight e4orts will end this year, rather than in 2017 as called for in the consent decree that Penn State signed in July 2012. Scheeler, who has been tracking Penn State's progress in meeting the goals of the agreement, indicated that the im- provements the university has made over the past three years led him to rec- ommend termination of his oversight. Penn State president Eric Barron called the decision "yet another signi3cant milestone in the university's recovery from an extraordinarily di5cult and challenging set of circumstances." Scheeler's findings echoed a series of positive reports by his predecessor, Sen. George Mitchell, which helped bring an early end to the sanctions that the NCAA imposed after the Sandusky scandal. In 2013, Mitchell recommend- ed the restoration of football scholar- ships. One year later, Mitchell proposed further sanction relief based on Penn State's ongoing commitment to com- pliance. In 2014, the NCAA eliminated the Nittany Lions' postseason ban and returned the full complement of foot- ball scholarships for the 2015-16 sea- son. Scheeler noted that other institutions, as well as government agencies, are tak- ing note of Penn State's work in this area and are emulating it. "Rutgers Universi- ty recently created an athletics integrity position, which resembles Penn State's athletics integrity o5cer position," Scheeler said in the report. "And the De- partment of Defense has sought guid- ance from the university regarding pro- grams to address violence against women." Scheeler's report did state that there was "evidence of increased tension, and a mutual lack of trust, between the head football coach and university athletics compliance sta4." He stated that he spoke to coach James Franklin, athletic director Sandy Barbour and members of Penn State's administrative sta4 about his concerns and was assured that they are committed to resolving any dis- agreements. "This suggests the problem is solvable if the parties honor these commitments," he wrote. Franklin said he was continuing to de- velop relationships with compliance