Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79325
about these kids, and I want people to recognize these kids." For downtown merchants, the al- tered jersey presents another set of challenges. NCAA Bylaw 12.5.1.1 states that a third-party distributor cannot profit from a college athlete's name or likeness, so retailers are not allowed to sell jerseys that feature a current athlete's last name. So for the most part, retail jerseys will remain the same as the 2011 version, when the white bands around the collars and sleeves were dropped. However, a State College apparel store is making an effort to have blue ribbons available upon a customer's request. "The jerseys we carry now are the exact same solid blue and solid white jerseys that we sold last year," Separating fact from fiction in the wake of the NCAA's sanctions against PSU MYTH BUSTING After the NCAA leveled unprece- dented sanctions against his football program last month, Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien issued a strong re- buttal to claims that the punish- ments were actually worse than the so-called death penalty. As O'Brien was quick to note, Penn State was still going to be playing football, albeit with fewer scholarship athletes and no chance of making the postseason for the next four seasons. Still, the NCAA's penalties are se- vere and comprehensive, leaving Penn State fans, along with O'Brien and others within the program, bogged down by questions for the NCAA. With O'Brien pushing the en- tire Penn State community to move forward, we'll try to dispel some of the myths and misnomers regarding the sanctions. MYTH Penn State must immediately reduce its roster to 65 scholarship players. FACT Penn State will need to reduce its total scholarships to 65 by the 2014 season, giving O'Brien and his staff two years to whittle down the number of scholarship players. Thir- ty-one players are set to see their eli- gibility expire in the next two sea- sons, giving O'Brien 24 scholarships to work with for the next two classes. MYTH The Nittany Lions will have to take grants away from current schol- arship athletes in order to reduce their scholarship roster to 65 players. FACT Penn State is specifically pro- hibited from taking scholarships away from current student-athletes. MYTH O'Brien will be able to recruit 15 scholarship players each of the next four years. FACT For at least one and possibly both of its next two recruiting class- es, Penn State will not be able to use its full allotment of 15 scholarships. However, if there are unforeseen transfers from the current freshman and sophomore classes, additional scholarships may become available. MYTH The sanctions levied against Penn State may be reduced by the NCAA before the term expires, based on good behavior. FACT Penn State officials were re- buffed when they asked whether the NCAA would consider reducing the sanctions should the university meet the requirements outlined in the con- sent decree. Several trustees said in August that they hope Penn State's compliance efforts will compel the NCAA to reconsider its stance. So far, however, the NCAA has said it will only revisit the sanctions if it deter- mines that further penalties are war- ranted based on the outcome of fu- ture legal proceedings. MYTH Players who participate in pre- season practice are no longer eligible to transfer to other Division I schools without restriction. FACT The restriction is based on play- ers competing in games. The rule is as follows: "Penn State football stu- dent-athletes can decide to transfer from now until the 2013 season (be- fore participating in preseason prac- tice with Penn State) and play imme- diately at the new school." The "unre- stricted free agency" period will con- tinue until the start of Penn State's preseason camp in 2013. MYTH Players who participate in games this season are no longer eligi- ble to transfer to other Division I schools without restriction for the re- mainder of their college football ca- reers. FACT Once the 2012 season has con- cluded, any Penn State players who participated in games and wish to ex- plore transfer opportunities may do so without any restriction from the NCAA. The waiver of traditional transfer rules continues until the start of preseason camp in August 2013. Players who begin practice with the Nittany Lions at that time will be subject to the NCAA's standard trans- fer rules, which require that the transferring athlete sit out a season before becoming eligible to compete at his new school. –NATE BAUER said Caroline Gummo, advertising manager for The Family Clothesline, "because the NCAA won't allow us to put actual players' names on the backs. "We're in the process of getting blue ribbons embroidered on some of the jerseys, and we also plan on keeping blue ribbon [patches] on hand so a customer can add one to their jersey by choice." –T.O.