Bill O'Brien on list of some NFL teams

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

You guys have awful memories.

The NCAA investigation was already well under way when O'Brien accepted the job.

And O'Brien signed his four year extension after the sanctions came down in July.

He knew exactly what he was getting into, and again, the speculation from many insiders was that Penn St was going to get hit with a lot worse than a four year bowl ban and loss of schollies. There was talk of a full death penalty as late as the day before the sanctions were announced.

My dude...you have the awful memory in this instance.

The NCAA didn't even have an investigation.
BOB had a clause in his contract triggered when the sanctions came down.
He knew he was getting into a less than stellar situation with possible sanctions...but NEVER knew he'd get Sandusky'd.

 

[SethMode]

Something I've been a little curious about: what if Spanier and Curley come out of this situation not guilty? I don't expect that to be the case, but would the NCAA have to reverse its ruling on the situation?

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

LOL, creepy town. Have you ever been there?

I have, a bunch. Central PA is a really strange place. Its like slotted between the East Coast and the Rust Belt and its just a really weird subculture. State College is kind of weird, too.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

The NCAA sent a letter to Penn St. in November telling them they were monitoring the situation and may take action. They never conducted any investigation, they based their sanctions entirely off of the Freeh report.

O'Brien never signed a 4 year extension. It was an automatic clause in his contract triggered for each year of possible sanctions. Mind you, it was signed in January. No one had any idea just how serious those sanctions would be. Shit, word didn't come down that it would be as crippling as it was until July. Suggesting anything other than that is pure revisionist history.

Again, I completely disagree. You guys are acting as if nobody thought Penn St was going to get hammered. There was talk of death penalty from January on. Pull up any article from when O'Brien was hired, and a major theme is the uncertainty surrounding what was going to happen to the program. The extension clause is the proof. If O'Brien tries to play naive if he bolts, he's a hypocrite and a liar.

Not only is O'Brien replacing Division I's winningest coach, but he must also guide a program shrouded in uncertainty. Besides the criminal investigation into Sandusky, the NCAA has launched its own inquiry.

The NCAA investigation (and the Big 10 investigation) were well under way before he took the job.

http://espn.go.com/college-football...-lions-officially-hires-bill-obrien-new-coach

It was well known by the time he was hired that the NCAA was going to act, the only question was the severity. Everybody knew this, O'Brien knew this, which is why that clause was in the deal.

All the talk after he was hired, was centered around why he would take a job at a place that was surely to get hammered with sanctions.

If he bolts after all the talking about loyalty & rebuilding and convincing those kids to stay based on those principles, he's a scummer. I don't know why you guys are so anxious to let him off the hook, but if he plays the naive bit I think a lot of people will see right through it.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Something I've been a little curious about: what if Spanier and Curley come out of this situation not guilty? I don't expect that to be the case, but would the NCAA have to reverse its ruling on the situation?

Nope. The NCAA relied on the Freeh report, not the courts, to gather its evidence.

From wiki:

Former FBI director Louis Freeh, whose firm was hired by the Penn State Board of Trustees to conduct an independent investigation into the scandal, concluded, after interviewing over 400 people and reviewing over 3.5 million documents, that Paterno, Spanier, Curley and Schultz had deliberately conspired to conceal Sandusky's actions in order to protect publicity surrounding Penn State's vaunted football program.[6][7][8]

 

[SethMode]

I have, a bunch. Central PA is a really strange place. Its like slotted between the East Coast and the Rust Belt and its just a really weird subculture. State College is kind of weird, too.

In what way is it weirder than anywhere else? Every place has a weird subculture. I would hardly call State College "creepy".

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The NCAA's "inquiry" was basically the Freeh Report. They did nothing on their own.

Money talks...bullshit walks...if an NFL team is willing to pony up and pay him...I can't hate on him for walking out of there with a Vince McMahon power walk.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Also, most of the talk after the sanctions came down were that Penn St got off relatively easy. There were plenty of people who not only expected a death penalty, but there was also fringe talk of stepping down to FCS or eliminating football completely.

This idea that O'Brien was some rube who was walking into a stable situation and that he had no knowledge of the shit storm that was coming is ridiculous. He can claim it, but i'm not buying that bullshit.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

In what way is it weirder than anywhere else? Every place has a weird subculture. I would hardly call State College "creepy".

State College specifically...its an idol worshipping subculture surrounding Penn State.

I think nothing spoke louder about the PSU culture itself than what happened during this whole scandal.

As for it being weirder than anywhere else...re: Central PA. The non-social religious sects are a big reason why.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Again, I completely disagree. You guys are acting as if nobody thought Penn St was going to get hammered. There was talk of death penalty from January on. Pull up any article from when O'Brien was hired, and a major theme is the uncertainty surrounding what was going to happen to the program. The extension clause is the proof. If O'Brien tries to play naive if he bolts, he's a hypocrite and a liar.

There was a possibility that Penn St. could get sanctioned by the NCAA, that much is obvious from that clause being built into his contract. However, while there was talk of uncertainty around the program, talk of the death penalty didn't come around until July when the Freeh report came down and the NCAA made it known that they would act. In July.

The NCAA investigation (and the Big 10 investigation) were well under way before he took the job.

http://espn.go.com/college-football...-lions-officially-hires-bill-obrien-new-coach

It was well known by the time he was hired that the NCAA was going to act, the only question was the severity. Everybody knew this, O'Brien knew this, which is why that clause was in the deal.

All the talk after he was hired, was centered around why he would take a job at a place that was surely to get hammered with sanctions.

If he bolts after all the talking about loyalty & rebuilding and convincing those kids to stay based on those principles, he's a scummer. I don't know why you guys are so anxious to let him off the hook, but if he plays the naive bit I think a lot of people will see right through it.

The NCAA nor the Big Ten never conducted an investigation. They sanctioned Penn St. based off of the findings of the Freeh report.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I've never been to State College, but western PA is pretty creepy in a super religious sort of way.

As far as idol worship, I can't jump on them for that. Any iconic coach like Paterno would have had the community's full support in any college town in this country. If this happened at Duke tomorrow, they would be backing Coach K the same way.

 

[SethMode]

Nope. The NCAA relied on the Freeh report, not the courts, to gather its evidence.

I know what you mean but, if Spanier and Curley were to get not guilty verdicts, wouldn't it throw out the entire context of the NCAA's punishment? I mean, most of the people here that supported their ruling did so on the basis of everyone being involved (i.e. the Freeh report). Is it really justified that they be punished based on a report that doesn't even hold up in court?

Alcohol is the only reason I'm discussing this because a) I don't doubt all of them will get guilty verdicts; and b) even if they didn't, we're talking about the NCAA.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Also, most of the talk after the sanctions came down were that Penn St got off relatively easy. There were plenty of people who not only expected a death penalty, but there was also fringe talk of stepping down to FCS or eliminating football completely.

This idea that O'Brien was some rube who was walking into a stable situation and that he had no knowledge of the shit storm that was coming is ridiculous. He can claim it, but i'm not buying that bullshit.

After the Freeh report came down, the NCAA gave Penn St. an ultimatum: accept the crippling sanctions they got, or face the death penalty. No appeal. That much is true.

Step back for a second and read what we're saying. We aren't saying O'Brien walked into this situation not expecting any repercussions from the NCAA. No one, not even the Penn St. administration or Board of Trustees that approved/created the contract.

 

[Sportsbuck]

I know what you mean but, if Spanier and Curley were to get not guilty verdicts, wouldn't it throw out the entire context of the NCAA's punishment? I mean, most of the people here that supported their ruling did so on the basis of everyone being involved (i.e. the Freeh report). Is it really justified that they be punished based on a report that doesn't even hold up in court?

Alcohol is the only reason I'm discussing this because a) I don't doubt all of them will get guilty verdicts; and b) even if they didn't, we're talking about the NCAA.

I didn't really consider the Freeh report being used as evidence, that might change things. It's quite possible that they could revise it should it not hold up in court, but I feel like it's one of those situations where the NCAA can't afford to take a step back on, from their point of view at least.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

There was a possibility that Penn St. could get sanctioned by the NCAA, that much is obvious from that clause being built into his contract. However, while there was talk of uncertainty around the program, talk of the death penalty didn't come around until July when the Freeh report came down and the NCAA made it known that they would act. In July.



The NCAA nor the Big Ten never conducted an investigation. They sanctioned Penn St. based off of the findings of the Freeh report.

We can argue the semantics of who was investigating what, but the bottom line is you will never convince me that O'Brien was caught off guard by the sanctions or didn't believe they were going to be severe. I can't buy that.

 

[Sportsbuck]

We can argue the semantics of who was investigating what, but the bottom line is you will never convince me that O'Brien was caught off guard by the sanctions or didn't believe they were going to be severe. I can't buy that.

More power to you then. I'm not trying to argue that Bill O'Brien was naive and walked into this expecting nothing, nor letting him off the hook. Just trying to state how things actually went down.

 

[SethMode]

State College specifically...its an idol worshipping subculture surrounding Penn State.

I think nothing spoke louder about the PSU culture itself than what happened during this whole scandal.

As for it being weirder than anywhere else...re: Central PA. The non-social religious sects are a big reason why.

Yeah, there is certainly no idol worship at any other college town...

I like that it's somehow okay for LA to riot because their favorite team wins the NBA title, but in State College, a bunch of dumb college kids react stupidly regarding a figure who at that time hadn't been proven to have done anything wrong, it's them being creepy. Got it.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

More power to you then. I'm not trying to argue that Bill O'Brien was naive and walked into this expecting nothing, nor letting him off the hook. Just trying to state how things actually went down.

Fair enough.

I just think it will be pretty sleazy if he bolts and uses the sanctions as his excuse. That's really my only point here.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

btw - the NCAA and Big Ten, along with not conducting an interview, never had a formal hearing with the NCAA (pretty status quo)...Penn State just bent over and took whatever it was the NCAA dished out.

 

[SethMode]

btw - the NCAA and Big Ten, along with not conducting an interview, never had a formal hearing with the NCAA (pretty status quo)...Penn State just bent over and took whatever it was the NCAA dished out.

Right, everyone knows that. I don't see what that has to do with anything in this thread?