The NCAA announced its decision to relax its sanctions on the Penn State football program on Monday, reinstating the team’s postseason eligibility following the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal that engulfed the university in 2012.
The sanctions were lifted because the university has made “commendable” progress since the scandal, but former Penn State football player Michael Mauti thinks the unprecedented punishment was based on a shaky foundation.
“It was tough dealing with those sanctions when they first came out. A lot of people felt a little bit slighted, especially the players, just in the sense that they weren’t around when the actual actions were going on,” Mauti said. “We felt that the NCAA, their grounds were a little bit suspect. [It was a] criminal investigation, and putting the punishment on players who had nothing to do with the situation.”
Mauti, who is now a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, hopes that rolling back the sanctions (Penn State will have a full complement of scholarships to offer in 2015) will help the campus move on from the ordeal.
“It’s good for the whole program, the whole community,” he said. “They can move on now and put this thing behind them.”
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