Kush: NCAA should not have gotten involved in Penn State
Jul 27, 2012, 4:03 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm
PHOENIX – The NCAA had no business getting involved with Penn State scandal, said former Arizona State University football coach Frank Kush.
“[NCAA] should have let Penn State handle it and resolve the problem and take care of the youngsters who were offended,” said Kush. “This is strictly my opinion, but the NCAA felt that Joe Paterno was just too much football, not only locally but nationally, and this is why they had no right to intervene…There’s no question in my mind that the NCAA should never have gotten involved in it.”
Penn State was hit with major sanctions after former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted of molesting children. An investigation also found that former head coach Joe Paterno, who died in January, stayed quiet for years about accusations against Sandusky.
A lot of people feel the scandal has destroyed the legacy of Paterno, who passed away in January. His statue was removed from Penn State’s campus.
“Probably the best thing that happened to Joe was passing away,” he said. “Can you imagine what he’d be going through presently? It was just unbelievable. His family is going to live through it, they have to live through it.”
Kush knew Paterno very well, but said he only met Sandusky in passing.
“[Paterno] was the epitome of what college coaching is all about, from the standpoint of youngsters socially, academically and athletically,” said Kush.
Penn State was slapped with a $60 million dollar fine, a four-year bowl ban and other sanctions that Kush said will take at least 10 to 12 years to recover from.
“The image Penn State has is going to be destroyed,” he said.
An exclusive interview with Kush will appear on KTAR.com next Friday during a new episode of Pat’s Personal Portraits.
