Freeh Group Member: NCAA Should Not Have Used Investigation to Decide Sanctions, Report Says

A member of former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s team said the report should not have carried so much weight in the NCAA’s dealing of such harsh sanctions to Penn State, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

‘That document was not meant to be used as the sole piece, or the large piece, of the NCAA’s decision-making,’ a source close to the investigation told The Chronicle Thursday. ‘It was meant to be a mechanism to help Penn State move forward. To be used otherwise creates an obstacle to the institution changing.’

Freeh announced his findings at a press conference in Philadelphia on July 12. NCAA President Mark Emmert announced Penn State’s sanctions Monday, which include a $60 million fine, significant loss of scholarships, a four-year bowl ban and the vacation of all wins under Joe Paterno from 1998-2011. 

The $60 million fine will go toward charities that support victims of abuse and players are free to transfer without penalty.

Penn State President Rodney Ericson signed a contract Monday accepting the terms of the sanctions and guaranteeing the NCAA Penn State will not appeal the sanctions. 

The Chronicle of Higher Education did not name its source per a confidentiality agreement within the Freeh Group that does not permit anyone in the group to speak about it publicly. 

‘The Freeh team reviewed how Penn State operated, not how they worked within the NCAA’s system,’ the Chronicle’s source said. ‘The NCAA’s job is to investigate whether Penn State broke its rules and whether it gained a competitive advantage in doing so.’

Related coverage: 

• Freeh Report Amended for Errors, Report Says (July 25)