Rise and shine, friends. Here’s what’s going down in the Big Ten today.
—We thought we were pretty much done with the Jerry Sandusky trial, but according to Fox Sports, there is this bit of non-trivial injustice: Sandusky is likely to keep his pension of roughly $59,000 for the rest of his or his wife Dottie’s life, as the crimes he was convicted of aren’t enough to warrant forfeiture of pension under Pennsylvania state law. The funds may be targeted in a civil trial, though, so it’s possible the Sandusky family never sees them regardless.
—Eleven Warriors sat down with Ohio State fullbacks/tight ends coach Tim Hinton, who expressed skepticism about the new playoff structure, saying there was already a champion being crowned and “there are coaches that will be fired because they go 10-2.”
First of all: nobody’s getting fired at 10-2 for performance-based reasons. Ever. Second: he sort of has a point, and at the very least it’s nice to hear a defense of the old system that isn’t some saccharine paean to the bowl system. It’s a good read overall. Hinton isn’t well versed in coach-speak (or, really, coach-non-speak), so he gives some pretty thoughtful answers to the questions. Go read.
—Penn State fans should temper any amount of optimism they have about the 2012 season, as Bill O’Brien told the Patriot-News‘ Bob Flounders that the team is “definitely behind schedule” in its offseason development, and that the team is “not anywhere near where we need to be.” So there’s that.
—AnnArbor.com reports that former Notre Dame assistant and ex-Michigan player Corbin Brown pled guilty but mentally ill in a 2011 case of confinement and battery against his wife. Those are extremely serious crimes, so if this is a case of mental illness—and the behavior pattern is erratic enough that the case could be made—then whatever help Brown needs, he ought to get.
