Penn State NCAA Investigation: Jerry Sandusky Scandal Prompts Look Into ‘Institutional Control’

NCAA president Mark Emmert has written a letter to new Penn State president Rodney Erickson, advising that an NCAA investigation into the Jerry Sandusky travesty is underway, which is quite an ambitious task for a rulebook that organizes a basketball tournament.

A portion of the letter, though the entire document is available here:

I am writing to notify you that the NCAA will examine Penn State’s exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs, as well as the actions, and inactions, of relevant responsible personnel. We recognize that there are ongoing federal and state investigations and the NCAA does not intend to interfere with those probes.

Emmert cites Article 2.1 of the NCAA Constitution, which declares, “it is the responsibility of each member institution to control its intercollegiate athletic program in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Association. The institution’s president or chancellor is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the athletics program,” including the actions of staff members.

After listing a pair of bylaws Penn State will need to show it hasn’t broken, Emmert closes with a series of questions on the school’s “institutional control” in relation to the Sandusky grand jury report. Penn State will have to submit their responses to the NCAA’s inquiry by December 16.

Related: Jerry Sandusky fallout, replacing Joe Paterno, and Penn State’s movement to support sexual abuse survivors. For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. More college football news.