Penn State and NCAA - Putting Football First Sends a Bad Message

As I continue to follow the Penn State crisis, now in its 8th month, I am disappointed in the decisions that all the parties involved continue to make. The NCAA has never been a popular organization when it comes to managing the process of keeping student athletes students first athletes second. The sanctions placed on Penn State in regards to the football program sure struck me as self serving to the NCAA and did little to scare the day lights out of college presidents or board of trustees. Yes $60 million is a sizable fine and should go a long way to helping abused children in the future, but suspending the NCAA rules on jumping programs and allowing players to put football first again over education and the school puts us back to square one. Division I football programs are running higher education. It's hard to put yourself in the student athlete's shoes, but since the death penalty was not imposed what are the compelling reasons to leave? This nonsense about a bowl ban or ineligible for a national championship holds no water with me. No one can predict the future and to say jumping to another university because they may play for a national championship or a bowl in some south of the Mason Dixon line city this January is just selfish. The NCAA did Penn State and its student athletes a big favor by allowing football to be played this season. The least the student athletes could do is recognize that football is an extracurricular activity while they are getting an education. I would like to hear more talk about job preparation while at college and less talk about going Pro.