Should Penn State self-impose a bowl ban this year?

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In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal, should Penn State officials follow in the footsteps of the University of Miami, which issued a self-imposed bowl ban for this season in response to an NCAA investigation into the university’s compliance practices?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses. And feel free to join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times

Yes, although the two cases are different. Miami absolutely did the necessary thing in declining a bowl bid as part of a damage-control strategy in advance of major NCAA penalities. Current Miami players were involved in the present scandal in which booster Nevin Shapiro is alleged to have provided lavish gifts and favors.

Penn State players had nothing to do with the controversy surrounding the Jerry Sandusky case. But several members of the coaching staff, including interim head coach Tom Bradley, were longtime associates of Sandusky. No one is accusing them of any wrongdoing but there are questions being raised about what they knew, or should have known, about their former colleague.

This is shaping up as the biggest scandal in collegiate sports history. I think a bowl would be more of a distraction than a reward. The university would be better served at this time sitting this bowl season out.

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune The sum total of wisdom and leadership that Penn State officials exhibited during the Jerry Sandusky scandal is equivalent to the chance that Joe Paterno will win Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Zero. Nada.

If interim president Rodney Erickson wants to take a step in the right direction, he’ll have Penn State remove itself from the bowl pool. If he doesn’t take that step, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany should do it for him.

I’m not one of these extremists who advocate kicking Penn State out of the conference or taking Paterno’s name off the library. But Notre Dame has turned down bowl bids during coaching transitions, and Miami self-imposed a bowl ban because of its Nevin Shapiro shame.

Penn State needs time to step back, get away from football and reassess its priorities. Playing in the postseason is not one of them.

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