It's certainly been a crazy day in the world of football, and none of the news has anything to do with what's happening on the field.
The Baltimore Ravens took a huge step forward and somewhat righted the NFL's wrong by cutting Ray Rice from their roster after disturbing footage was leaked, showing the footballer punching his wife Janay Rice in the face.
Unfortunately, the NCAA took several big steps back as they announced they would lifting Penn State's bowl ban, effective immediately, and giving back all 85 athletic scholarships for the 2015 season.
The punishment originally stemmed from the university's failure to properly handle former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's child molestation scandal and was supposed to last through the 2015 season. However, the NCAA lessened the sactions due to Penn State's cooperation over the past year.
Northern Arizona president Rita Hartung Cheng released a statement on the issue, saying:
"Penn State's commitment to the integrity of its athletics department and its progress toward meeting the requirements of the Consent Decree are clear. We thank Senator [George] Mitchell for his meticulous and exhaustive work over the past two years. Mitchell's efforts and the dedication of Penn State officials made today's decisions possible."
Translation: Penn State did something really really bad in the past, but they feel really really bad about it so it's all good now! Right? RIGHT??
Wrong.
Of course, the players, coaches, and students at Penn State now had NOTHING to do with the horrific crimes that happened on campus years ago, but the punishment isn't really about them. It's about the UNIVERSITY turning a blind eye and failing to keep young children under their care safe.
What's worse is the university is now free to make a TON of money now that they are eligible to play in the post-season THIS YEAR if they get enough wins.
So starting next season, the Penn State Nittany Lions will be back to full strength and their sanctions will be completely lifted as if none this ever happened. But the problem is it did happen, and the NCAA's failure to go through with their punishment just seems insulting to the victims of those involved in this awful scandal.