NCAA Sanctions

Floor Speech

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in July of 2012, the National College Athletic Association bypassed its own enforcement rules and procedures and rescinded 40 academic scholarships from the Pennsylvania State University. The decision disqualified student athletes--academic achievers--who had nothing to do with the tragic events that transpired at the university. The NCAA's decision was misdirected and a complete contradiction of the association's goal, which is to promote access to higher education among student athletes.

This Monday, the NCAA announced that it would gradually restore the scholarships that were wrongly revoked last year. Despite this news, I stand by my initial correspondence with the NCAA suggesting the decision to take punitive action against past, present, and future students for an institutional failure and actions out of their hands was completely unjustified.

Mr. Speaker, the resilience of Penn State's students, alumni, the broader community, and especially the victims during this very challenging time has been nothing short of inspirational. I give my commitment to them to continue to push back against the arbitrary actions of the NCAA and will not back down until they correct their actions.

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