Penn State football players react to sanctions

Daryll Clark #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions acknowledges fans after being named the MVP of the 2010 Capital One Bowl against the LSU Tigers at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Penn State won 19-17.

/ Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The NCAA took the sanction sledgehammer to Penn State on Monday morning: A four-year postseason ban. Forty scholarships axed over four years. Five years of probation. Not to mention a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Now some current and former players are reacting on social media with a mix of shock, sadness and defiance.

Former Penn state quarterback and 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Daryll Clark tweeted:

This is beyond sad man...

— Daryll Clark (@CaptainClark17) July 23, 2012

Former Penn State cornerback Adam Taliaferro expressed anger over the penalties, tweeting:

To answer if I'm ok with everything...No!Gathering my thoughts...Will check back in this afternoon..did that promote healing?

— Adam Taliaferro (@Tali43) July 23, 2012

Some former players seemed stunned that every win from 1998-2011 had been stripped away. Said Penn State's all-time leading rusher and current Washington Redskin Evan Royster:

ah crap... so i lost every college football game i ever played in?

— Evan Royster (@Evan_Royster) July 23, 2012

Former Penn State defensive lineman Tom Golarz had this to say: "So I went 0-53 in college? My big ten championship rings say different."

It remains to be seen how some current Penn State players and recruits will respond to the sanctions. NCAA president Mark Emmert said that they would immediately be allowed to transfer without sitting out a year. One coach told CBSSports.com last week that Penn State recruits were already calling him trying to gauge interest in their talents.

Some current players also took to social media to voice support for the beleaguered program.

Senior cornerback Stephon Morris tweeted: "I'm not going anywhere We Are Penn State forever. That's final!! Love this University, more important I bleed Blue & White!!"

Tackle Nate Cadogan tweeted: "Psu vs the world!!! Day 1."

Senior linebacker Kyle Lucas summed up his feelings on Twitter with one word: "Wow."

[Confidential416]

The players are now the collateral damage just as the kids were. If this had all gone down in 98 or 01, there would have been a mass change in administration just as we saw in Nov. "11 - paterno wouldn't have been there...so all the recurits who came to PS to play under paterno between 01 & 11 would probably have gone somewhere else, changing the dynamics of the football team to present day - but paterno and the administration didn't want to see that happen... so they covered it up. Had they not covered it up they would not have had the same players,or team that they had for the last 11 years.Now it's the players - I hear all of you saying it wasn't the players fault and you're right - but the players were talented, sought after recruits who could have played at any high profile football university. Had this come out earlier they would have gone on to play for Ohio, ND, Oregon or somewhere else - but they would have played. PS didn't want to see all these great recruits playing for someone else so they created a dynasty on the cover up of these poor kids who had nothing going for them,and no one looking out for them so that the elite kids could play football at PS..think about that for awhile.

[jschm2681]

easy to smack down Paterno now- he;s not around to defend himself.

[formerlyluvnut]

by retiredgustav July 23, 2012 2:09 PM EDT
That emphasis on sports applies to high school too.
----------------------------------------------------

Oh I agree! Gawd, even in high school football I notice the coaching staff have communication equipment equal to the NFL, & people wonder why school taxes are so high! Sure, I am all for sports & extra curricular activities but SCHOOL should come first. Just my opinion though!

[karek40]

Lets see, the NCAA is punishing the players who were there, are there, and future players for the crimes of the coaches and administrative people who are gone/dead or soon will be gone. Another sound decision by the NCAA. Their action will do a great deal to curtail similar actions by other pedifiles. Anyone believe that?

[jschm2681]

actual this action proves it was political not justified decision against the school. The administration was guilty not the players.

[zunitribe]

It is absolutely WRONG to sanction the players, former players and current players/students for the actions of one old pervert. Does the NAACP think they are gods of men or what? They need to go back to the table and correct their actions, this is way beyond wrong.

[ultraskygod]

It wasn't just one old pervert. They are not sanctioning the players. They are sanctioning the university

[John782011]

It is the NCAA not the NAACP.

[margroks]

Sandusky was molesting boys while he was coaching for Paterno. Perhaps if Paterno and the big wigs at Penn State were not paying so much attention to winning they might have awakened to the crimes in the locker room showers or at least realized football is not the be-all and end-all. This is all because Penn State and too many other universities, think sports is all that's important and anything is ok (keeping a pedophile on coaching staff and not allowing the university to punish football players who commit crimes) as long as you win.

[rematenaj]

This is so unfair to the football players at Penn, past, present and future. They are also now victims of Jerry Sandusky. They had nothing to do with the child abuse or the coverup. Seems there could be some other way of punishing the university without punishing the players.

[ultraskygod]

perhaps they should put on their big boy pants and get over it

[roadracer9x]

"Penn" is the University of Pennsylvania, nitwit; not Penn State.

[formerlyluvnut]

Oh well, college should be for acedemics anyway, NOT sports. TOO much money and emphasis spent on sports programs; thats why college is so expensive.

[retiredgustav]

That emphasis on sports applies to high school too.

[anonymous010]

I agree completely.

[formerlyluvnut]

Oh well, college should be for acedemics anyway, NOT sports. TOO much money and emphasis spent on sports programs; thats why college is so expensive.

[knoxrick]

That's great to have loyalty, but Jo Pa is not worthy, he was old school and empowered a child molester for decades. There is nothing owed to that man, he is not worthy of any loyalty or admiration, nor is the athletic program. If you play for State, you should get out now, it will only suck to be forever linked to this school, time to move on as they say.