Penn State Football: NCAA Drops Nittany Lions Postseason Ban; Students Celebrate

Following the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal that rocked Penn State and NCAA Football, the university was handed down a number of sanctions in 2012. After over two years, the Nittany Lions are now eligible to return to the postseason immediately and will have all their scholarships returned next year.

The scandal broke in the fall of 2011 and NCAA President Mark Emmert disciplined Penn State and its football program in the summer of 2012 after all pertinent information was accumulated and examined. On July 23, 2012 the NCAA announced their sanctions on the university, which included: (1) a payment $60 million over five years into a special endowment created to fund programs that prevent child sexual abuse and assist victims of sexual abuse; (2) a four-year ban from postseason football games, scholarship reductions and the vacating of all wins from 1998-2011; (3) the school's participation in an Athletic Integrity Agreement with a third-party monitor and; (4) a five-year probationary period.

The third sanction, which required the university to engage a third-party monitor, featured the oversight of former Maine governor, George Mitchell, who headed the Mitchell Report from 2007 that investigated steroid use in Major League Baseball. Based on his annual reports of the university, Mitchell recommended that the NCAA allow Penn State football to return to the postseason and give them back all of their scholarships. The governing body of collegiate sports agreed to do so shorty after Mitchell's analysis.

"Penn State has made remarkable progress over the past year," said South Carolina president Harris Pastides, a member of the NCAA's board of directors, in this ESPN article. "The board members and I believe the executive committee's decision is the right one. It allows both the university and the association to continue to move toward a common goal of ensuring that educating, nurturing and protecting young people is a top priority."

However, Penn State is still forced to pay the $60 million fine, vacate the 112 wins from 1998-2011 and remain on probation. Additionally, Joe Paterno's son, Scott Paterno, will continue his lawsuit against Penn State and the NCAA, which hopes to "correct the unjust and irresponsible penalties imposed on the university," he said in this Penn Live article.

Penn State students celebrated the news on Monday night by gathering on the lawn of Old Main, running to Beaver Stadium and then marching downtown to Beaver Avenue. Check out some photos and videos below:

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Penn state, Football, Ncaa, Postseason, Ban