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State Senator: PSU NCAA Fine Should be Spent In-State

One state senator says he is done asking nicely for the $60 million fine against Penn State to be spent in the commonwealth. Centre County Republican Jake Corman says has sent two letters to the NCAA, which fined PSU in July for the role the school’s football program played in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

The money is supposed to be donated to abuse victims’ organizations. But the NCAA has insisted only a quarter of the total fine will go to groups in Pennsylvania. Corman says he doesn’t understand why.

"The issue all happened here, these are dollars raised through mostly Pennsylvanians.  I would hope the NCAA wouldn’t fight this, [that] they would just agree to it and say, ‘Look, the spirit of what we’ve asked for is being adhered to, so good.’"

Corman is proposing legislation that would require the fine against Penn State to be redistributed within the commonwealth, to organizations unaffiliated with the university. His bill would apply to any college or university fined $10 million or more.

"I don’t think this is going to be a hard sell, to keep money here locally, I think most people will be supportive of it," said Corman.

Corman says he would like to see his measure passed in February.