If anyone was hoping that the Penn State scandal would ease the university’s focus off football, and put it back on academics, the following news is going to be unfortunate.
According to an NCAA report obtained by USA Today, in the immediate wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, overall donations to the university fell by more than 25 percent, while donations to the football program, specifically, increased nearly five-fold.
The report covers a period from July 2011, before the scandal was revealed, until June 2012. Sandusky was indicted in November, so the period of time covered does not include the release of the Freeh Report or Sandusky’s trial. However, during this time overall university donations fell from $34.3 million to $25.6 million. Meanwhile, donations earmarked for football increased from $2.1 million to $9.7 million.
Money donated to Penn State athletics but not stipulated to a specific team fell from $26.7 million to $10.1 million. While the athletic department was able to stay self-sufficient financially, the university is preparing its first $12 million installment to pay its NCAA fines, which will come from university reserve funds and have no bearing on the football program’s funding.
Photo via Flickr/acaben
