The first order of business at the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting on Friday was unanimously voting to approve the settlement reached between the university and the NCAA. The room broke out in applause. That applause marked an end to the lawsuit filed by State Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre) alleging the NCAA’s consent decree was invalid. “There’s no such thing as a perfect settlement, but in the big picture I think that this was a very very good settlement,” said Penn State Trustee Anthony Lubrano.
However the settlement also says the university will still have to pay the $60 million fine. "Forty-eight million of that will go to the Commonwealth to provide services for victims of child abuse," said Penn State President Eric Barron. The rest of the money will stay at Penn State and be used to create an endowment that will fund programs to try to stop child abuse. "Penn State made a commitment and they intend to honor that commitment," said Lubrano.
Lubrano said some of the board was kept in the dark right up until the settlement announcement was made. He thinks it's because there are too many trustees. "Our board is too large and about to get larger. It's very difficult when you have 32 members and now 38 members to have effective communication," said Lubrano. Despite the ongoing challenges the settlement marks an important end to a legal process that has stretched on for years. The settlement also calls for a new Athletics Integrity Agreement between Penn State and the NCAA, although it's unclear exactly when the agreement will be completed.
