BlueWhiteIllustrated.com - Joyner hoping to move past NCAA punishments

July 27, 2012

Nate Bauer
BlueWhiteIllustrated.com Editor

CHICAGO - Penn State acting athletic director Dave Joyner made himself available to the traveling media Friday afternoon at the Big Ten Media Days and Kickoff Luncheon for 30 minutes.

Just four days after the NCAA handed down some of the harshest sanctions ever against the Nittany Lion football program, Joyner struck a tone similar to head coach Bill O'Brien's.

Namely, moving on.

Though some critics have argued against the appropriateness of the NCAA's sanctions, Joyner said that he understood it to be within the organization's rights to make that call.

"They have, whatever it is that president Emmert said, with extraordinary times, they have the rights to take these extraordinary measures," he said. "It's not my fight to tell the NCAA what their rules are, we're just here to follow them. They acted within their rule structure, they chose to take this course and it's our job to take the medicine and get going."

Part of that has meant not appealing the NCAA's decision as a university and athletic department.

The decision of president Rodney Erickson, Joyner re-affirmed that the decision to sign the consent agreement was the right one, especially considering the alternative.

"The problem is you can't argue after you sign the consent agreement, and I think everybody is aware now, particularly after the trustee statement a couple of days ago, particularly all the trustees are now aware based on that statement that came out, Dr. Erickson did take the right step and there were only two alternatives and he chose the better of the alternatives," Joyner said. "Although quite difficult, obviously, but the better of the two alternatives that Penn State could have hoped for."

With that in mind, O'Brien has been on the warpath of advocating Penn State as an institution, its fans, its alumni and students to move on.

Has Joyner taken to the sentiment?

Just minutes after O'Brien finished what has been an unlikely three day barrage of media appearances, Joyner expressed just how pleased he's been with his hire.

"Extremely pleased. You guys see him. He's the right person at the right time and is built for this kind of thing," Joyner said. "He's tough, he's articulate, no nonsense, straightforward. I don't think he has a false story within him. So he just tells you what he thinks and is very, very good at it.

"The players really respond to him. It's because of his straightforwardness. In that regard, he's very Belichickian and the players and the people respond to that."

When asked if the NCAA's system of punishment was fair, specifically in how it handled the sanctions against Penn State, Joyner said he didn't know.

"It's not my job to define fair or unfair. It's the system we're living in," he said. "I'm happy to be able to move on. I guess that is true. I'm energized like Bill is.

"We had the surgery on Monday, and now it's our job to get up, get going and deal with what we've been given."

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