The NCAA is nothing but a bunch a limp dishrags.
They exude toughness...and then, when the importance of sticking to their decision is at its apex, they wilt.
Beav, I understand and appreciate your perspective - but the whole damned institution of PSU was hell bent for leather to win and make money. When some little (now not so much so) boys potentially got in the way, they were cast aside and the powerful were protected. The only way to fight such unbridled and corrupt power is to weaken it and those that would use it to the point that their only consideration in the future is doing things the right way. By going limp, the message is clear: clean out the trash and all will be forgiven and praise will be scattered about like pixy dust for your remarkable effort. That institution allowed boys to be sexually abused to win football games and protect a brand. By taking away most of the means to win football games, you remind that institution of the correct ordering of priorities. By giving them back this early in the process, that reprioritization never takes hold as an institutional matter.