U of M’s Kaler Supports Sanctions on Penn State

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler is weighing in on the sanctions imposed on Penn State Monday.

Penn State football was all but leveled Monday by an NCAA ruling that wiped away 14 years of coach Joe Paterno's victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties, crippling a program whose pedophile assistant coach spent uncounted years molesting children, sometimes on university property.

Kaler released the following statement today in response to the penalties:

“First and foremost, we express our sincere sorrow for the individuals and their families who have been harmed in unimaginable ways, and our thoughts are with them.

Second, we support the sanctions imposed on Penn State today by the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors.

Penn State’s situation is a cautionary tale for all of us: the culture of big-time college sports must never supersede a culture of safety, compliance, transparency and accountability on our campuses.

At the University of Minnesota, we are committed to a culture of compliance in our athletics department, and we will continue to monitor and improve our processes.

I remind the University of Minnesota community that any university employee who witnesses a sexual assault on campus, or a sexual assault involving employees on or off campus, is expected to immediately report the assault to law enforcement.

No university program or official is more important than the safety of individuals on our campuses, especially children. The U will support any employee who reports a suspected crime in good faith."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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