Two years after the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal broke, Penn State University has reached a settlement with 26 of the victims.
The university announced Monday that it will pay $59.7 million to the 26 men over claims of child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky. 23 of the deals have been signed while the other three have been agreed to in principle. Penn State still faces six claims, any number of which could result in further settlements.
The settlement process has been ongoing since mid-August. The university has also spent over $50 million on other costs related to the scandal, including lawyer fees and the costs associated with adopting new policies related to children and sexual abuse complaints.
Stanford DE Gardner out for season
For the second consecutive week, one of the country’s top five teams has lost its defensive leader. Last week it was Alabama, this week it’s Stanford.
Cardinal fifth-year senior defensive end Ben Gardner underwent season-ending surgery after leaving last Saturday’s game against Oregon State with a left pectoral injury. He had struggled with an upper body injury for several weeks prior to that game.
As one of Stanford’s defensive captains, Gardner had recorded 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss so far this year. It is unknown when Gardner will be able to play again, but head coach David Shaw did say he expects the injury to carry through the bowl season.
South Carolina’s Shaw remains questionable
After sitting out the start of last Saturday’s game due to a virus and a sprained knee, Gamecocks starting quarterback Connor Shaw is still suffering from the virus and did not practice Monday or Tuesday.
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier did not see his quarterback at all early in the week, as he was resting to help cure the virus, and has said that Shaw is still questionable for this Saturday’s contest against Mississippi State.
Despite the sickness and a bad knee, Shaw entered last week’s game in the second half and led the Gamecocks to a come-from-behind, double-overtime victory over Missouri.
FAU head coach resigns mid-season
Florida Atlantic head coach Carl Pelini, the brother of Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini, stepped down Wednesday. He was in his second season with the Owls, having posted a 2-6 record so far this year and an overall record of 5-15 during his tenure.
FAU defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis also resigned. The resignations come after a recent news story revealed that the coaches were at a social event where marijuana was present.
The Owls were blown out, 45-10, by Auburn last week and will host Conference USA’s top team, Tulane, this Saturday.
