Outside the Beltway

Penn State was facing a four year suspension of its football program but worked out a less harsh punishment.

Bobby Bowden now owns the record for most wins by a head coach in college football’s top division, thanks to the NCAA taking 111 wins away from Joe Paterno. He’s quite rightly not excited about it.

The NCAA more than lived up to the hype of “unprecedented” sanctions.

Add journalism to the list of professions Americans don’t seem to have much confidence in.

Joe Paterno’s legacy is likely to take a lasting and damaging hit when a report on Penn State’s handling of the Sandusky mess is released.

Will winning a championship finally overshadown “The Decision” and erase the NBA’s best player’s reputation as a choke artist?

Ilya Shapiro asks, “If luxury stadiums were hugely profitable, why would the savvy businessmen who own the teams let the politicians in on the windfall?”

College football will get a four-team playoff. What it’ll look like is anyone’s guess.

Another potential scandal in New Orleans.

You’ve likely heard that Alabama’s 2011 football championship trophy was accidentally smashed last weekend by the father of one of the players. Now, as Paul Harvey would have said, for the rest of the story.

Pat Summitt’s predecessor stepped down as head coach to work on her doctorate.

The NFL fined the team two draft picks and suspended the head coach a full year and the GM 8 games.

Tebow on the block.

The Bactrian To The Future Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

There’s an entire industry that profits from exploiting political controversy and division. Why do we let them get away with it?

The Panthers rookie is having a historic season. Were doubts that he could succeed colored by race?

Mark Richt, head football coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, inadvertantly broke NCAA rules by paying coaches and other employees extra money out of his own pocket.

Long time Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine has been accused of molesting ball boys.

Bob Knight coached Mike Krzyzewski at West Point. Now, Coach K has broken his mentor’s record for all-time victories as a head coach.

The Big Ten has decided that naming its championship trophy after a man who enabled the raping of multiple children is a bad idea.

Penn State president Graham Spanier has been told to resign or be fired for his part in covering up a child rape scandal.

If true, Joe Paterno’s actions in response to charges of child abuse by a coach are indefensible.

Jerome Harrison learned that he has a brain tumor in time to save his life.

The Maryland Terrapins upset the Miami Hurricanes 32-24 last night in college football’s opening weekend. But all anyone is talking about is the ugly uniforms.

A new Tim Pawlenty television ad is raising copyright issues rather than, as intended, bringing back memories of the 80s.

A mistrial has been ruled in the Roger Clemens perjury trial and the judge may rule that a retrial would constitute double jeopardy.

Beck heads to the internet.

Now here’s a story you don’t see every day: The head coach of a major college basketball team leaving for a service academy.

Hockey star Sean Avery’s recent statements supporting gay marriage has drawn fire from an unlikely source: His agent.

Another celebrity trial shines a light on our bizarre justice system.

President Obama shouldn’t be criticized for picking his NCAA tourney brackets during wartime. But he shouldn’t get much credit, either.

How many Americans are really even paying attention to the actions in Libya?

Players from the Los Angeles Clippers chipped in to pay for the surgery of assistant coach Kim Hughes back in 2004. It’s been a secret until now.

President Obama is once again catching flak for his leisure activities.

Players have taken control of the NBA from the owners. That’s bad for fans. But probably a good thing.

The Wall Street Journal is joining the modern era and dropping the practice of referring to people as “Mr.” and “Ms.” But only on the sports pages.