Editorial: Does Penn State worship too much at its football altar?

Penn State is a football school.

There’s no denying that. The university may excel in other sports and other areas, but football is the foundation upon which its national brand is built.

That can be a good thing. Plenty of schools have leaned into it. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State and more may have started out as institutions of higher learning with an extracurricular sports team, but today they print money off their football rankings, season tickets, television rights, bowl appearances and merchandise sales.

But Penn State had a wake-up call in 2011 with the arrest of retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky for child sex abuse charges and his conviction in 2012. Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years at SCI-Laurel Highlands.

Penn State has rallied over the past 12 years, coming back from NCAA sanctions against the team to become a strong contender again under head coach James Franklin. The board of trustees on May 21 approved a $700 million renovation plan for Beaver Stadium, the temple where the football faithful worship.

It’s one of the landmarks of college football — the second-largest stadium in the country, behind only Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. In the whole world, it’s fourth, with room for just shy of 107,000 fans.

Periodic repairs and upgrades are important for any venue and any campus building, but this, which has been bandied about since 2016, seems extravagant. Its particularly questionable amid austere cuts the university has made, including at Commonwealth Campuses.

The university administration insists the project will be funded by Penn State Athletics and not the university, but the athletics department already carries a high debt load financed by the university.

Penn State tuition is just under $20,000 a year, one of the highest costs for a public university. If $700 million were being invested in anything, shouldn’t it be in something that would help more Pennsylvania students go to their land grant university?

On Wednesday, a Dauphin County jury made another decision critical of the university. It awarded $5.25 million to Dr. Scott Lynch, a former football team physician who claimed he was fired after butting heads with Franklin over medical decisions regarding injured players and when they could go back on the field.

Penn State for years has been very proud of prioritizing the student part in student athletics. It touts its graduation rate. Many former players would gladly run through walls for the school and their coaches. Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley testified Franklin never encouraged him to “play through the pain” during his time at Penn State.

Universities like Penn State need to be honest about where their priorities lie — and they need to make it clear from the top down. Is it a school with a football team, or is it a football team with a school?