The NCAA has lifted Penn State's postseason ban effective immediately, making the Nittany Lions eligible for the 2014-15 college football playoff.
Full scholarships will be restored in the 2015-16 season as well, returning the Lions to full strength two seasons earlier than expected.
The NCAA cited progress in the Penn State athletic department, saying they had made major strides in ensuring they function with integrity. Since the release of the Freeh report in July 2012, Penn State has enacted sweeping internal changes meant to increase transparency and reinforce the importance of ethical conduct.
The NCAA sanctions were announced shortly after the Freeh report, and originally consisted of:
- Five years probation
- A four-year postseason ban
- Vacating of all wins from 1998 to 2011
- A $60 million fine, meant to go toward prevention of child abuse
- Loss of a total of 40 initial scholarships from 2013 to 2017
- Penn State was required to adopt all recommendations from the Freeh report
- Penn State must enter into an "athletics integrity agreement" with the NCAA and Big Ten, appoint a university-wide athletic compliance officer and compliance council, and accept an NCAA-appointed athletic integrity monitor for the duration of its probation
The last two sanctions were already completed, and the $60 million fine has already been paid, so the only other remaining sanctions at this point are the probationary period and the vacating of past wins.
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