The NCAA said today that it has appointed former Sen. George Mitchell as an Athletics Integrity Monitor of Penn State. His job will be to make sure the university is complying with the sanctions put in place after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
Mitchell has been appointed for a five-year term that begins immediately.
"He will have broad access to the campus, personnel and records and can make any recommendations he believes are necessary for the university to comply with all of its requirements and enhance adherence to NCAA and Big Ten principles, values, ethics and rules," the NCAA said in a press release.
Since his retirement from the Senate, Mitchell has served in a variety of roles including as a special envoy for Northern Ireland and more recently as a U.S. special envoy for Middle East Peace.
In the sports world, he is known as the person commissioned to investigate doping in Major League Baseball.
"I enter this engagement mindful of the fact that this tragedy has deeply affected many lives, starting, of course, with the victims and their families," Mitchell said in a statement. "I will do my best to fulfill my independent oversight responsibilities to help ensure that Penn State University moves promptly and decisively to achieve the very high level of trust and integrity needed to fulfill its important mission to those it serves."
As Mark reported, last month, the NCAA announced it was, among other things, fining the school $60 million and was also banning it from participating in post-season football bowl games for four years.
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