Penn State football players make a bold move Wednesday morning on YouTube to let the world know:
"This program was not built by one man and this program sure as hell’s not gonna get torn down by one man."
Senior linebacker Michael Mauti and running back Michael Zordich spoke for the team. They pledged to raise hell this season and made a plea for fans to support them.
"We want to let the nation know that we’re proud of who we are," Zordich said. "We’re gonna stick together through this."
The overall message is that the team is looking at the NCAA sanctions not as a punishment, but an opportunity.
"We have an obligation to Penn State and we have the ability to fight for not just a team, not just a program, but an entire University and every man that wore the blue and white on that gridiron before us," Zordich said.
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On Monday, the NCAA levied crippling sanctions against the Penn State program, including a $60 million fine, scholarship reductions and banned the team from bowl games for the next four years. The NCAA also said any player on the team, and incoming freshman would be allowed to transfer and play for another college. So far, not one current player has announced he's leaving PSU.
The short video ends with this plea from Mauti:
"Please come support us through this because we need you just as much as you need us. . .We're gonna show up every Saturday and we're gonna raise hell!"
The YouTube video ends with this:
