Penn State's board signals support for Erickson

Updated: August 12, 2012, 7:21 PM ET

ESPN.com news services

Penn State's board of trustees voiced its support Sunday for university president Rodney Erickson and the NCAA sanctions he accepted in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

Board chairwoman Karen Peetz issued an opening statement during Sunday evening's conference call that says in part:

"I absolutely support President Erickson and his decision to accept the (NCAA) Consent Decree as the only real option in the extraordinarily difficult circumstances and the choices we were presented. It is my sense that every member of this Board also fully supports President Erickson, even though we may not agree with the process used by the NCAA or with the harshness of the sanctions imposed."

Peetz said that the board will not be voting yet on a consent decree with the NCAA that imposed tough penalties for how the university handled its child molestation scandal.

She told fellow trustees in the statement that the panel was required to give 10 days' notice of any meeting at which such action was taken. An objection had been raised by two members at the outset of the call. Officials announced the meeting Thursday.

The NCAA on July 23 barred the school from postseason play for four years, fined it $60 million, stripped it of future scholarships and invalidated 112 of the football team's wins over the handling of allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.