The NCAA agreed Sept. 8 to end its sanctions against Penn State's football program two years early.

Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15), who disagreed with the severity of the sanctions, was elated. "Although the Commonwealth Court is still questioning the legality of the NCAA's fine, today's news represents a victory for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both for our efforts to prevent the scourge of child sexual abuse and deal with the unthinkable damage it causes and for taxpayers," he said in a statement.

He also applauded the school's athletics integrity monitor, Senator George Mitchell, for recommending the return of all of the withheld scholarships next year.

Dent has been asking the NCAA to alter or end its sanctions against Penn State University for its default culpability in the Coach Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal since they were announced.

Penn State's mid-state main campus is where years of Sandusky's predations were inflicted, and the NCAA, atop numerous other punishments, fined the school $60 million that would fund statewide child sex abuse crime enforcement and counseling.

Some have argued the punishment was meant to teach the school a lesson, while Dent and others said those directly involved in the Sandusky affair are no longer employed at the school, so only new innocents have suffered.

Calling the sanctions capricious, Dent said, "This is excellent news for the student athletes at Penn State University. I have long said that in seeking to punish the guilty the NCAA had hurt the innocent, in this case prospective students who were denied the opportunity to attend a premier university over the criminal actions of someone else."

According to Dent Communication Director Shawn Millan, Congressman Dent believed the NCAA wasn't living up to its stated purpose of protecting student athletes when it took away scholarships. "They're not punishing the guilty, they're punishing students." Dent has also long stated that the $60 million fine imposed on the university should be spent on programs curbing sexual abuse in Pennsylvania – not distributed by the NCAA.

Dent has sent numerous letters, many co-signed by congressional peers on both sides of the aisle, to the NCAA hoping to convince the organization likewise. Though the NCAA has not acknowledged Dent's challenge, both the courts and Congress have.

Dent's office released a statement in late July announcing the formation of a new Congressional Caucus – one dedicated to the fair support of college athletes. The bipartisan caucus – formed with Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley), will be, "a forum to promote discussion, awareness and education on issues facing today's collegiate student-athletes. More specifically, the caucus will explore issues related to the overall health and well-being of the student-athlete, along with current challenges facing student-athletes in maintaining scholarships upon beginning their academic career at a college or university.