Agreed. as far as the institution is concerned, it's always safer to over correct than under correct.When you think about how coddled scholarship athletes are (understandably so) at major universities, the idea that anyone might even come close to not being severely punished for this is preposterous. I don’t know the demographics of the students that were hit, but if any of them were gay or of an international background then that’s a national scandal right there if the perpetrators are not punished to the fullest extent possible. If a major university isn’t seen as protecting its rank-and-file student body, then that’s a scandal much bigger than some jocks missing some games.
Undercorrection is what led to the Mike Rice fiasco.
Penny wise, pound foolish.