"No one program, no one person -- no matter how popular, no matter how successful -- can be allowed to derail the soul of an institution." He didn't mention Penn State, late coach Joe Paterno or longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky by name but acknowledged the scandal has left university and athletic officials across the nation sensitive to the issue. The report by special investigator Louis Freeh, a former FBI director, found that Paterno and other top Penn State administrators hid Sandusky's abuse of children to avoid negative publicity against the university. After his speech, Slive elaborated on the intentions behind his remarks but demurred when asked how or whether the NCAA should punish Penn State. "I was talking about how we all manage intercollegiate athletics as part of the mission of the institution," he said. "In essence, what happened there is something that in a horrific way reminds us that athletics has a proper place in the context of higher education and we need to be ever-vigilant -- all of us -- to make sure we keep that perspective. " Slive presides over a league that has captured the last six football national titles in a college football-crazed South. He dismissed any notion that the region's culture makes SEC schools any more susceptible to issues with football's role. "We all need to be vigilant," he said. "We have very active presidents and chancellors in the policies within the conference. The important thing is that our athletic programs are operated within the context of higher education and the context of our schools' missions." ......... JOHN ZENOR, Associated Press