PA Gov. Corbett Announces Lawsuit Against NCAA

[redheadbaker]

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130101/penn-state-lawsuit/?xid=cnnbin

State of Pennsylvania to file lawsuit against NCAA

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett will announce a federal lawsuit against the NCAA tied to the historic sanctions levied against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Corbett will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning in State College, Pa., to announce the suit, which will be filed by the state.

Penn State, which has been working in concert with the NCAA since the scandal, is not involved in preparing the suit. It is being handled solely by the state.

Corbett's office has been vague in regard to the specific aim of the suit, but it appears to be dedicated to the overall sanctions issued by the NCAA in July. Corbett referred to them on Tuesday as "illegal sanctions."

A wholesale suit against the NCAA by a third party as powerful as the state of Pennsylvania could loom as an important case in testing the ultimate power of the NCAA.

In July, the NCAA announced penalties that included significant scholarship reductions, a four-year postseason ban and vacated wins under former coach Joe Paterno. The sanctions were followed by heated debate about whether the NCAA had the jurisdiction to punish Penn State for its actions in the Sandusky case, which was primarily a criminal case.

Sandusky, Penn State's former longtime defensive coordinator, was convicted in June for sexually abusing 10 boys. Sandusky, 68, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison.

It's expected that Corbett's announcement will transcend one of the local controversies that have percolated since the announcement of NCAA sanctions. One of those penalties, the $60 million fine, has become a point of contention in Pennsylvania politics. Local politicians have argued that the money should be used to fight abuse in the state of Pennsylvania, while the NCAA had initially targeted a more national approach for the money.

When reached by SI.com on Monday night, Gov. Corbett's spokesman, Kevin Harley, declined comment. "We're not prepared to say anything at this point," he said.

The NCAA declined comment on Monday night and again when asked on Tuesday evening. Historically, the NCAA does not comment on suits until they are filed.

Penn State officials insisted they have nothing to do with the filing of the suit and stressed that they've worked in concert with the NCAA in the aftermath of the Sandusky case.

"Penn State has no involvement in this suit," according to one Penn State official.

[charminglife]

I think this will be a fascinating case - I'd love to see the NCAA get knocked down a few pegs.

[secretlyevil]

I thought i heard something about the sanctioned money not staying within the state but maybe I wasn't paying attention. It should be interesting to see the outcome.

[osulori]

I'm really interested to see how this all plays out.

[emilyj]

Since I was against the NCAA getting involved in the first place, I wouldn't mind them getting knocked down a peg or two.

[Black Lavender]

Because I know everyone wants to know what they think
From the Paterno family:

"As we have not yet had an opportunity to review the lawsuit filed by Governor Corbett today, we cannot comment on the specifics of the litigation. What we do know, however, is that this matter is far from closed. The fact that Governor Corbett now realizes, as do many others, that there was an inexcusable rush to judgment is encouraging.

Joe Paterno's only guidance to us was to seek the truth. Consequently, last July when the Freeh report was released and the subsequent unprecedented and unjustified actions were taken by the Penn State University Board and the NCAA, we stated that we would engage a team of experts to conduct a careful and thoughtful review of the Freeh inquiry and the actions of the Board and the Administration. That process is nearing completion. We expect to release the analysis of the experts in the near future. At that time we will address all of the issues of the past year in a comprehensive manner."

www.whptv.com/news/local/story/UPDATE-3-Gov-Corbett-holds-news-conference-on/V1iu6A_wP0CfBcX2A2NHag.cspx

And I'm also very interested to see how this all plays out...but trust that our dickhead gov does not have the states best interest in mind. The board of trustees at that school is so fucked up and just the fact that the gov is on the board is a reminder that he has Penn States best interests in mind and that's about it. And Penn State is kinda of a state institution in that it receives state $$, but it does not have to comply with rules that other state institutions do (ie. our states Right to Know law)

[ering1115]

Yay for comments from the Paterno family. Ugh.

I am not sure how this is going to all work out but I am curious. I don't agree with Corbett all that often, but he has shown himself to be pretty sharp when it comes to litigation. I just wonder if/when we will get to discuss that he was the AG of PA when the first round of allegations came out and the prosecutor who has never been found but is presumed to be dead.