The Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, will file a federal lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athlete Association on Wednesday for the excessive fines the organization imposed on the state as a result of the Penn State Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse conviction last summer.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Corbett announced that he plans to file suit in the U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
In August, Ryan McCombie, a member of the Penn State University Board of Trustee, sent a letter to the NCAA also indicating intent to appeal the sanctions.
McCombie told Philly.com, "I know my actions will be poorly received by some on this board and in the community at large. To that end it would be easier to remain silent and allow these unfair actions to remain unchallenged. I cannot do this."
Paul Kelly, attorney of McCombie, sent the letter to the NCAA. The letter was also signed by a number of other trustees who agree that the $60 million fine, among other things, was too harsh a punishment on the institution and that the university deserved a fair trial.
The university faces $60 million in fines imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the Sandusky cover-up, $10 million in investigative and public relations expenses and of course millions in settlements with victims. In addition, the university received a five year ban on playing football.
The former PSU president Rodney Erickson however had a different view on the sanctions.
Erickson told Bob Schieffer in a CBS interview of "Meet the Nation," that the university was adequately prepared financially to resolve the various lawsuits it faces (or will face) in light of the former football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sex-abuse scandal and the consequential cover-up revealed in the recently released Freeh Reports.
As of now the state has already paid $12 million of the $60 million amount.
In May, Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of child sex-abuse and molestation during his reign as assistant football coach at PSU. The 68 year-old, is serving his 30-year sentence as he waits for his attorneys to file for appeal.
The Freeh reports released by former FBI director Louis Freeh showed evidence that implicated top university officials in a meticulous cover-up of the various allegations against Sandusky. The officials implicated included among others the much revered coach Joe Paterno.
The NCAA has declined to comment on the lurking lawsuit.
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