The family of Joe Paterno will file a lawsuit against the NCAA today in an attempt to overturn sanctions made by the reigning authority of collegiate sports on Penn State University that the family considers unlawful. Paterno, formerly one of the great pillars of athletics and morality, was fired in disgrace from the head coaching position he helmed for almost half a century after allegedly taking part in a sexual abuse scandal cover up. He passed away last year, his stellar reputation in utter ruin.
The 40-page suit filed in Common Pleas Court of Centre County, PA, suggests that the president of the NCAA violated the rules of his own organization based on a report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired as an independent counsel to investigate the sexual abuse charges brought against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky is currently serving a 30 to 60 year prison sentence after being convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse.
As part of the sanctions imposed to manacle PSU, the NCAA vacated 111 of his wins over a 14-year period, fined the school $60 million, reduced scholarships and banned it from bowl games for four years; not to mention the unfading smudge on Paterno’s name.
According to a press release dispatched last night, the lawsuit lodges six counts against the NCAA including breach of contract, civil conspiracy, defamation and commercial disparagement, as well as tries to overturn the binding sanctions against the university.
Wick Sollers, attorney for the group filing the suit said in a statement,
“This case is further proof that the NCAA has lost all sense of its mission. If there was ever a situation that demanded meticulous review and a careful adherence to NCAA rules and guidelines, this was it. Instead, the NCAA placed a premium on speed over accuracy and precipitous action over due process. An illegally imposed penalty that is based on false assumptions and secret discussions is a disservice to the victims and everyone else who cares about the truth of the Sandusky scandal This matter will never be resolved until the full facts are reviewed in a lawful and transparent manner.”
The group filing along with the family includes members of the Penn State Board of Trustees, members of the Penn State faculty, former Penn State football coaches William Kenney and Jay Paterno, and former Penn State football players.
The 267-page report by Freeh suggests that Paterno, former university President Graham Spanier, suspended Athletic Director Tim Curley, and ex-Vice President Gary Schultz all acted in accordance to cover up an allegation in 2002 by an assistant coach who caught Sandusky in the act with a young boy in Penn State facilities in order to spare PSU some bad publicity. The report then goes on to say that by doing this, all of the aforementioned empowered Sandusky to continue his nightmarish tirades for another decade.
The lawsuit will be made public here once it is filed in Common Pleas Court.
