Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is filing a lawsuit against the NCAA on behalf of his state, claiming that the governing body of college athletics overstepped its bounds when it issued harsh penalties against Penn State University for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.

“A handful of top NCAA officials simply asserted themselves into an issue they had no authority to police under their own bylaws, and one that was clearly being handled by the justice system,” the Republican governor said at a news conference Wednesday.

The NCAA responded quickly to news of the lawsuit. “We are disappointed by the governor’s action today,” Donald M. Remy, NCAA executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. “Not only does this forthcoming lawsuit appear to be without merit, it is an affront to all of the victims in this tragedy — lives that were destroyed by the criminal actions of Jerry Sandusky. While the innocence that was stolen can never be restored, Penn State has accepted the consequences for its role and the role of its employees and is moving forward. Today’s announcement by the governor is a setback to the university’s efforts.”

ESPN:

The university has agreed to pay a $60 million fine for child abuse prevention grants and to endure a four-year bowl game ban for the university’s football program, a loss of football scholarships and other penalties. When the deal was announced, Corbett — also a member of the university’s board of trustees — said he wanted assurances tax money would not go toward the fine, and added that part of the “corrective process is to accept the serious penalties.”

…Corbett said he waited until now to file the lawsuit because he wanted to thoroughly research the legal issues and did not want it to interfere with football season.

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— Posted by Tracy Bloom.

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#child molestation#jerry sandusky#ncaa#penn state