It must really suck to be Governor Tom Corbett (R. PA) these days:
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/...
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) — Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett’s bid to get sanctions imposed by the NCAA against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case dropped has been dealt a blow by a federal judge in Harrisburg.
The NCAA imposed, and Penn State accepted, a $60-million fine and a four-year ban on postseason action for the football team long before Sandusky, a former assistant coach, was convicted of sexually abusing young boys.
Corbett filed an antitrust lawsuit in January seeking to lift the sanctions, but that suit has now been dismissed by District Judge Yvette Kane, who ruled that there is no legal basis for the suit. In deciding to throw it out, she labeled the governor’s action a “Hail Mary pass.” - CBS Philly, 6/6/13
U.S. Middle District Judge Yvette Kane had this to say:
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/...
“The fact that Penn State will offer fewer scholarships over a period of four years does not plausibly support its allegation that the reduction of scholarships at Penn State will result in a market-wide anticompetitive effect, such that the ‘nation’s top scholastic football players’ would be unable to obtain a scholarship in the nationwide market for Division I football players,” Kane explained.
Corbett filed the antitrust suit less than a year after Penn State president Rodney Erickson signed a consent decree from NCAA president Mark Emmert that levied, among other sanctions, a $60 million fine, four-year bowl ban and scholarship reductions on the program. At the time, Corbett went on the record to say Penn State must accept those penalties and his change-of-mind indicates the antitrust suit was nothing more than political grandstanding.
The NCAA filed a motion to dismiss Corbett’s case in February. - College Football Talk, 6/6/13
Here's what the NCAA had to say:
http://abclocal.go.com/...
Penn State, which agreed to the NCAA penalties, was not a party to the case.
Kane produced a "thorough analysis and thoughtful opinion," said Donald Remy, the NCAA's chief legal officer.
"Our hope is that this decision not only will end this case but also serve as a beginning of the end of the divide among those who, like Penn State, want to move forward to put the horror of the Sandusky crimes behind the university and those who want to prolong the fight and with it the pain for all involved," Remy said.
During arguments last month, the NCAA's lawyer said the sanctions were not likely to harm the overall market for higher education or for top-flight football players. He said antitrust law did not apply and that the organization acted to enforce rules about honesty, sportsmanship and conduct.
Sandusky, a former university assistant football coach, is serving a decades-long prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys. He has maintained his innocence. - ABC 6 Philadelphia, 6/6/13
By the way, Jerry Sandusky is going to be a name that's going to be brought up a lot in next year's election:
http://www.pennlive.com/...
A new statewide poll shows more than anything that many Pennsylvania voters are still angry over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, and that Gov. Tom Corbett still seems to be their most convenient target.
In other areas, frustration with the NCAA sanctions may have peaked, perhaps because of new head coach Bill O'Brien's perceived success on the recruiting trail, and the revival of Joe Paterno's image, at least in Pennsylvania, is continuing.
The Quinnipiac University poll of Pennsylvanians who are registered voters, taken from May 30 to June 4, signals that Corbett, in an expected re-election bid next year, may want to find a way to change the conversation about his role in the Sandusky investigation, even if he believes most people are viewing him unfairly.
The poll finds that 58 percent of respondents believe Corbett "did not do enough" as attorney general to investigate Sandusky despite the former Penn State coach's conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse and subsequent 30-year prison term.
The Sandusky probe came to the attorney general's office in March 2009, while Corbett held that seat. Charges were not filed until November 2011, after a lengthy grand jury investigation that Corbett has vociferously defended.
Some critics have suggested, however, that Corbett managed the Sandusky probe to ensure that the ultra-sensitive case would not result in charges until after his 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
With a potentially critical review of the probe from current Attorney General Kathleen Kane still pending, that finding will likely lead to immense frustration in the Corbett campaign camp. - The Patriot-News, 6/6/13
http://www.philly.com/...
Time has tempered voter opinion of the late Joe Paterno. Voters have a 47 – 27 percent favorable opinion of the legendary Penn State coach, compared to 43 – 29 percent favorable January 29. - Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/6/13
Wow, Joe Paterno's image has improved more than Corbett's. Again, it sucks to be Tom Corbett. 2014 couldn't come sooner.