Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship  issued the following statement regarding Governor Tom Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA:

“Governor Corbett’s lawsuit in defense of Penn State and his challenge to the Freeh Report is an action that the University President and Board ofTrustees should have immediately taken in July 2012. We are pleased to see that Governor Corbett finally agrees with Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, the majority of the Penn State community, and the growing public at large that the NCAA exceeded its authority when it imposed these unprecedented sanctions. Further, we view Governor Corbett’s legal action as a direct challenge to the Freeh Report, as it has been widely reported that the NCAA sanctions were based solely on the unfounded conclusions of that document. As PS4RS’ review of the Freeh Report revealed, that document was irreparably flawed, wholly incomplete, and should never have been the basis of any findings or conclusions.

“However, we remain troubled why Governor Corbett, a Penn State Trustee himself, failed to ask questions and critically review the implications of the sanctions when they were originally presented. If he disapproved of the terms of the NCAA Consent Decree, or if he thought there was something illegal about them, why didn’t he exercise his duty to act long before now? There have been too many members of the extended Penn State community who have been unnecessarily and irreparably harmed by the inaction of the Trustees, and Governor Corbett shares in that blame. It is past time that the Penn State Trustees, the University President and the NCAA be held accountable for their gross failure of leadership and irresponsible conduct.”