Governor Tom Corbett is fending off criticism that his lawsuit against the NCAA was filed for political reasons. Governor Corbett is suing the governing body for collegiate athletics over the sanctions it placed on Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
He said he didn’t object to the penalties last summer when they were handed down because he didn’t realize the NCAA had violated its own rules. Governor Corbett said he would not have filed the lawsuit if he didn’t think he had a legitimate case.
“It’s not going to be an easy one to win but I believe it’s in the best interests of the citizens of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania who are being harmed by this, particularly those up in the State College area, the Centre County area,” Corbett said.
However, between the original sanctions and the lawsuit just filed, Pennsylvania voters and candidates in last year’s Attorney General race started questioning Corbett’s role in the Sandusky investigation.
Franklin and Marshall pollster Terry Madonna said the results of a poll taken last year showed displeasure among voters. “By the fall there was no doubt that the voters of this state, and that was a poll of registered voters had indicated their unhappiness with the way the investigation was handled,” Madonna said.
He said the lawsuit could serve as a distraction from any ensuing investigation into how he handled the Sandusky case while he was AG.
Democratic Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane has promised she’ll look into whether the prosecution was dragged out on purpose.
The same F&M survey that reported only 17 percent of polled voters thought Corbett did a good job investigating Sandusky while he was AG also showed that 54 percent of polled voters thought the NCAA sanctions were unfair.
