Analyzing Key Issues in Pennsylvania’s Case Against NCAA

When Penn State hastily accepted the NCAA’s sanctions for the school’s involvement in the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the NCAA’s authority to punish its members for off-field criminal conduct seemed assured. But Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett has decided to stand up and challenge the authority of college sports’ governing body by filing a lawsuit on behalf of the state in federal court. The lawsuit will be mainly based on antitrust law, with the core argument that the NCAA and its member institutions — which compete on the field and in recruiting student-athletes — conspired to punish Penn State on grounds outside the NCAA’s regulatory authority.