PSU Nittany Lions

The NCAA is facing more political pressure to lessen its unprecedented sanctions against Penn State.

The Associated Press reports that Pennsylvania congressmen Charles Dent and Glenn Thompson co-authored a letter to NCAA president Mark Emmert asking that the 40 football scholarships taken away from the Nittany Lions be restored. The scholarship reductions were part of the heavy sanctions Emmert levied against Penn State for the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Dent and Thompson argued in the letter that the loss of scholarships only deny opportunities and do nothing to punish those associated with the scandal.

"I want to make it clear to the NCAA who they are really hurting with this scholarship reduction," Dent said in the letter. "It’s not Jerry Sandusky and it’s not the University. They are hurting young people who are completely innocent of anything relating to the Sandusky situation and who through no fault of their own are being denied a chance to get a great education.”

This latest action comes on the heels of a federal lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who is seeking to overturn the NCAA sanctions. And, of course, the NCAA is under fire for how it botched the Miami investigation, announcing last week that an enforcement officer acted improperly and forcing the organization to investigate itself. The NCAA might not look too popular in many courtrooms these days.

Will any of these things wind up lessening Penn State's burden? It's very difficult to say. We must note that the school itself is not a part of these proceedings and agreed not to appeal when university leaders signed the consent decree accepting the penalties. So this is entirely externally driven, and there's no doubt that politics are playing a major role here.

Emmert seized unprecedented power to levy the sanctions against the Nittany Lions, so it's hard to see him giving in now. Then again, his power may be fading after a series of missteps. We've never seen anything like the penalties handed out to Penn State before. Who's to say we won't be surprised again in this case?

NittanyNation takes a look at news and reaction from Pennsylvania and around the country on Gov. Tom Corbett's decision to file a lawsuit against the NCAA in hopes to get Penn State's sanctions overturned.

• The Patriot-News' David Jones says, according to "high-level sources," that the goal with this lawsuit is to reduce the remaining postseason ban to one year and reduce scholarship limitations. Jeff Frantz speaks with a Democrat running against Corbett in 2014, who questions the intentions and timing of Corbett and the lawsuit.

• ESPN.com legal analyst Lester Munson believes the state's lawsuit is likely doomed and answers some of the main questions about the case. In the meantime, Penn State's commits remain cautiously optimistic (Insider).

• A look at the hard news of just what transpired Wednesday (with video) -- what Gov. Corbett had to say regarding the sanctions, the NCAA's response and quotes from others such as Matt McGloin and the Paterno family. And, of course, the 43-page lawsuit filed by Corbett and the state.

• USA Today's Christine Brennan called this a setback for PSU and points out that Gov. Corbett said PSU needed to "accept the serious penalties imposed" on July 23 and thinks he might have ulterior motives for bringing this lawsuit up now. Brent Schrotenboer writes that the NCAA is facing another lawsuit from a high school sports promoter.

• Writers from the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune Co. newspapers chime in about which side they think will prevail in the lawsuit.

• Michael McCann, the director of the Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School, analyzes the key issues in this case and says that the NCAA would suffer a "loss" if the lawsuit wasn't dismissed early. He calls it a "landmark case in NCAA legal history."

• The NCAA called the lawsuit an "affront to all victims in this tragedy," but the attorney of Victim No. 4 tells Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel that nearly the opposite holds true for his client. Wetzel wrote a column later in the day how power is at the core of this lawsuit.