A California appeals court judge ruled Friday that the NCAA cannot seal hundreds of emails and documents in the defamation case that former USC assistant Todd McNair has filed against the sanctioning body.
“We are not convinced by the NCAA’s contention that public disclosure of its documents will make future investigations more difficult for the NCAA to conduct,” the 16-page opinion said.
At an October hearing in front of a three-justice panel, the NCAA argued that unsealing the documents would hinder future investigations by the organization.
Laura Wytsma, representing the NCAA, told the justices at the hearing that the organization isn’t trying to obscure “wrongful conduct” by sealing the documents.
“The NCAA has been as transparent as it can be on this one,” Wytsma said.
The ruling from the NCAA's appeal dates back to 2012, when a judge called NCAA "malicious" in its investigation of McNair. When the documents are unsealed and released to the public, it could be the second time in a year that internal communications surrounding a high-profile investigation don't paint the NCAA in a flattering light after the information released in the Penn State case,
McNair sued the NCAA in 2011 after punishments against USC in the Reggie Bush case. USC suffered scholarship losses and a bowl ban while McNair was given a show-cause penalty for a year.
The NCAA said he knew about improper gifts that Bush had received while he was at USC and lied about his knowledge. He served as USC's running backs coach for six seasons under Pete Carroll. McNair was a running back in the NFL from 1989-1996.
After the penalties, McNair didn't have his USC contract renewed and filed the suit when his appeal was denied.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Court ruling: NCAA can't seal Todd McNair documents
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