NCAA: committee members received threats after McNair docs release

The NCAA said members of its infractions committee have received threats following the release of the Todd McNair documents.

The NCAA made the comment in the footnote of a court filing. From the Los Angeles Times:

The mention came in a footnote in the NCAA’s seven-page opposition filed Friday in California’s 2nd Court of Appeal to McNair’s motion to dismiss the organization’s appeal.

“As a result of filing these documents, some Committee on Infractions members received violent threats directed at them, including in their homes,” the NCAA motion said.

The nature of the alleged threats or committee members involved weren’t detailed.

The Times also said committee members contacted didn't respond to comment.

McNair is suing for defamation after he lost his job following a show-cause penalty in the scandal surrounding Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo at USC. After a California appeals court ruled NCAA documents should be unsealed in the case, comments made about USC by members of the infractions committee were readily available.

Rodey Uphoff, a lawyer who represented a convicted accomplice in the Oklahoma City bombing trial, said the evidence against USC was greater than the evidence in the bombing. He, along with Roscoe Howard, also poked USC's hiring of Lane Kiffin. The Trojans hired Kiffin after Pete Carroll left for the Seattle Seahawks.

Another, Shep Cooper, called McNair lying and bankrupt.

After the documents were made public, USC even issued a statement about the bias shown in them. Last week, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said the NCAA's enforcement process was not fair.

The documents mentioning the unspecific threats were filed on Friday. McNair's attorneys are asking for the NCAA's appeal to be dismissed because the governing body didn't unseal all of the documents related to the case, per the Times. The NCAA counters by saying it wasn't required to unseal everything.

For more USC news visit TrojanSports.com.

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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!

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