Sandusky conviction to get appeals
court review
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer and members of the state attorney general’s office will be inside a northeastern Pennsylvania courtroom as he seeks to have his child molestation conviction overturned.
The state Superior Court proceeding on Tuesday is being held in Wilkes-Barre as part of the court’s effort to give more people a chance to see how it operates.
In court filings, the former Penn State assistant coach has argued his lawyers did not have enough time to prepare and that a prosecutor made an improper reference during the trial to the fact that Sandusky didn’t testify on his own behalf.
Sandusky also believes the judge should have issued an instruction to jurors that addressed the length of time it took his victims to report their abuse, which for four of them was more than 11 years.
Prosecutors have said jurors were aware the defense argued the abuse never occurred, and a key component of the defense was an argument that the victims were inventing stories. They said Sandusky’s legal team had plenty of time to prepare, and that the prosecutor referred to a TV interview but not to Sandusky’s failure to take the stand.
Sandusky, 69, is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence after being convicted last year of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He is not expected to attend the oral argument session.
Seahawks’ Okung unlikely to play
against Jaguars
RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says left tackle Russell Okung is unlikely to play on Sunday against Jacksonville after suffering a toe injury against San Francisco.
Carroll would not give specifics on the severity of Okung’s injury on Monday. He said the team is still awaiting more information before coming to a determination on how long they’ll be without their Pro Bowl lineman.
Okung was injured on the final play of the first quarter on Sunday night, following a 60-minute weather delay. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson fell forward in a pile for a 2-yard gain on a third-and-2 run.
Okung walked off the field with a limp and was taken by a cart for further tests at the stadium.
He returned to the sideline and went through some footwork drills, but ultimately spent the rest of the night on the sideline as a spectator.
Australia warns
FIFA over World Cup date switch
SYDNEY — Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy has urged FIFA to wait until after an investigation into the 2022 World Cup bid process before making any decisions about shifting the dates for the event to avoid Qatar’s searing summer heat.
Australia was one of the bids that lost out to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, and Lowy says FIFA risks making a bad decision worse by not taking time to consult member federations or considering the implications of switching the event from summer to winter.
In an FFA statement Tuesday, Lowy says FIFA should “let the independent investigative process run its natural course and then, with those issues settled, make a clear-eyed assessment about rescheduling and its consequences.”
Lowy calls for compensation for domestic leagues affected by any change, and for countries which spent millions on unsuccessful World Cup bids.
Pelini apologizes for rant about NU fans
LINCOLN, Neb. — Hours after Bo Pelini fired back at criticism from one of the Nebraska program’s all-time greats, he had to apologize for a profane rant in which he criticized “fair-weather” Cornhuskers fans.
The sports website Deadspin.com on Monday posted the 2-year-old audio of the Cornhuskers’ coach going off on fans and newspaper reporters after a game.
Pelini’s problematic Monday came on the heels of yet another brutal loss for the Huskers. UCLA wiped out an 18-point deficit in Lincoln and beat Nebraska 41-21 on Saturday.
The Deadspin audio caught Pelini speaking off air with Husker Sports Network play-by-play man Greg Sharpe before his postgame radio interview following Nebraska’s win over Ohio State in October 2011. Pelini had been criticized by fans and media in the days leading to the Ohio State game for the Huskers’ performance the week before in a 31-point loss at Wisconsin.
In the audio, Pelini repeatedly uses an expletive to refer to what he calls “fair-weather” fans.
“I want to sincerely apologize for my comments from two years ago which became public today,” Pelini said in a statement released by the school Monday night. “I take full responsibility for these comments. They were spoken in a private room following the Ohio State game. I was venting following a series of emotional events which led to this moment. That being said, these comments are in no way indicative of my true feelings. I love it here in Nebraska and feel fortunate to be associated with such a great University and fan base. I again apologize to anyone whom I have offended.”
Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman said he was disappointed by the comments.
“We are taking some time to consider it and what impact it would have on the university,” Perlman said.
Perlman declined to answer whether Pelini was in danger of losing his job.
Horner misses
doping test because
of hotel mix-up
MADRID — American cyclist Christopher Horner has not officially missed a doping test despite being at the center of a whereabouts mix-up on Monday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency said.
USADA’s statement said Horner had provided an update on his whereabouts in advance, but as the information had been emailed to the U.S., an anti-doping control officer in Spain was been informed of the change.
Acting on USADA’s instructions, Spain’s anti-doping agency tried to perform a routine test on Horner early Monday, only to find the rider was not at the address they had originally been given.
“This is not considered a missed test,” USADA’s statement said.
The RadioShack-Leopard racer, who won the grueling Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, had spent the night at a different hotel than the rest of his team.
After the agency’s failed visit, Horner’s team released a statement saying the rider had updated his whereabouts with USADA correctly, giving the name of his hotel for the night.
The team included a screenshot of the email reply from USADA which said, “Your update has been received.”
However, USADA’s email also said Horner’s communication had been received by an automated computer mail system.
The Spanish agency said it was normal for anti-doping agencies such as USADA to request tests be performed for them by counterpart organizations in other countries.
Horner, the oldest rider to win a grand tour event, will be 42 next month.
Lakers sign forward Marcus Landry
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Marcus Landry.
Los Angeles announced the deal Monday.
Landry averaged 15.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in five appearances with the Lakers’ summer league team, earning an invitation to training camp. The 6-foot-7 swingman’s 3-point shooting accuracy should fit well into coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, giving him a chance to make Los Angeles’ roster.
He is the younger brother of Sacramento forward Carl Landry.
Marcus Landry played for the New York Knicks and Boston during the 2009-10 season after catching on with New York as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin.
By wire sources