NCAA again defends handling of Sandusky

College sports' governing body has again defended its decision to penalize Pennsylvania State University after the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal.

Sandusky's abuse of children "fell squarely within" its authority, the NCAA contended in a court filing this week, saying his crimes showed "a profound lack of institutional integrity and institutional control."

Filed Wednesday, the documents are the latest volley in the NCAA's court battle with the family of the late football coach Joe Paterno. The Paternos want a Centre County judge to force the NCAA to retract the consent agreement that concluded Paterno failed to act to prevent Sandusky's crimes or help his victims.

The NCAA contends it acted appropriately by agreeing with Penn State on a consent decree that set penalties. Many of those, such as a bowl-game ban and the voiding of 111 Paterno wins, have been rescinded.

A university-commissioned investigation headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh has also been targeted repeatedly, most directly in a lawsuit filed by former university president Graham B. Spanier.

The NCAA's filing described the investigation as "robust," and called the report "a comprehensive account of an extensive and impressive independent investigation."

Sandusky was convicted in 2012 of 45 counts related to child sex abuse. Spanier and two other former Penn State administrators await trial for allegedly ignoring or concealing signs of the abuse.