(US Presswire)

The conviction of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on 45 counts of child sex abuse coupled with Saturday's reports of a university-wide cover-up of the incident is sure to have legal ramifications in the courthouse. There also might be fallout on the football field for the Nittany Lions, who now teeter on the edge of the definition of "institutional misconduct."

Reports surfaced Friday that the university and the athletic department were involved in a massive cover-up of Sandusky's molestation of a boy on university property. If Penn State did in fact conceal its knowledge of Sandusky's actions, it could amount to a legal headache for a university that still faces legal proceedings for its role in the scandal. It might also bring NCAA sanctions if a connection can be made between the athletic department and the criminal actions of Sandusky and any potential cover-up.

The inspirational story of Eric LeGrand will now become a must-read biography as the paralyzed Rutgers defensive tackle is set to become an author this September.

LeGrand was paralyzed in October 2010 from a hit suffered in the third quarter of the Knights' game against Army at MetLife Stadium. He may have seen much of his junior and all of his senior seasons evaporate due to the injury, but his story continues to amaze, including his return to the field this past fall, which was named by the readers of Sports Illustrated as "Their Best Moment of 2011."

The former three-star recruit according to Rivals.com continues to make progress in his desire to walk again and his wide range of emotions following the injury are chronicled in Believe: My Faith and the Tackle that Changed My Life, an adult memoir, and Believe: The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand, the young readers edition.

(Charles Krupa/AP)

Don't count out the Bowl Championship Series quite yet, so says BCS executive director Bill Hancock in an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Sports and Dr. Saturday.

The future of the BCS is muddled at best as the current television deal is set to expire after the 2014 slate of bowl games. There are a variety of different permutations for a playoff system currently being floated about by conference commissioners, but with each and every one of them, Hancock sees a way for the five games that currently make up the BCS to coexist with (or within) a playoff format.

Delano Johnson is trying to beat the NFL odds. (Lawrence Johnson)MARTINSVILLE, N.J. — It wasn't the Christmas break that Delano Johnson had hoped for.

He sat in his father's house in Baltimore, Md., on Christmas Eve, a college freshman who had typical plans of unwrapping gifts the next morning, catching up with friends from high school during the next few weeks and of course, sleeping in. Lots of sleeping in. It was supposed to be a carefree time for Johnson, but instead what happened next forever changed his life. Johnson was set to lose a person who he called his "hero and inspiration."

The phone rang with a call that came from his aunt's house, telling him that his mother had passed away. He was raised by her along with his three brothers, a woman who he said "put all of us on her back." His mother had succumbed to a "health problem that she had."

Instead of planning his winter break from college, Johnson readied himself for a funeral.

"I walked into the room and she was passed out - she wouldn't wake up," Johnson told Yahoo! Sports.

"They called an ambulance. They tried to revive and bring her back. They couldn't."

It never was an easy life for Johnson, who remembers following his mother from "home to home to home" as she tried to make ends meet and keep the family together. At 12 years old he was taken to live with his father, where he learned "how to be a man."

But at no point in time did he think that he was going to lose his mother without warning. And certainly not at a difficult time in his life when he was adjusting from high school to college, all while playing two sports at Bowie State.

Johnson was understandably depressed afterwards. But his mother's death became a rallying cry for him over time. He was always blessed with incredible physical gifts, but now he began to harness his ability on the football field and in the weight room. Solace was found with his teammates and workouts.

"I believe it was all from God - He gave it to me as an opportunity to show me that I need to take advantage of this opportunity and get serious about school, serious about work," Johnson said.

"But just going back home, realizing my situation and where I come from - I dealt with depression, a lot. I'd be up at nights and crying. Then it hit me that 'It's your time.' It felt to me like God did this for a reason, that it was a wake-up call for me to take advantage of college and sports."

Having grown up as a basketball star at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Johnson picked up football in his junior year in high school. There was basketball offers from the College of Charleston and Kent State, and he was being recruited by Maryland, but he chose Bowie State because the school said he could play both sports. But after his mother's death, Johnson began to enjoy football a bit more. He gave up basketball after his sophomore season, focusing solely on his development as an outside linebacker.

"I wasn't thinking too much about playing football in college, but football was fun to me," Johnson said. "It's just a great game and lets you take away your mind from your stress and troubles.

"My second year in college, I started to put on some weight, started to understand the game more and I really fell in love with it. My coaches sat me down and helped me realize that I had an opportunity in football at the next level that I wouldn't have in basketball due to my size. It was an opportunity for me to help myself, help my family."

(Keith Srakocic/AP)

Pittsburgh is going to court in an effort to get its football team out of the Big East as fast as possible.

The university filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pa., on Friday, asking that the school be allowed to move to the ACC after competing in all sports following the upcoming academic year. Pittsburgh, along with Syracuse, gave notice to the Big East last September that it would be leaving the beleaguered conference for the greener pastures of the ACC. The move was supposed to happen after the 2013-14 season, but the Big East had hinted that it was willing to work with both schools on an exit strategy.

[Dan Wetzel: Florida State trustee may have lit fuse on move to Big 12]

Pittsburgh said in a statement that it had recently been working with former Big East commissioner John Marinatto to leave the conference "after this upcoming academic year."

(Andrew Weber/US Presswire)In another twist to what has already been a sad and bizarre story coming out of State College, former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary field suit against Penn State University on Monday under the state's Whistleblower Law.

The "writ of summons" issued Tuesday in court on behalf of the former wide receivers coach is the first step towards McQueary counterattacking his damaged reputation for his involvement in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

McQueary's reporting of Sandusky, the program's former defensive coordinator, and the alleged molestation of a 10-year old boy on the Penn State campus during the winter of 2001 was the crux of McQueary's testimony. McQueary, who saw the act and reported it to then head coach Joe Paterno and later to university officials, was placed on administrative leave this past November when the incident came to light.

As of now, Penn State is unable to comment on the filing.

"The University has not yet received the complaint and so cannot comment on it at

(Noah K. Murray/US Presswire)

NOTE: This story was written by Kristian Dyer.

One moment with Eric LeGrand and his smile, as wide as they come, is sure to burst out.

LeGrand, a former Rutgers defensive tackle, who would have been completing his senior year this spring and perhaps even readying himself for the NFL Draft, is working with an agent to help him transition to the broadcasting booth. LeGrand is undeterred by the tragedy that left him in a wheelchair and unable to walk; he is making lemonade out of lemons.

(Keith Srakocic/AP)

On Saturday afternoon, Penn State's annual spring game closed the door on one legacy and started another.

Despite the fact that late head coach Joe Paterno was relieved of his duties Nov. 9, the Penn State football program has spent much of the last six months grappling with his 61-year legacy. Along with the wins and national rankings he achieved with the Nittany Lions, there of course was the sexual abuse scandal that proved to be Paterno's downfall. But on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, it seemed like the estimated 60,000 fans in attendance had finally embraced Bill O'Brien as their new head coach. So too did his players.

[ Related: Joe Paterno's family won't push to rename Beaver Stadium ]

The score didn't matter much and neither did the play of either offense - both sides of the intrasquad scrimmage struggled to move the ball in the annual Blue-White Game. Using a system that awarded points not only for touchdowns and field goals but also for plays such as turnovers and sacks, the defense in blue uniforms beat the offense in white 77-65. Truth be told, the result was secondary.

Just months after the Jerry Sandusky scandal brought shame to the campus and ended the Paterno legacy after 409 wins and two national championships, the football program seems to have fully embraced the transition to O'Brien.

"This is a very unique year. The seniors, we're going to set traditions and we're going to keep some old traditions or start new ones," center Matt Stankiewitch said. "We don't really know yet what we want to keep but some stuff we are keeping. Coach O'Brien has incorporated some of the old stuff and some of the new stuff. Every day is just a new experience."