Opinion ID: 1826657
Heading Depth: 6
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The false statements made by the NCAA in the penalty-summary report posted on the NCAA Web site.

Text: The statements made by the NCAA in the penalty-summary report involved the imposition of penalties for violations of NCAA rules by employees of The University. The statements indicated that a show-cause provision had been imposed against the recruiting coordinator and other employees of The University. These false statements were germane to the public controversy because a central issue of the public dispute was the nature of the penalties imposed by the NCAA against The University, its employees, and its representatives. As the NCAA stated, the statements made by the NCAA during the infractions process and in the erroneous penalty summary all were related to the NCAA investigation. Therefore, the NCAA's statements about Cottrell and Williams in the penalty-summary report published on the NCAA Web site were germane to the public controversy.