NCAA documents public, Florida court rules

The NCAA was dealt a blow in Florida court Thursday when a judge ruled that records concerning athletes at Florida State University must be released.

The Orlando Sentinel reported the documents were part of a case involving more than 60 student-athletes who had cheated, and about which FSU officials met with National College Athletics Association officials.

The NCAA stored the documents on a secure Web site, from which they could only be viewed – not saved or printed. They argued this meant they weren’t public.

But Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper ruled against the NCAA, saying the documents were subject to Florida’s far reaching public records law.

News organizations had filed a suit against the NCAA for access to the records in June. The Florida Attorney General backed their claim for access to the records.