Senator George J. Mitchell and his law firm, DLA Piper LLP (US), announced that today he has delivered his ninth quarterly report as the independent athletics integrity monitor under the Athletics Integrity Agreement (“AIA”) among The Pennsylvania State University, the National Collegiate Athletics Association, and the Big Ten Conference.

Senator George J. Mitchell and his law firm, DLA Piper LLP (US), announced that today he has delivered his ninth quarterly report as the independent athletics integrity monitor under the Athletics Integrity Agreement (“AIA”) among The Pennsylvania State University, the National Collegiate Athletics Association, and the Big Ten Conference. The ninth report describes Penn State’s effort during the most recent 90-day period to fulfill its obligations under the AIA and the consent decree, including the implementation of recommendations made in the July 2012 report by Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP.

This past quarter, “Penn State continued to fulfill its obligations under the AIA and follow through with initiatives commenced in response to recommendations made in the Freeh Report,” Senator Mitchell said. “The University issued the results of a survey commissioned last year to better understand Penn State’s core values and culture and released for comment a draft statement of values,” Senator Mitchell continued. “The Office of Ethics and Compliance continued to work with stakeholders across the University to address new legislation passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly that will affect multiple Penn State policies and procedures and to deliver training on the protection of minors on campus.”

During this most recent period, the athletics integrity officer conducted quarterly meetings required by the AIA; the Athletics Department updated its policy manual to reflect changes concerning the delivery of healthcare to student-athletes and reorganized the athletic medicine staff; the Office of Ethics and Compliance hired a specialist to coordinate and oversee training programs across the University; and the Board of Trustees adopted a package of reforms that altered its composition and size. “Penn State’s administration has remained fully cooperative throughout this time,” Senator Mitchell concluded.

The AIA implements provisions of the binding consent decree between the NCAA and Penn State dated July 23, 2012. Senator Mitchell was named the independent athletics integrity monitor after the consent decree was finalized. The monitor performs an independent role and is not an agent of Penn State, the NCAA, or the Big Ten Conference. The monitor will provide quarterly written reports to Penn State, the NCAA, and the Big Ten Conference during his tenure.

Senator Mitchell is the chairman emeritus of DLA Piper, a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

The monitor’s quarterly report is available at http://www.dlapiper.com  or by clicking here.

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