Toast to 409, Sen. Jake Corman leads supporters of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno in raising a glass to restoration of 111 wins

Pennsylvania state senator Jake Corman speaks during the "We Are 409 Party" in State College, Pa. Corman, along with state Treasurer Rob McCord, secured a settlement from the NCAA on Jan. 16 that restored 111 wins to former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno after filing a Jan. 2013 suit to keep the $60 million in fine money from post-scandal sanctions in Pennsylvania. Bobby Chen, For PennLive.com

The senator whose lawsuit against the NCAA turned into a battle over the validity of the sanctions imposed on Penn State this morning made public voluminous documents gathered as part of that lawsuit.

In a news conference this morning, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, also called for Congressional hearings to investigate the NCAA's actions regarding Penn State.

Read the documents made public Wednesday by Sen. Jake Corman

The documents released include depositions from 16 people, ranging from NCAA President Mark Emmert to Corman and former Penn State President Rodney Erickson. There also are numerous exhibits -- dozens for each of the 16 people -- that include emails and communications between NCAA and Penn State officials.

Corman said he released the documents so the public could reach their own conclusions about how the NCAA went about imposing the unprecedented sanctions.

The sanctions came in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, and the questions it raised about whether certain Penn State officials failed to act on a report of possible abuse by Sandusky.

Corman's lawsuit against the NCAA began as an effort to ensure that $60 million in fines levied against Penn State by the NCAA would be spent in Pennsylvania. It turned into a broader battle over the validity of the penalties, which included a bowl ban, erasure of 112 wins by the football team from the record books, loss of football scholarships and the $60 million fine.

The lawsuit was dismissed last month, however, after Penn State and the NCAA reached a settlement that did away with most of the sanctions -- and restored 112 wins by the Penn State football team to the record books -- and spelled out how the fine money would be disbursed.