On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Ohio ordered Ohio State to submit under seal unredacted documents that ESPN Inc. previously requested.
The court ordered both OSU and ESPN to file evidence by Oct. 11. ESPN must then file a brief within 10 days after filing evidence. OSU then will have 20 days to respond with its own brief.
On July 11, ESPN filed a claim with the Supreme Court of Ohio against OSU for withholding public record documents.
In the suit, ESPN says OSU wrongfully cited the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as a reason for illegally withholding various documents.
ESPN stated in the claim that producers at the sporting news network had made several public records requests for all emails sent or received by President E. Gordon Gee, athletic director Gene Smith, compliance officer Doug Archie and former head coach Jim Tressel, that included the keyword “Sarniak.”
Ted Sarniak is a businessman in Jeanette, Pa., closely associated with former OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
It was widely noted that Sarniak was a mentor to Pryor during both his time at OSU and in his recruitment process.
Representatives from OSU and ESPN did not immediately respond for comment.
