Pennsylvania judge will rule on Sandusky appeal this week

A Pennsylvania judge said Monday he will announce later this week whether to grant former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky a new trial or throw out child sexual abuse convictions against him.

Judge John Foradora posted an announcement online Monday that said he will issue an order and an opinion on Sandusky’s Post Conviction Relief Act appeal at noon on Oct. 18.

Sandusky is arguing he did not receive adequate representation by his lawyers during the trial and that prosecutors failed to turn over information about victims’ changing stories.

Sandusky’s lawyer, Al Lindsay, declined to comment. A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said prosecutors will respond after the judge issues his decision.

The 73-year-old Sandusky is serving a 30to 60-year state prison sentence after being convicted in 2012 of 45 counts of abuse involving 10 boys, including attacks that occurred on campus property.

Foradora, a common pleas court judge in Jefferson County, was brought in by the state Supreme Court to handle the appeal in February.

That was four months after the trial judge, John Cleland, stepped aside from the case because Sandusky’s lawyers had criticized a meeting between lawyers, Cleland and a district judge in the case before Sandusky waived a preliminary hearing.

In an order removing himself, Cleland said his integrity had been impugned.

Cleland also said, in a footnote in the November order, that he had reviewed the 34 issues Sandusky raised and concluded “no grounds raised in the petition merit relief.”

Sandusky previously lost a round of appeals to the state Superior and Supreme courts.

Pennsylvania’s PostConviction Relief Act is limited to claims of constitutional violations, newly discovered evidence or ineffective counsel.

NFL

RODGERS WILL HAVE COLLARBONE SURGERY

» Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy says quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have surgery on his broken right collarbone, and that his season could be over.

McCarthy said Monday that the two-time NFL MVP would have surgery in the near future. He says that there is no timeline for his potential return.

Rodgers got hurt in the first quarter of the 23-10 loss on Sunday at Minnesota.

Brett Hundley is now the starting quarterback. The Packers also promoted third-stringer Joe Callahan from the practice squad to become the backup quarterback.

Cornerback Quinten Rollins was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury to make room for Callahan.

Golf

TIGER WOODS CLEARED

TO PRACTICE » Tiger Woods is swinging a driver without pain, and his agent says doctors have cleared him to practice without limitations.

Still to be determined is when Woods can play in a tournament.

Steinberg said Woods received a “good report” last week from doctors who performed fusion surgery on his lower back in April. Woods posted a video on Twitter on Oct. 7 of him hitting a smooth iron shot . Then on Sunday, Woods posted another video hitting a driver.

“Making progress,” he tweeted.

Woods, whose last victory was four years ago at the Bridgestone Invitational for his record 18th World Golf Championships title, has not played since he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3 because of back spasms.

Two months later, he had a fourth surgery on his back in 19 months.

Woods first posted a video on Aug. 31 hitting pitch shots. Steinberg said doctors last week “allowed him to proceed with no restrictions,” which is when he began posting video of fuller golf shots.

Woods was an assistant captain at the Presidents Cup two weeks ago, and he said then his priorities were to get his health in order, make sure he is pain-free and then wait on word from his doctors.