NCAA denies Paterno family appeal of sanctions

(Reuters) - The National Collegiate Athletic Association said Friday it will not consider appeal of sanctions against Penn State reportedly filed by the family of late coach Joe Paterno, after the conviction of one of the coach's long-time assistants on child abuse sex charges.

"Penn State's sanctions are not subject to appeal," said NCAA spokesman Bob Williams.

The governing body of U.S. college sports last month imposed unprecedented sanctions on Penn State University and its football program for not taking action after being alerted to child sex abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

The sanctions included a fine of $60 million and voiding the team's wins from 1998 through to 2011 -- which means Paterno, who died in January, will no longer hold the record for most victories by a major college football coach.

A report by former FBI director Louis Freeh criticized Paterno for his role in protecting Sandusky and the school's image at the expense of Sandusky's victims.

According to a USA Today report, the Paternos sought to challenge the finding that the late coach was involved in the school's cover-up of the sex-abuse scandal.

The Paterno family responded that it would not comment on the matter until the NCAA responded formally.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Eric Walsh)