"Since the NCAA consent decree was imposed on the university two weeks ago, there has been a considerable amount of confusion and misinformation about how the university came to its decision to accept the consent decree and why we believe that was the best course of action for the university," La Torre wrote via e-mail.
"This meeting will ensure there is no misunderstanding or further confusion as to where the board stands on this matter," La Torre said.
ESPN reported Thursday that a contentious conference call among more than 20 board members was held Tuesday and that two straw polls were taken. Most of the trustees said they did not support appealing the sanctions.
La Torre confirmed that the conference call occurred and said its purpose was for the trustees to receive a report from and consult with university legal counsel. He said the meeting was a closed executive session and did not elaborate on what was discussed.
On July 23, the NCAA announced its penalties, including a $60 million fine. The NCAA imposed a four-year postseason ban on the football team and vacated all Penn State football victories from 1998 through 2011. Scholarships for football players also were cut.
The full board of trustees did not review or vote on the agreement beforehand.
La Torre said a live audio stream of the meeting would be available at WPSU.org/live. An audio file of the call and minutes of the meeting are to be posted afterward at www.psu.edu/trustees.
Contact Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com, or follow @RobertMoran215 on Twitter.
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