A California appellate court ruled Monday that former USC running backs coach Todd McNair's defamation lawsuit against the NCAA could move forward.
The ruling by a three-justice panel in the 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed that McNair "has demonstrated a probability of prevailing on the merits of his defamation case," Justice Richard D. Aldrich wrote in the 30-page opinion.
The NCAA, which wanted the appellate court to strike McNair's complaint and dismiss the long-running case, could file an appeal to the California Supreme Court.
McNair sued the NCAA in June 2011 after he was sanctioned, along with USC, as the result of an investigation that centered on former Trojans running back Reggie Bush.