STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's attorney general says she granted Gov. Tom Corbett the authority to file a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA because her office is currently prosecuting three Penn State administrators.

Attorney General Linda Kelly told The Associated Press on Thursday that ``an actual conflict of interest could, and likely would, arise if this office were involved in both cases.''

Kelly says the ``size and scope'' of the criminal cases ``made it untenable'' for the state prosecutors' office to also be involved in the civil lawsuit.

Kelly says her office got the request from Corbett on Dec. 14 and granted it a few days later. Corbett nominated Kelly to succeed him as attorney general two years ago, when Corbett became governor.