HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Penn State outlines in a new court filing why it thinks a defamation and whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former football assistant coach who reported Jerry Sandusky in 2001 lacks merit and should be dismissed.

The university on Thursday filed a 33-page legal memo that fleshed out its response to Mike McQueary's civil suit over how he was treated after reporting that he saw the former defensive coordinator shower with a boy.

The school's lawyer says the alleged defamation, based on two statements by former president Graham Spanier about the charges against two former adminstrators, doesn't make reference to McQueary.

Penn State also says the lawsuit is too vague to support whistleblower allegations.

McQueary is suing for millions of dollars, alleging that Spanier made him a scapegoat.