Jerry Sandusky tries to appeal jury conviction -- again

Eight months after a jury convicted Jerry Sandusky of sexually molesting young boys, the former Penn State assistant football coach’s attorneys have again filed court documents asking the state appeals court to upend the decision.

The notice of appeal officially was filed Thursday by Sandusky’s attorneys, Joseph Amendola and Norris Gelman, less than a month after trial judge John M. Cleland denied a previous bid for a new trial.

In a 27-page ruling on Jan. 30, Cleland denied all of points in the multi-pronged motion, including claims that Sandusky’s attorneys hadn’t had sufficient time to prepare for trial.

Sandusky, long revered in State College, Pa., as the Nittany Lions defensive coach and as the founder of a charity for troubled youth, fell from glory in 2011 as allegations surfaced that he had molested at least 10 boys over a 15-year period. The news rocked the nation and tarnished the reputation of Penn State and its longtime head football coach, Joe Paterno.

Although the recently filed documents don’t make any claims that weren’t mentioned in the post-sentencing motion Cleland denied last month, Gelman told the Los Angeles Times that Sandusky and the defense team are “hoping for a good outcome.”

Asked what he thought would be different this time, Gelman responded: “I hope to do a better job.”

Sandusky, who maintains his innocence, was convicted last year on 45 counts of sexual abuse of a minor and was sentenced to up to 60 years in state prison.

In a related case, Penn State officials on Thursday asked a county judge to dismiss the whistleblower and defamation case lodged against them in October by former graduate assistant Michael McQueary, who testified that he saw Sandusky molest a boy.

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marisa.gerber@latimes.com