Two years ago Austin Scott got kicked off the Penn St. football team midway through his senior year because he was accused of rape. Seven months later, the case was dropped - the day before the NFL Draft.

As you can guess, he wasn't selected. And it seems he's now pretty pissed about that.

Scott has filed a federal lawsuit against the prosecutors, his accuser and the university, saying that their overzealous pursuit of the case and the team's decision to drop him cost him a legitimate shot at a pro career.

And this whole thing is a mess.

Scott's lawyer has accused the prosecutors of misconduct, comparing the case to a "lynch mob." (The accuser was white, Scott is black.) Scott was the second Nittany Lion player in two years to be accused of rape only to have the case dropped, and the assistant district attorney who worked on both cases resigned last December "amid allegations he made inappropriate sexual advances toward a victim of domestic violence." Scott's case was dropped after the judge agreed to allow testimony revealing that his accuser had made a similar allegation against another man four years earlier. That man was acquitted.

But Scott's own lawyer is a bit shady as well. He's on trial for money laundering and mail fraud charges. 

However, all that said, Scott's case against the university might actually have real merit. Since the NCAA is the de facto minor leagues of the NFL, Penn St. dropping Scott when it turns out Scott - legally speaking - didn't do anything wrong, certainly doesn't help Penn St.

That's because Scott had no chance to showcase or develop his football skills after he was kicked off the team. He was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Browns in 2008, but was cut during training camp.

Scott was a pretty good player, although not phenomenal. But it's a serious question: Would he have been drafted had he not faced those rape charges and been kicked off the team? Probably. So what exactly does Penn St. owe him for getting it wrong? This is a pretty weird case, since again, the NCAA is the minor leagues of the NFL, but it doesn't operate like an actual minor league. So Scott can't just be reinstated.

Basically, this thing is a giant mess, but I gotta say, Scott definitely seems to deserve something. And that something should be more than just an apology.