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BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Jerry Sandusky's lawyers on Tuesday asked for a little more time to file briefs supporting the former Penn State assistant football coach's bid to have child sexual abuse convictions overturned and a new trial granted.

Defense attorney Joe Amendola asked Judge John Cleland for two more weeks past Friday's deadline to file supporting arguments for Sandusky's post-sentencing motions.

Amendola said lead appeals lawyer Norris Gelman had a heart attack and open-heart surgery, delaying his ability to work on the case. Lawyers also face a vast amount of material to review, Amendola said.

Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for convictions on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, including violent attacks on boys inside Penn State athletic facilities. The 68-year-old Sandusky maintains he is innocent.

Sandusky argued last month that his lawyers had not been given enough time to prepare for trial and the statute of limitations for some charges had expired.

He argued his sentence was excessive, hearsay evidence was improperly allowed and evidence was not sufficient for convictions.

In a related matter, a judge on Friday will consider whether to grant a request by Penn State and delay proceedings in the whistleblower and defamation lawsuit filed by former assistant football coach Mike McQueary. As a graduate assistant, McQueary had complained in 2001 to then-coach Joe Paterno that Sandusky was behaving inappropriately with a boy in a team shower.

Penn State wants to delay the case until after a scheduled January trial for former university administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, charged with perjury and failing to properly report suspected abuse. Additional charges have been added against Curley and Schultz, and former Penn State president Graham Spanier was also recently charged.

McQueary's lawyers are opposed to the delay.

The Dauphin County Court administrator's office said Tuesday that a Dec. 13 preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Curley, Schultz and Spanier. Officials said the hearing would continue Dec. 14 if necessary.