INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — ESPN has told the Indiana Court of Appeals that Notre Dame wrongly denied a request for university police records and should be held to the same public disclosure requirements as other police departments.

A lawyer for the sports network said Wednesday that Notre Dame seeks “preferential treatment” that could allow it to cover up alleged crimes by student-athletes.

A judge ruled last year that the Indiana Legislature doesn’t require private colleges and universities to comply with the state’s open records law, but agreed with ESPN that there were “persuasive reasons” why the law should be changed.

A Notre Dame attorney said lawmakers never intended for public records laws to apply to private colleges.

The court’s chief judge said it will decide “as soon as possible” but didn’t provide a timeline.