BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- The mothers of three University of Colorado football players asked Gov. Bill Owens to apologize Monday for calling the school's football recruiting scandal an embarrassment to the state.

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CU Football Parents Demand Apology From Owens

The parents had a closed-door, hour-long meeting with the governor, telling him the school needs support.

"Unjust comments made by you stating that the football program is an embarrassment to the entire state of Colorado have hurt us deeply. We would like you to reconsider your statement and issue an apology to our sons and their coaches," the three parents said in a statement afterward. They also asked the governor to support the reinstatement of football coach Gary Barnett.

Owens made the comments during a Feb. 22 television interview with Fox News, saying the school has a good educational institution but the football program "has been an embarrassment."

Owens' spokesman, Dan Hopkins, said the governor "felt that there was a useful exchange of information" with the parents and thanked them for expressing their concerns.

The meeting was held shortly after the an independent commission investigating the scandal delivered its final report to the Board of Regents after nearly three months of work.

The report was 40 pages long, with another 15-20 pages of indexes and attachments. The report is expected to be a blueprint for change at CU.

The public will have to wait until Wednesday to see the report. That's when the Independent Investigative Commission will meet with the regents to discuss the findings.

The nine regents have refused to comment on the report until it is released publicly.

Commissioners met for 22 hours during three closed sessions on May 4, May 11 and May 14 to reach consensus on the entire report before approving it in open session on Friday.

7NEWS will have results of the final report as soon as it's available.

For the past three months, the panel has been looking into whether sex and drinking played a role in the school's recruitment of football players.

At least nine women have said they were sexually assaulted by players or recruits since 1997, though no charges have been filed.

Three of the women have sued the school in federal court, accusing it of failing to protect them from being assaulted.

Last week, Attorney General Ken Salazar said his review turned up no fresh evidence warranting criminal charges.

Boulder police also cleared two football players in one of the cases.

Barnett was suspended for comments he made in two of the cases, including that of former Colorado player Katie Hnida, who said she was raped by a teammate in 2000. University President Betsy Hoffman has said Barnett's fate depends on the outcome of the panel's investigation.

Dianne Littlehales, whose son, Tyler, plays for the team, criticized the investigative panel. She said most of those who testified came from special interest groups and rape victim support groups.

"There were all sorts of special interest groups taking up the panel's time. They were all relating their special agenda," she said.

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The report will be posted on the commission's Web site at 9 a.m. Wednesday.