Bernie Fine Scandal: Accuser Contradicts Previous Statement, Claims Fine Abused

Just five days ago, the third accuser in the sexual abuse case of former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine admitted that his claims were fabricated. Now, however, Zach Tomaselli has returned to his original story, which further complicates a story with plenty of twists and turns.

According to ESPN.com, the 23-year-old accuser has changed his stance once again after previously saying that the accusations were a joke. Tomaselli was first thrust into the spotlight after speaking with the original accuser, Mike Davis, who was a former Syracuse ball boy.

Tomaselli said that Davis told him what to tell detectives during a phone conversation when he admitted his accusations were a ruse last week. He went so far as to say that it had become "a burden of a lie" and that he had "never met Fine in his life."

He has done a 180-degree turn from those comments, though, and now appears to be more confident than ever in his assertion that he was abused by Fine.

"

Yes, my credibility with the media is shot but I am not going to give up now, Tomaselli said in a statement. Bernie molested me. PERIOD.

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Tomaselli pleaded guilty to molesting a 13-year-old boy and reported to prison on Wednesday to begin serving his sentence of three years and three months. Despite that, he said that it was negative publicity that originally caused him to change his story five days ago.

He was originally viewed as a key accuser in the Fine case as Davis and his stepbrother Mike Lang were on their own at first. However, with so much waffling from Tomaselli, it would appear as though the case against Fine is getting flimsier by the second.