Bernie Fine: People Must Not Jump to Conclusions About Syracuse Scandal

As if one child sex abuse scandal in college athletics wasn't enough, we now have two.

Maybe.

If you're just now tuning in, there is a developing situation at Syracuse University. A report came out from ESPN on Thursday night that two former Syracuse basketball ball boys had come forward and accused Orange assistant coach Bernie Fine of molesting them.

One alleged victim, Bobby Davis, claims Fine molested him for well over a decade. He claims the abuse started in 1984 when he was just about to enter the seventh grade and continued until he was in his late 20s.

The other alleged victim, Mike Lang, claims Fine started abusing him when he was in fifth or sixth grade. Lang also happens to be Davis' stepbrother.

Davis is now 39, and Lang is 45.

Both men spoke on-camera with ESPN, and both claimed typical encounters involved Fine rubbing them and reaching into their shorts.

"I didn't feel right about it," said Lang. "And I told him, 'Bernie, please don't do that to me.'"

Compounding matters is Davis' claim that longtime Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim witnessed him in Fine's bedroom several times when on road trips, and that Boeheim never bothered to question what was going on.

Davis says he first reported Fine to Syracuse police back in 2003, but was told that the statute of limitations had run out. The chief of police at the time was Dennis Duval, a former Syracuse basketball player. ESPN investigated Davis' story on its own in 2003, but ultimately chose not to run it because they couldn't find any other victims or corroborating evidence.

As of right now, the current investigation is in its infancy.

In a nutshell, this is pretty much everything you need to know about the allegations. What the police are looking into right now are allegations of sexual abuse, which means that this scandal, such as it is, must not be confused with the ongoing Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State. What we have right now are accusations, not a grand jury report resulting from a multi-year investigation.

The other difference is that Syracuse University is complying with the investigation 100 percent. Kevin Quinn, Syracuse's senior vice president for public affairs, issued a statement on Thursday night explaining the university's stance on the matter.

It just so happens that this same statement claims this is not the first time the university has dealt with these claims:

"

In 2005, Syracuse University was contacted by an adult male who told us that he had reported to the Syracuse City Police that he had been subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men's basketball coach. The alleged activity took place in the 1980's and 1990's. We were informed by the complainant that the Syracuse City Police had declined to pursue the matter because the statute of limitations had expired.

On hearing of the allegations in 2005, the University immediately launched its own comprehensive investigation through its legal counsel. That nearly four-month long investigation included a number of interviews with people the complainant said would support his claims. All of those identified by the complainant denied any knowledge of wrongful conduct by the associate coach. The associate coach also vehemently denied the allegations.

Syracuse University takes any allegation of this sort extremely seriously and has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind. If any evidence or corroboration of the allegations had surfaced, we would have terminated the associated coach and reported it to the police immediately. We understand that the Syracuse City Police has now reopened the case, and Syracuse University will cooperate fully. We are steadfastly committed ensuring that SU remains a safe place for every member of our campus community.

"

A short while after releasing this statement, Syracuse placed Fine on administrative leave.

For what it's worth, Jim Boeheim does not think the new investigation is going to pan out any different than the first.

"He supplied four names to the university that would corroborate his story," said Boeheim on Thursday night. "None of them did ... there is only one side to this story. He is lying."

Boeheim would go on to add that he thinks this is a blatant money grab: "I believe they are looking for money. I believe they saw what happened at Penn State and they are using ESPN to get money. That is what I believe. You want to put that on the air? Put that on the air."

Are the allegations serious? Of course they are. If Davis and Lang are telling the truth, Fine is guilty of years and years of abuse that had devastating affects. The very possibility that this could have taken place is upsetting, and because of that it would be foolish to blow the allegations off as a bunch of lies, even if that's what Boeheim says they are.

However, it would be just as foolish to accept these allegations as gospel. What we have are accusations from two men, and whether or not there is any evidence that supports their claims remains to be seen. 

This is exactly what the Syracuse police are going to find out. If they find that there is more to this story than the stories Davis and Lang are telling, the case against Fine will be that much stronger.

If there is no more to this story than what Davis and Lang are saying, it's possible that there won't even be a case against Fine.

For now, don't assume that Fine is guilty, and don't assume that he is innocent. Just recognize that there is an investigation going on, and nothing more.