Bernie Fine: Phone Conversation with Laurie Fine Paints an Ugly Picture

ESPN's Outside the Lines was blasted last week for running a story centered around allegations that Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine sexually molested two ball boys for three decades.

ESPN was criticized because it ran the story based on what appeared to be just two interviews with the alleged victims, stepbrothers Bobby Davis and Mike Lang.

But Outside the Lines came out with a phone conversation on Sunday between Davis and Fine's wife, Laurie Fine, that certainly painted an ugly picture.

In the 2002 phone conversation, Davis and Laurie appear to be talking about Fine's attempts to grab and touch Davis.

Part of the transcript reads, via ESPN:

"

Laurie: What did he want you to do? You can be honest with me.

Davis: So, what do you think? What he always does.

Laurie: What? He wants you to grab him? Or bl** him?

Davis: No, he'd try to make me grab him, I mean, he's like - but at first he would grab me and start, you know, touching me...

"

However, in 2003, Laurie told The Post-Standard the audio tape may have been doctored, per Dan Wetzel:

Davis also had a conversation with Laurie about a $5,000 debt he supposedly owed Fine. Fine allegedly gave Davis the money to help pay for student loans in 2001.

Read the transcript:

"

Laurie: He just has a nasty attitude, because he didn't get his money, nor did he get what he wanted. He didn't get...

Davis: It's not about the money.

Fine: It's about the d***. I know that. So you're -- I'm just telling you for your own good, you're better off just staying away from him.

"

Who knows at this point if this tape was doctored, but it's safe to say this does look bad for Fine.

It's worth noting, "he" could be anybody. It doesn't have to be Fine. This is still not enough evidence to convict Fine. It's not like the story about the Penn State scandal, which came after a three-year investigation and a grand jury report.

ESPN is still treading on ice, because if this turns out to be false, it indeed came out with the story too soon.

But there are also signs to suggest that Davis' allegations could be true.

Right now, only the alleged victims, Fine and potentially Laurie know exactly what went on.