Bernie Fine: Syracuse Scandal Will Destroy University's Reputation

A lot has been said and written about Syracuse University over the last 10 days thanks to Bernie Fine, and one of the most common things is that they are becoming Penn State 2.0. The more information that comes out, the more the comparison seems to fit.

Erik Brady and Marlen Garcia of USA Today wrote an article titled “Is Syracuse the Next Penn State?” In it, they detail the allegations levied against Fine and what it means for the future of the program.

One of the critical elements that they wrote about is the phone call from Fine’s wife Laurie and one of his accusers that was made public earlier this week on ESPN.

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But the Syracuse scandal that broke Nov. 17 offers something else — that game-changing recorded phone call between Fine's wife, Laurie, and accuser Bobby Davis. Syracuse fired Fine, and Boeheim reversed his previous unequivocal support for him Sunday, hours after the recording was released by ESPN's Outside the Lines.

Laurie Fine says on the recording, made by Davis without her knowledge in 2002, that her husband "needs help" and "has issues" and "thinks he's above the law." ESPN said voice-recognition experts confirmed her voice.

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There is a long way to go before a conviction takes place, and it is entirely possible that Fine walks away from this whole thing without having to serve jail time. But this horrific tale keeps getting deeper and darker with each passing day.

That is the same sentiment that we had when the Jerry Sandusky-Penn State scandal broke. There may have been more cover-ups going on at Penn State than at Syracuse, but the overall picture is just as disgusting.

Fine was fired on Sunday night due to these allegations of sexually abusing young boys, and that was the right call, but this whole situation is far from over.

Like the Penn State situation, it is entirely possible that the worst is yet to come. You hope that isn’t the case, but considering what we have seen over the last month, how do you not expect more terrible news to be released.

The Syracuse scandal has quickly become Penn State 2.0, and their reputation will never be the same again.