Syracuse fired assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine on Sunday, after new evidence - and a third accuser - emerged to back up accusations of molestation.
Last week, ESPN's Outside the Lines broke the story that two ex-Syracuse ball boys had accused Fine of molesting them for an extended period in the 1980s and 90s. According to the report, one of the accusers reported Fine to police in 2002, but was turned away after being told the statute of limitations had expired. The university became aware of the charges in 2005, but none of the witnesses offered by the accuser was willing to corroborate. Fine was placed on administrative leave after the story aired, pending a new investigation.
Since then, new - and very disturbing - details have emerged. The initial accuser, Bobby Davis, produced a tape of a 2002 phone call with Fine's wife Laurie, in which she admitted knowing about her husband's actions and claimed to be powerless to stop him.
Davis has claimed that he also had a sexual relationship with Laurie Fine.
A third accuser - Zach Tomaselli - has come forward, saying Fine molested him in 2002. But it is worth noting, Tomaselli is facing sexual assault charges involving a 14-year-old boy, and Tomaselli's father says his son is lying.
What Happens to Jim Boeheim?
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim offered a vehement defense of Fine after ESPN's initial report, suggesting that the accusers were trying to take advantage of the situation at Penn State and cash in somehow. The hall-of-famer has changed his tune considerably in light of the latest developments, saying that he supports Fine's firing and deeply regrets "any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse."
That hasn't stopped some national sports voices - like CBS' Gregg Doyel - from calling for Boeheim to be fired as well.
Based on what we know at this point, I disagree. As far as we know, Boeheim was reacting to what he knew at the time - that the accusations against Fine were nearly a decade old, had been investigated by the university and never corroborated, and that they were coming to light in the wake of a very similar scandal at another big-time college sports program. His "accuse the victims" routine was inappropriate, but I'm not sure that's a fireable offense.
But "based on what we know at this point" is the key here. If Boeheim was aware of what was going on, he should be dismissed immediately.
ESPN's Role in the Investigation
Then there's the issue of the Worldwide Leader's involvement in this investigation. Apparently, ESPN has had a copy of the Davis/Laurie Fine audio tape since 2002, but didn't come forward with it because no one was willing to corroborate Davis' accusations. That seems an odd explanation, given that the tape itself would seem to corroborate Davis' story.
It is equally unclear whether or not the tape was available as part of the university's investigation in 2005 or if it was ever offered to the local police.
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