Why Wouldn’t ESPN and The Post-Standard Publish Bernie Fine Allegations in 2003?
The journalist’s creed states that, “suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.” With the recent scandals associated with Joe Paterno and Jim Tressel, suppressing news hasn’t been the journalists’ problem.
The Bernie Fine accusations have turned the tables on news media, leaving the reader to wonder whether a cover-up has been perpetrated by the group who purportedly uncovers scandals.
The Post-Standard has reported that Bobby Davis initially contacted their newspaper in September 2002 with allegations that Bernie Fine abused Davis repeatedly from the ages of 12 or 13 to 15. The Post-Standard assembled a sports reporter, an investigative reporter, and an editor to investigate Mr. Davis’ allegations.
The Post-Standard is vague on when they concluded their six-month investigation, but assuming it started shortly after Davis secretly recorded the phone call with Fine’s wife, Laurie, the decision to not publish Davis’ allegations would have occurred between March and April.
Michael Connor of The Post-Standard said the newspaper faced the question, “Is there enough proof here to ruin a person’s life?” The answer was no, and the investigation was closed.
One hypothesis as to why The Post-Standard has been vague on the investigation closure date is that the Fine investigation coincided with the Syracuse basketball team’s run to the NCAA Finals. Carmelo Anthony and the Orangemen went on to win the National Championship, an accomplishment that comes with financial rewards for the university and the Big East.
NCAA college basketball payouts are based on a six-year period of success, and the Big East’s overall performance was inflated by Syracuse’s 2003 national basketball championship.
So, their performance between 2001 and 2006 led to the Big East receiving over $14.85 million in 2007, while the eight conferences that did not win a first-round game in those six years received slightly more than $1 million each.
Another major financial boon occurred in 2003 for Syracuse University. Syracuse’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications received a $15 million gift from the S.I. Newhouse Foundation and the Newhouse family to fund the construction of the third building in the Newhouse Communications Complex.
S.I. Newhouse, Jr. is the owner of the multibillion dollar conglomerate, Advance Publications, which owns The Post-Standard. Would news broken by the Post-Standard put a damper on the $15 million gift given by the S.I. Newhouse Foundation to Syracuse University?
According to The Post-Standard’s timeline, ESPN was not aware of the Bernie Fine accusations prior to April 6, 2003, when they interviewed Jim Boeheim for an episode of “Outside The Lines.”
It wasn’t until June 2003 that Bobby Davis contacted ESPN with the recorded conversation with Laurie Fine.
In a statement made by ESPN Senior Vice President & Director Vince Doria, ESPN could not confirm that the voice in the audio Bobby Davis provided was that of Laurie Fine. Doria stated that ESPN knew the police had told Davis that the statute of limitations was expired, so ESPN did not pursue additional action with the Syracuse police.
The relationship between Syracuse and ESPN runs much deeper than the millions of dollars paid to the Big East for broadcasting college basketball games. Many of ESPN’s sportscasters and journalists are graduates of Syracuse’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Syracuse alumni employed by ESPN include Mike Tirico, Jayson Stark, Anish Shroff, Dave Ryan, Dave Pasch, Sean McDonough, Matthew Berry, Steve Bunin and David Amber.
ESPN’s parent company, Walt Disney, has done business with Advance Publications (Newhouse’s conglomerate) prior to 2003, buying Fairchild Publications from Disney for $650 million in 1999.
Michael Eisner, the former president of Walt Disney, held a gathering of media executives on November 14, 2002 at a breakfast discussion in Manhattan. Newhouse School of Public Communication sponsored the event.
Most interestingly, ESPN, Advance Publications, and The Post-Standard all have employees who sit on the Advisory Board for the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Would these events and relationships make it difficult to report the news?
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Syracuse University: Bernie Fine, Jim Boeheim and the Sexual Abuse Allegations
The situation at Pennsylvania State University continues to get increasingly ugly several hours to the north, as a newer and equally repulsive story is slowly developing.
Bernie Fine, a former longtime assistant coach at Syracuse University under legendary basketball coach Jim Boeheim, is accused of numerous sexual encounters with under age men. Two of the three accusers are former ball boys.
This story of sexual abuse has surfaced over the past few weeks. It features very different dynamics from those at Penn State University—for now.
As of now, it’s all accusations with no real legal teeth to them. At Penn State University the issue is innocent until proven guilty—at Syracuse University we are awaiting to find out what Bernie Fine is formally charged with. Through it all Jim Boeheim, like Joe Paterno, has handled the situation poorly. While Paterno made his key mistakes in the years leading up to the formal charges being filed, Boeheim made his most egregious misdeed when the charges first surfaced a few weeks ago.
It wasn’t that he just came to the defense of Bernie Fine, but he also lambasted the accusers who went on record as being the victims of sexual abuse. “It is a bunch of a thousand lies that he has told,” Boeheim told ESPN, referring to Davis. “You don’t think it is a little funny that his cousin (relative) is coming forward?”
It’s not the worst thing in the world to stick by a friend in the face of adversity. However, to call out the people who are alleging sexual abuse is a rather tasteless thing to do. At the very least, Boeheim should have taken the high road and just allowed the investigation to continue. In Boeheim’s defense, he recently publicly apologized for his statement. He admitted he was wrong to attack the credibility of the people who are accusing Fine of sexual abuse.
“What is most important is that this matter be fully investigated and that anyone with information be supported to come forward so that the truth can be found,” Boeheim said in a statement released by the school. “I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse.”
While that apology for his mea culpa may be sufficient for now, there is a gathering storm that could easily render any and all apologies by Boeheim as irrelevant. It’s tough to say what will happen in Syracuse, New York though. Unlike at Penn State University, with its thorough grand jury report. A formal arrest of the accuser, Jerry Sandusky in Syracuse, the case is much less formal with less hard evidence.
Fine has been fired by Syracuse University. There is a growing list of accusers as well. There is also a major scandal brewing in the Syracuse, New York area about the manner in which the accusations were handled. The local police department seem to be taking a tepid interest at best in the initial accusations. They tried to tell the accuser that the statue of limitations on the charges had expired when he pressed about the investigation delay. The police chief at the time was a Syracuse University alumni and former basketball player.
Those above Boeheim at Syracuse University may have some explaining to do. Apparently, they conducted an insufficient internal investigation and kept the details a secret from Boeheim. There’s also the matter of a controversial recorded phone conversation from nearly 10 years ago between one of Fine’s accusers and Fine’s wife. This conversation was turned over to the media giant ESPN, but not given to law enforcement officials.
The reasons for this seemingly inexcusable act are up for debate. ESPN claimed they didn’t feel the tape had enough credibility to merit an investigation of their own, and questioned why law enforcement would be needed.
Dave Zirin of The Nation, reported today that ESPN employees anonymously made claims about the numerous Syracuse University alumni in the ESPN hierarchy, who may have had a bit too much power in determining the priority of this story.
There are already calls for Jim Boeheim to resign. He may or may not be placed in a situation where that has to happen. One thing seems certain though, that the Syracuse University scandal isn’t getting smaller and it isn’t going away. Boeheim’s future and the future of the Syracuse University program are both on the line. More importantly if under age men were sexually abused, then there could be more. But, how many?
Jim Boeheim is a revered public figure who holds the highest profile position at a major university, and where the basketball program is the premier program on campus. It’s a nearly identical situation to the one at Penn State University with Joe Paterno. With the exception that the sport is basketball not football. The big difference is that Paterno knew something was going on with regards to Sandusky and underage boys. Boeheim as of now appears to have known nothing.
Will that be enough to save his job and reputation? Should it be? It will be interesting to hear what the victims say. As well as what the now intense legal scrutiny uncovers.
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Bernie Fine Scandal: Why Jim Boeheim Shouldn’t Be Fired After Allegations
After former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine was accused by three alleged victims of child molestation, head coach Jim Boeheim‘s level of involvement in the scandal has been brought up. Some believe Boeheim should be fired because of Fine’s alleged doings, in part because of the belief he may have known something but covered it up.
But this isn’t the Penn State scandal, folks.
All signs point to Boeheim having no idea what Fine was allegedly up to.
After ESPN broke the story about Fine allegedly molesting former ball boy Bobby Davis, Boeheim said, via The Post-Standard:
This is alleged to have occurred…what? Twenty years ago? Am I in the right neighborhood? It might be 26 years ago? So, we are supposed to what? Stop the presses 26 years later? For a false allegation? For what I absolutely believe is a false allegation?
Davis also accused Boeheim of seeing him in Fine’s hotel room.
Said Boeheim:
I don’t recall ever walking into any of my assistant coaches’ rooms. Now, could I have once…one time? I have a pretty good recollection of things, but I don’t ever recollect ever walking into Bernie Fine’s hotel room. Ever.
Boeheim did say he was aware Davis went on road trips with the basketball team, but he believed it was only because he babysat Fine’s kids.
Said Boeheim:
He babysat Bernie’s kids. That’s why he was on the trips. He’d babysit. The kid only traveled, to my knowledge, if he was babysitting Bernie’s kids. This is when he was 18 years old. He was helping to babysit the kids. That’s the only time I know about, from talking with Bernie.
What does this all add up to?
To me, it appears Boeheim never knew exactly what was allegedly going on with Fine and Davis, and, if you ask other top basketball coaches, they never would have dreamed Fine could be capable of such heinous acts.
Legendary head coach Rick Pitino told Pete Thamel of The New York Times, “I’m as shocked as anyone. I’m shocked. I can’t fathom it or believe it. It’s so startling.”
After more accusers came forward, Boeheim has changed his stance, probably because he didn’t know what he was dealing with before.
Said Boeheim in a statement, via The Post-Standard:
What is most important is that this matter be fully investigated and that anyone with information be supported to come forward so that the truth can be found. I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse.
It’s also worth noting that if someone knows they did something wrong in these cases, they generally don’t say much. Boeheim had a plethora of quotes, most likely because he believed Fine was being falsely accused and wanted to stand up for him, as anyone would in that case.
Of course, this is speculation, as none of us know yet if Boeheim knew about Fine’s alleged doings. But by the look of things, it appears he really didn’t know what was going on.
You can’t fire someone for simply being around an alleged child molester.
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Third Bernie Fine accuser gives details of allegations
Zach Tomaselli, the Maine man who says Bernie Fine molested him when he was 13, said he was fondled in a Pittsburgh hotel room in 2002.
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Syracuse fires Fine amid allegations (AP)
Syracuse University fired associate head basketball coach Bernie Fine on Sunday in the wake of an investigation of child molestation allegations against him. “At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine’s employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately,” Kevin Quinn, the school’s senior vice president for public affairs, said in a statement.
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Syracuse Orange Basketball: Will Bernie Fine Allegations Hurt Recruiting?
The Bernie Fine allegations were all anyone could talk about after the Syracuse Orange thrashed Colgate, 92-47 on Saturday. Jim Boeheim was forced to handle the media after the game, handling the situation in a manner only Jim Boeheim can.
But Boeheim is a Hall-of-Fame experienced coach who knows how to handle the media. Granted he may not be the sunniest of coaches, but he does understand what he can say and what he should not not say about a situation like this.
What Boeheim cannot entirely control is public opinion. Especially the opinions of mothers of star recruits. News broke yesterday that Class of 2014 prospect Isaiah Whitehead had dropped Syracuse from consideration due to the allegations facing Fine.
A correction has come out today saying that Whitehead is still now considering the Orange because his mother thought Fine was the head coach, not assistant coach.
Whitehead even came out and issued a statement himself, saying that, “I still like Syracuse and my family will wait to see what happens.”
While Orange Nation may take a deep sigh of relief, who is to say the next star prospect may drop or not even consider Syracuse because of these allegations? Some players and their families want a “clean” environment around the entire program, whether it is the assistant or head coach.
ESPN has already been criticized in the past for handling stories with little evidence before and even some media experts believe that this story should not have been run when looking at journalistic ethics.
Regardless, this saga still has a long way to go in terms of uncovering the truth of what happened between Fine, Bobby Davis and Mike Lang. As for the Orange on the court, they continue to commemorate their beloved coach. In recruiting, the Orange are going to have to play damage control and hope that others follow the example of Whitehead and wait until all the dust settles.
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Syracuse Basketball: How Will Allegations Against Bernie Fine Affect the Orange?
Heading into it 2011-12 campaign, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team will not only have opponents on the court to deal with, but it will be forced to deal with some very serious accusations off the court as well.
This week, news broke that Bernie Fine, a long time Syracuse men’s assistant coach widely considered to be head coach Jim Boeheim’s right-hand man, has been accused by two former ball boys of allegedly sexually assaulting them when they worked for the team in the 1980s.
Fine has vehemently denied the accusations, and head coach Boeheim has called them “patently false.” The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department as well as Syracuse Police Department are undertaking a full investigation, while Fine has been placed on administrative leave.
In the meantime, the Orange will continue to compete for another Big East Championship and another deep run in the NCAA Tournament come March. It’s possible they will be without Fine for an extended period of time, pending the two separate investigations.
One certainly has to wonder whether this will prove to be a distraction for Syracuse, as it must deal with far more intense media speculation in addition to their on-court opponents.
To remain focused on playing the game is sometimes easier said than done. Coverage of college basketball, especially in the Big East, is already intense as is. To heap extra scrutiny on these players is asking a lot, especially considering these guys are not that far removed from their teenage years. What’s a team to do when such controversy seems to engulf it and its university?
“We can’t think about it right now,” center Fab Melo said in response to questions surrounding such the allegations. “There’s a season going on, so we just gotta play.”
Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. The Orange still have to take the court, be it at the Carrier Dome or on the road, and it’s the responsibility of not just the players to focus on basketball, but of Jim Boeheim and the coaching staff to ensure the players are not distracted by a storm of controversy that does not involve them in any way.
Unfortunately, the media scrutiny won’t end until some kind of closure is reached. The university and the county will no doubt complete their investigations, but due to the statute of limitations both being long passed for both civil and criminal lawsuits against Fine, these allegations may have no definite resolution.
In the end, Fine will likely stand by his denial, and the two individuals may very well stand by their accusations. At this point, long after the incidents were alleged to have occurred, only those involved will know the full truth.
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Abuse allegations shock former Syracuse players
Former Syracuse players have reacted with disbelief over the charges that assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, sexually abused two boys.
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Syracuse Basketball Allegations: Bernie Fine in a Mess
I went through last week with a chip on my shoulder.
I was angry about the news circulating regarding the grand jury findings and subsequent charges against former Penn State defensive coach Jerry Sandusky.
I was mad as hell and I wasn’t going to take it anymore.
Even with some of the rumors circulating about what people knew or didn’t know, I felt I said my piece and had no inclination to revisit Sandusky or any other molestation story. It’s not exactly what sports writers dream about writing and the whole vocabulary needed to write such columns churns my stomach.
With the unpleasantness out of my system, I decided it was time to start writing about the upcoming matchup between the much-heralded Syracuse Orange and its once and future conference rival, Virginia Tech, in next week’s NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals in Madison Square Garden.
Then I read this headline…Syracuse coach Fine in molestation inquiry. I was shocked.
I feel the world has desensitized me somewhat.
Mass media has evolved into a beast that spews every factoid a person wanted to know was out there but was afraid to ask.
We also get everything we never cared to know.
We used to get our news from just three major networks.
If something crazy happened in the world, it had to be important and shocking enough that it would make the 6:30 news or it wasn’t getting broadcast.
We were rationed our crazy world with a 19” pixelated sippy cup.
Today, anything and everything that happens in the world from Kardashian to Kazakhstan is a click or a pop-up away and nothing shocks me anymore, or at least I thought.
The Sandusky story shocks me. Not Sandusky’s alleged acts, but that a perceived good man such as Joe Paterno could make such terrible decisions for what seems to be either loyalty or school pride.
As far as Sandusky is concerned, the charges aren’t as shocking as they are sickening, but that is because I haven’t been familiar with the man other than him being a name in passing over the years at Penn State.
Syracuse men’s basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine, on the other hand, is someone who I’ve been familiar with since I was a lad.
Again, I’m shocked at a time when I didn’t think it was possible.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Coach Fine a few times. Nothing more than a handshake or two, and I won’t ever claim to know the man, but something about this story just isn’t sitting right with me.
He didn’t come off creepy like Sandusky. He just seemed to be a guy who, like his longtime coaching partner Jim Boeheim, bleeds orange and loves the game of basketball.
So what’s different?
I had to look deep into my own psyche and figure out if I was just in denial.
I’ve been following Syracuse Basketball since before I could spell Seikaly.
We never really know our sports idols intimately, save a few sound bites here and there, but when we put our time, treasure and hearts into our sports teams, they feel like family.
We fight and argue, all in the name of being a good fan.
The problem is that even if it’s family, there are some things that can’t be overlooked.
The allegations against Bernie Fine are just alleged at the present, but they can’t be overlooked nor dismissed just because he seems like a good guy.
When the Sandusky story broke, I wondered how I would feel if one of the beloved teams I root for went through a similar allegation.
I’ve been through New Jersey Net Jayson Williams killing his limo driver, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s cocaine problems and Mike Tyson…well, take your pick with Tyson. But molestation is something I’m not familiar with and it makes me uncomfortable and angry, as it should.
I would now, unfortunately, get the answer to my inquiring mind.
It’s far too early in the process to pass judgment, but if Jim Boeheim’s word is worth anything, he vehemently claimed that Fine’s accuser, Bobby Davis, is lying about statements involving seeing Jim Boeheim in Fine’s hotel rooms at various locations.
I’d like to take Boeheim at his word.
If Davis is lying about this detail; what else could he be lying about?
Everything will come out in the wash, but the once-clean image of a man whose development of Syracuse’s big men has been almost as significant as the implementation of the 2-3 zone at the Carrier Dome, is forever tarnished.
If Davis is telling the truth, then may Fine be damned.
If Davis turns out to have made up a story to ruin a man’s career, well, I guess I’ll just be shocked again.
This time around, I would welcome the shock.
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Bernie Fine Scandal: Why Caution Should Be Shown with Syracuse Allegations
Syracuse University has placed assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine on probation after a former ball boy, Bobby Davis, accused him of sex abuse.
While the obvious similarities are going to jump to the forefront with the Penn State scandal—which is currently shaking State College, where another former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, is accused of sex abuse—caution needs to be exercised before making judgments based on those similarities.
Davis alleges that over a period of time from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, Fine had “initiated sexual contact with him” until Davis “begin to push him away” at the age of 28.
It was at this time that Davis reported the incident to the police, to the university and to the media.
There are the surface similarities, but there are also some major differences between the two cases. Perhaps the most evident differences that Syracuse handled the allegations differently. At the same time, there are disturbing similarities which bear investigation in their own right.
Like Joe Paterno in FBS football, the head coach of Syracuse University, Jim Boeheim, is the longest tenured head coach in the nation. However, unlike the case in Penn State, it appears that Syracuse University did actually have a thorough investigation.
According to Boeheim:
This matter was fully investigated by the university in 2005 and it was determined that the allegations were unfounded. I have known Bernie Fine for more than 40 years. I have never seen or witnessed anything to suggest that he would been involved in any of the activities alleged. Had I seen or suspected anything, I would have taken action. Bernie has my full support.
The actual investigation is more reassuring than what happened at Penn State, where everything looks to be more of a cover up than an investigation. According to SportsCenter, a number of names by the ball boy were given, and Syracuse interviewed every one of them. None corroborated the boy’s story.
Furthermore, the Syracuse Post-Standard also investigated the report.
The Post-Standard’s investigation did not turn up any witnesses who corroborated Davis’ allegations. The Post-Standard interviewed other men, some of whom like Davis lived in the Fine family home for periods of time as children, and at least one who also said he stayed with Fine in his hotel room at the Big East Tournament.
All of these men, including one of Davis’ brothers, said Fine did not have sexual contact with them.
According to the Post-Standard article, both ESPN and the police had also been notified by Davis at the time, but neither ESPN nor the police were able to find any evidence to back Davis’ story.
Now, reportedly, Davis stepbrother has given testimony that he, too, was molested by Fine. According to Police Chief Frank Fowler:
Information was brought to our attention that warranted an investigation. Once we’re done with what we’re doing, we’re going to turn it over to the district attorney.
It is worth noting that the allegations Davis is making would be beyond the statute of limitations. Therefore, the implication is that whatever “information” was brought to their attention is not related to Davis.
This is a delicate matter for all parties. Fine has been investigated before, and nothing came of it. There were no corroborating witnesses, which is a very different situation from the Sandusky case, where, to date, at least 18 children have come forward.
Also, it appears this was investigated by both the police and the university extensively. There was no effort to cover this up or protect the school.
There also needs to be a measure of caution in rushing to judge Davis as a “liar” or someone out to make a quick buck off the Penn State allegations. He first came forward years before the name “Jerry Sandusky” became a universally recognized one.
It’s possible that the other alleged victims at the time were intimidated and just did not come forward. It’s also possible that they weren’t actually victims.
Still, there is ample reason to believe that Fine may be innocent of the charges. The university acted appropriately, and the police investigated the allegations. All these things make it very different from the Penn State scandal. People should exercise caution before trying to draw parallels.
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