Associate coach for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team, Bernie Fine, released a statement Friday denying all child molestation accusations against him.
The statement was released through Fine’s attorney and comes one day after ESPN's Outside The Lines [6] reported he was under police investigation for allegedly molesting [7] two former Syracuse ball boys, Bobby Davis, now 39, and Mike Lang, now 45.
“These allegations are patently false in every aspect,” Fine [8]said through his attorney.
The accusations come in the midst of the Penn State scandal about long-time defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky [9]. The scandal inspired the second man to come forward to OTL.
Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor said “this is clearly distressing to all of us in the Syracuse University community” in an email sent to university students and alumni Friday morning.
“[Fine] has vehemently denied the allegations and should be accorded a fair opportunity to defend himself against these accusations,” Cantor said in the email.
In 2005, SU conducted an internal investigation regarding the same child molestation allegations against Fine. The investigation led nowhere, though, because the charges could not be corroborated.
Cantor also said that the university’s reputation as a “big-time sports” school will not hinder the investigation of these charges.
“We know that many question whether or not a university in today’s world can shine a harsh light on its athletics programs,” Cantor said. “We are aware that many wonder if university administrations are willing to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing that may disrupt a successful sports program. I can assure you I am not, and my fellow administrators are not. We hold everyone in our community to high standards and we don’t tolerate illegal, abusive or unethical behavior —no matter who you are.”
The university placed Fine, who is now in his 35th consecutive season with the team, on administrative leave amidst the investigation.
For breaking news, follow NewsHouseSports [10] on Twitter.
