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Bernie Fine target of police inquiry

Syracuse police say they are investigating an allegation that Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine molested a team ball boy for more than a dozen years beginning in the mid-1980s.

Police stressed to Outside The Lines they are in the early stages of the investigation.

Syracuse University placed Fine on administrative leave on Thursday night "in light of the new allegations and the Syracuse City Police investigation."

The alleged victim, Bobby Davis, now 39, told Outside the Lines that Fine molested him beginning in 1983 shortly before Davis entered the seventh grade. Davis, the team's ball boy for six years beginning in 1984, said the abuse occurred at Fine's home, at the Syracuse basketball facilities, and on road trips, including the 1987 Final Four.

In addition, a second man -- a step-brother of Davis -- told OTL that he was also molested by Fine around the same time as the first boy.

Thursday evening, police told ESPN they were going to interview both men who made the allegations.

Fine is now in his 35th season as an assistant to head coach Jim Boeheim.

Davis said he never told Boeheim about the alleged abuse.

Kevin Quinn, Syracuse's senior vice president for public affairs, issued a statement on behalf of the school:

"In 2005, Syracuse University was contacted by an adult male who told us that he had reported to the Syracuse City Police that he had been subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men's basketball coach. The alleged activity took place in the 1980's and 1990's. We were informed by the complainant that the Syracuse City Police had declined to pursue the matter because the statute of limitations had expired.

"On hearing of the allegations in 2005, the University immediately launched its own comprehensive investigation through its legal counsel. That nearly four-month long investigation included a number of interviews with people the complainant said would support his claims. All of those identified by the complainant denied any knowledge of wrongful conduct by the associate coach. The associate coach also vehemently denied the allegations.

"Syracuse University takes any allegation of this sort extremely seriously and has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind. If any evidence or corroboration of the allegations had surfaced, we would have terminated the associated coach and reported it to the police immediately. We understand that the Syracuse City Police has now reopened the case, and Syracuse University will cooperate fully. We are steadfastly committed ensuring that SU remains a safe place for every member of our campus community."

Later Thursday, Syracuse issued another statement: "In light of the new allegations and the Syracuse City Police investigation, this evening Chancellor (Nancy) Cantor asked Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross, to place Associate Head Coach Bernie Fine on administrative leave."

Messages were left for Fine and Boeheim.

A source told Outside the Lines that Syracuse police and a high-ranking member of the Syracuse University police met on Thursday to discuss the allegation by Davis.

Davis said that Fine molested him at Fine's home, at the basketball facilities at Syracuse, on recruiting road trips and even at the 1987 Final Four. Davis said he was Fine's constant companion at all those places. He said Boeheim would come into Fine's room, and see Davis lying on the Fine's bed, but never asked him any questions.

Davis said sexual contact with Fine continued until he was around 27.

Davis said he felt bitter emotions over the molestation as sex scandals have emerged in the Catholic Church and lately with former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Davis said he reported the abuse to Syracuse police in 2003, but that a detective told him that the statute of limitations had run out. Davis said the detective told him that if he knew of boys being molested by Fine at the time, that Syracuse police would investigate those allegations. Davis said he told the detective that he thought other boys were being molested but that he had only direct knowledge of Fine molesting him.

At the time, the Syracuse police chief was Dennis Duval, a former Syracuse basketball player. Duval, who retired in 2004, could not be reached for comment. He played at Syracuse from 1971 to 1974, and started with the Syracuse Police Department in 1978. Boeheim became the head coach at Syracuse in 1976, but began as a graduate assistant in 1969.

Outside the Lines investigated Davis's story in 2003 but decided not to run the story because there were no other victims who would talk, and no independent evidence to corroborate his story. In recent days, a second man contacted Outside the Lines with information alleging that Fine had also molested him. That man said he was inspired to talk after seeing news coverage of the Sandusky case.

Davis said he first met Fine in 1983 while selling candy in his neighborhood door to door. Davis said Fine lived about four blocks from his home. Davis lived with his mother and didn't have a father living with him. He said he soon began to regard the generous Fine as a father figure.

He said Fine was nice to him and invited him over to his house. Davis said that Fine eventually made him a Syracuse ball boy. Davis said he would travel with Fine to events such as the Big Orange Basketball camp. Once, during the summer before his seventh grade year, he stayed over with Fine before the start of camp. That's when the abuse began, he said.

"I would go on recruiting trips with him, stay in hotels with him," Davis told ESPN in 2003. "I stayed in many hotels with him. At the (1987) Final Four. I would get there a day earlier than Laurie (Fine's wife) and the kids sometimes and we'd spend the night all alone in a hotel room many times."

He said that Boeheim knew he was traveling on the road and sleeping in Fine's room.

"Boeheim saw me with Bernie all the time in the hotel rooms, on road trips," Davis said. "He'd come in, and see me laying in the bed, kind of glance at me like, 'What are you doing here?' But he wouldn't say that. He'd just scowl. And I would look at him like, I'd be nervous. I felt embarrassed 'cause I felt stupid that I'm there. I'm not supposed to be here. I know it, and Boeheim's not stupid."

Davis said the abuse occurred several times at Manley Fieldhouse, where Syracuse used to play basketball games and the team had offices.

Davis's mother, Cathy Pitts, said Thursday she didn't know about any of the allegations until he did an interview with ESPN in 2003.

"I was very upset," she said of learning of the allegations then. "I wished I knew when he was little. I would have done something then. There was nothing I could do after the fact. He was older. He said he got it together, and he talked to a priest and got all kinds of guidance and counseling. He said he's fine. I believe him. He seems to be fine."

She said when Davis was young, he "was with Bernie Fine quite a bit." She said he traveled with the team extensively, though she said he did not go on trips when an airplane flight was required because he didn't like to fly. The 1987 Final Four, where Davis said he went with Fine, was in New Orleans.

She said she was unaware he was talking about this in recent days. "I really think he wants to be left alone," she said.

Mark Schwarz is a reporter for ESPN's enterprise unit. Artie Berko is a producer. ESPN.com's Mike Fish and ESPN's Paula Lavigne also contributed to this report.


Eric D. Schwerin
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com

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