Bernie Fine Placed On Administrative Leave, Syracuse Investigated Allegations In 2005

After Bobby Davis, a former Syracuse Orange ball boy, alleged that longtime assistant head coach Bernie Fine molested him over the course of 12 years starting in 1983, Syracuse University acted on the accusation in 2005.

According to them, they found no evidence of wrongdoing.

"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

Despite standing behind Fine, the university did place him on administrative leave pending this new investigation.

Now, just because they've removed him from his job doesn't necessarily mean he is guilty. As you might have seen in the last week at Penn State, people accused of such monstrosities don't do well in the court of public opinion. It's the right move to remove Fine from University events and the entire campus while this plays out.

However it plays out.