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When it comes to details emerging in the Bernie Fine Scandal, I've turned into Heather at the end of the Blair Witch Project. I'm scared to close my eyes, I'm scared to open them. Seems every time I do either, some terrible new fact or accusation has emerged.
Let's start with Syracuse’s former police chief and ex-Syracuse University basketball player Dennis DuVal, who is officially in all kinds of deep s*** now that current Police Chief Frank Fowler has announced that DuVal knew about the initial allegations in 2002.
Fowler's entire transcript is here, but it's this bit in particular that has everyone rankled:
Det. Fox notified his supervisor in the Abused Persons Unit and it was decided that unless the victim met with the detective or the victim was able to provide names of other victims, then an investigation would not be initiated. The Syracuse Police Chief at that time, Dennis DuVal, was made aware of the allegations against Bernie Fine. Due to the fact that no investigation was started, Det. Fox did not prepare any formal reports.
DuVal retired as police chief in August 2004 and was a well-known basketball player for the Orange between 1972 and 1974. He was named to the Syracuse All-Century Team, inducted into the Syracuse Hall of Fame in 1994, received the Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence in 1984, and was named a Letterwinner of Distinction in 1997.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said his office was never told that DuVal knew about the initial accusation and one has to wonder if this is what the whole delay in disseminating information was about.
Fitzpatrick admitted that he is friends with DuVal, though he also made it clear that he never knew anything before this most recent round of allegations.
"If someone had told me in '02, or '92, or '82, that Bernie Fine was a suspected child molester, don't you think that I would remember that? And that it would color my opinion of the guy? And I would look at him and say 'Oh my God?' and that type of thing? So that didn't happen," Fitzpatrick said.
Easy, Fitzpatrick. Why does it seem like he goes into every conversation like someone is picking a fight with him?