A Fine Mess!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim can blame former assistant Bernie Fine for the mess that he is in and he would be partially right in doing so. Just as Penn State’s Joe Paterno could blame Jerry Sandusky for what has happened to him.
But for Boeheim, like Paterno, blaming their former assistants for their falls from grace would only be half right.
Yes, if Fine and Sandusky had never committed the heinous crimes they are alleged to have committed, neither Boeheim nor Paterno would have been placed in the difficult situations that they were placed in. But the two head coaching legends were put in a difficult spot by their long-time assistants and how they handled their respective situations was downright disappointing.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWe already know just about all that we need to know about Joe-Pa and the alleged longtime cover-up in Happy Valley. How he and others in a position of power could simply look the other way or keep Sandusky’s crimes hush-hush is beyond me. Any decent human being would have done everything in his or her power to see to it that Sandusky was stopped immediately so that innocent young children could no longer be victimized. Paterno didn’t do this which is why his illustrious career came to such an abrupt and disappointing end.
And now there’s Jim Boeheim. Unlike Paterno, we think that Boeheim knew nothing about Fine’s alleged child molestation other than the 2002 investigations by ESPN, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Syracuse University and the Syracuse police all of which turned up nothing to suggest that Fine was guilty of any wrongdoing.
Boeheim’s big mistake, which may possibly bring his illustrious career to an abrupt and disappointing end, was in how he handled the most recent allegations made against his former assistant coach.
Boeheim attacked Fine’s accusers saying, “The Penn State thing came out, and the kid behind this is trying to get money. He’s tried before and now he’s trying again.” He went on to tell the Syracuse Post-Standard, “That’s what this is about, money.”
Boeheim also called the two alleged victims “liars” according to the newspaper.
No one could fault Boeheim for being fiercely loyal to a man that he has worked with for more than 35 years and considers a friend. We assume that he believed Fine to be innocent.
But Boeheim should have learned from the Penn State scandal that these types of allegations are taken quite seriously as no sane individual considers such acts to be okay. For that reason, he should have chosen his words much more carefully than he did back on November 18th.
Boeheim has always been a great coach, but he has also been a bully at times using his position of power and fame to belittle those who dare to question him or his players. Normally the media that covers the team is the subject of his wrath. This time, however, it was the alleged victims of child abuse.
Unlike the Penn State situation, Syracuse University finds itself with a difficult decision as to what to do with their legendary coach. Should they reprimand or even fire him? Or should they do nothing? Those are questions that will have to be answered very soon.
And as a Syracuse alumnus, I would hope that my alma mater is concerned less about the success that Boeheim has had over the years on the bench and more about whether or not they feel he represented the university properly when making their decision.
I would hate to see Jim Boeheim’s illustrious career come to such a disappointing end with his being fired. But I would have also liked to have seen him handle his support of Fine in a much more sensitive manner to the alleged victims and show some type of sensitivity to alleged child molestation.
Would it have killed Boeheim to say something along the lines of, “I have no knowledge of any wrong doing by my friend and long-time assistant Bernie Fine whom I fully support in his time of trouble. However, these are very serious allegations and this is a sensitive issue. And if we have learned anything from what has happened recently at Penn State, we need to take these allegations very seriously and wait until the appropriate time to cast judgement on any of the parties involved.”?
Had Jim Boeheim done that back on November 18th, he may not find himself on the hot seat today. But that’s where he is and no 2-3 zone will get him out of it.
-Boeheim did release a statement a few hours after Fine was fired by the university Sunday night which reads as follows:
"The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged. I believe the university took the appropriate step tonight. 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."
Too little, too late? Jim Boeheim certainly hopes not.
-One other question which begs to be answered is: why did Fine’s accuser wait until now to release an 2002 audio tape recording of a phone conversation he had with Fine’s wife, Laura, where she essentially admits that she knows of her husband’s abuse of him? If he wanted Fine charged back in 2002 when he first went to authorities and the media, why didn’t he hand over this crucial piece of evidence then?
-What’s worse is that Laura Fine is alleged to have had sex with the accuser, Bobby Davis, when he was 18 years old as well.
-A third man, Zach Tomaselli, told Syracuse police last week that he had also been abused by Fine back in 2002 when he was 13 years old. Tomiselli, now 23, currently lives in Lewiston, Maine where he is facing sexual assault charges involving a 14 year old boy. Tomaselli’s father, Fred, claims that his son is lying.
-The father of DeMatha's Jerami Grant says that his son remains committed to Syracuse despite the recent allegations against former assistant Bernie Fine. 6'-9" Jamesville-Dewitt center Dajuan Coleman (ranked 19th in the class of 2012 by rivals.com) said that he will wait to see how things play out before making a decision as to whether or not he will honor his commitment to SU.
