[I]t’s important to know that basketball is to Syracuse what football is to Penn State: a veritable religion and cash cow to boot. Further that legendary coach Jim Boeheim is to Syracuse basketball what legendary coach Joe Paterno was to Penn State football: a god worshiped like the Golden Calf.
Now consider that the accused Bernie Fine (pictured right) was to Boeheim (left) what the accused Jerry Sandusky was to Paterno; namely, his most trusted friend and assistant coach for the past 35-plus years.
Just as it was with Sandusky, facts are emerging which indicate that Fine (66) is a serial abuser of little boys: Sandusky used a camp he founded for troubled boys as a veritable harem for his pedophile exploits; whereas, Fine used a continually refreshed squad of ball boys from the men’s basketball team for his.
(First Penn State, now Syracuse embroiled in child sex-abuse scandal, The iPINIONS Journal, November 29, 2011)
William Fitzpatrick, the district attorney investigating allegations of child sex abuse against Fine, held a news conference a week ago today to announce his profound regret that the statute of limitations prevents him from filing charges:
Bobby, I’m sorry it took so long. I wish I had met you as a prosecutor in 2002. Even more importantly, I wish I had met you as a prosecutor back in the 1980s. We wouldn’t be here today…
On almost every single criteria (sic), Bobby Davis came out as a credible person.
(Associated Press, December 7, 2011)
Frankly, “sorry” seems a poor excuse for justice in this case. As a practicing attorney, I understand his legal argument, but I profoundly disagree with his professional decision. Not least because the pursuit of justice should have compelled Fitzpatrick to at least convene a grand jury to force Fine to either tell the truth or lie under oath.
If he told the truth, that public admission might have been vindication enough for his accusers. If he lied, Fitzpatrick could have had him arrested on perjury charges. And I have no doubt that, just like Martha Stewart, Fine would have ended up in prison – convicted not for committing the crimes alleged, but for lying about them.
Surely either outcome would have provided a greater sense of justice (and closure) — not just for Bobby, but for all of Fine’s other silent victims as well.
Frankly, as things stand, I smell a cover up. Indeed, Fitzpatrick betrayed his institutional bias in favor of sweeping this sordid affair under the carpet by going out of his way to rebuke those of us who have made comparisons — not just between Fine and Sandusky, but also between school officials at Syracuse and Penn State. Specifically, he said that there was no cause for the head coach and chancellor in this case to be fired the way they were at Penn State.
But, with all due respect to Fitzpatrick, this is a decision not for the district attorney, but for Syracuse University’s board of trustees to make. And I hope they follow the trustees at Penn State, and do the right thing….
In any case, Fine may escape the jail house, but he won’t escape the poor house. Because Bobby and other victims are lining up to sue him for every cent he’s got.
Related commentaries:
First Penn State, now Syracuse…
Joe Paterno ain’t no hero…