Syracuse University community reacts to initial allegations against men’s basketball assistant coach

Allegations that men's basketball associate head coach Bernie Fine molested a former team ball boy have sparked surprised reactions on and around the Syracuse University campus.

"Wow," said Clarice Muron-Bendaoud, an undeclared sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. "Everybody was so worked up about Penn State; nobody imagined it would happen here."

The Syracuse police began investigating an allegation against Fine on Thursday. Fine is accused of molesting Bobby Davis, now 39, for more than 12 years starting in 1984. Athletic Director Daryl Gross put Fine on administrative leave Thursday night upon a request from Chancellor Nancy Cantor, according to a statement from Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs for the university.

Zach Ehler, a freshman accounting major, said this is just one of many stories that will emerge in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal.

"A lot more stories are going to come out after Sandusky," Ehler said. "We're just the first school it's happening to."

Davis reported the abuse to Syracuse police in 2003 but was told the statute of limitations had run out, according to an article published by ESPN.

SU launched its own investigation in 2005 after an unidentified male reported inappropriate conduct by an associate men's basketball coach to the Syracuse Police Department, according to the statement from Quinn. The university will fully cooperate with the police, the statement said.

Some students are skeptical of the situation, placing the responsibility on head coach Jim Boeheim.

"I'm not surprised," said Andreas Nicolos, an undeclared freshman in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. "I was telling my friend they shouldn't have named the court after Boeheim. You never know what will happen after he's gone."

Nicolos mentioned that Dennis Duval, Syracuse police chief at the time of the investigation, was a former SU men's basketball player under Boeheim. He said that fact definitely makes matters worse, and it isn't looking good for the credibility of the defense.

Upon immediately hearing the news, a group of men at Starbucks on Marshall Street carried varying opinions on the allegations surrounding Fine. Shpend Behrami, a Syracuse resident and Morrisville State College graduate, said Boeheim should not be in the limelight or receive harsh criticism.

"These are just allegations — that's not proof," Behrami said. "The heat shouldn't be on Boeheim if the school knew. They should be focused on the assistant coach. And where were the kid's parents if this was going on for so long?"

Dalmat Istogu, another at the table, agreed that Boeheim should not be blamed in this situation.

"His job is to coach and anything that happens outside of coaching is not his responsibility," said Istogu, a senior accounting major. "Other people have jobs to investigate that."

Whether or not the allegations are true, the simple fact that this news is breaking at SU to begin with is unfortunate, said Elizabeth Boyke, a junior musical theater major.

"I really love our school and for that misuse of trust to exist, it's just horrible," Boyke said. "Hopefully justice is seen for people who were doing wrong."

Aaron Duprey, a sophomore economics major, said this development could be devastating for the program and the university as a whole.

"But if someone knew something and didn't do anything, then it's a problem," Duprey said.

Zach Settembre, a former SU basketball student manager and senior public relations major, said the allegations against Fine are simply unexpected.

"Bernie Fine was first class with me, and I have absolutely never seen anything to suggest any of that," Settembre said. "He's a staple of Syracuse basketball and that is totally out of left field, so he's always been first class to me, he's helped me a lot as a young coach."

mainthia@syr.edu

—Asst. Sports Editor Mark Cooper contributed reporting to this article.