Syracuse fires Fine

[The Funster]

So one of the accusers has an incriminating recorded convervation with Fine's wife that never surfaced during the 2005 investigation but ESPN supposedly had a copy since 2003? Something is not right.

 

[Sportsman5]

I believe ESPN has had the tape since 2002-2003

 

[zls44]

Syracuse's new fight song:

 

[Vowelguy]

So one of the accusers has an incriminating recorded convervation with Fine's wife that never surfaced during the 2005 investigation but he makes it available now? Something isn't right. My guess is Davis was blackmailing Fine and then when the Penn State thing broke, Davis probably figured he was done with that chump change and now he can get a big payday.

I believe the police had the tape in 2002. And ESPN too.

 

[upstater]

I believe the police had the tape in 2002. And ESPN too.

And so did the Syracuse Post-Standard. If you read the transcript of the tape, it's pretty damning.

 

[Vowelguy]

And so did the Syracuse Post-Standard. If you read the transcript of the tape, it's pretty damning.

Yeah, which makes it all the more bizarre that no one did anything then. Be very curious to hear Post-Standard and ESPN's explanation for that.

 

[upstater]

Yeah, which makes it all the more bizarre that no one did anything then. Be very curious to hear Post-Standard and ESPN's explanation for that.

What could they do? It was reported to the police (with a police chief that was an ex-Syracuse basketball player) and DA (very connected with Cuse bigwigs).

What do you expect them to do when the authorities brush it off?

It's apparent from his wife's words that Fine thought he was protected, a bigshot. Not only that, he apparently choked Davis in front of many witnesses at Manley Field House, and Davis threatened that he was going to let the cat out of the bag. Fine said, "Go ahead. Do what you gotta do."

Ms. Fine was one of the witnesses who called Davis a liar during the 2005 investigation by Syracuse University. You have to wonder what the investigators were thinking when they interviewed her and asked her those questions. I also have to wonder if Davis ever offered them the videotape. The school claims Davis never provided it, but who knows if he offered it and it might have been rejected.

A few years ago, when Graham Spanier at PSU was offered a tape of a conversation between a man who had been molested by a professor at PSU when he was a child, responded that he didn't want to hear the tape. Seems as though this is standard procedure in such situations, that people in charge do not want to see evidence. If you have evidence, go to the authorities... otherwise... see ya.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

What was the cause of Fine's termination? Leads me to believe someone found something?

 

[Vowelguy]

What could they do? It was reported to the police (with a police chief that was an ex-Syracuse basketball player) and DA (very connected with Cuse bigwigs).

What do you expect them to do when the authorities brush it off?

Uhhh .... they could report it.

Isn't that their job? To be a check on government, and powerful institutions?

 

[The Funster]

What could they do? It was reported to the police (with a police chief that was an ex-Syracuse basketball player) and DA (very connected with Cuse bigwigs).

What do you expect them to do when the authorities brush it off?

ESPN should have done what they did recently: make it public. My God, the only reason they made it public now was because after the Penn State scandal broke coaches-as-sexual-molesters stories are red hot. The Post-Standard probably didn't want to break it because they were convinced not to. ESPN probably didn't go public because they figured the story wouldn't have enough legs.

If the authorities brush it off, it's almost imperative that you break it yourself.

 

[upstater]

ESPN should have done what they did recently: make it public. My God, the only reason they made it public now was because after the Penn State scandal broke coaches-as-sexual-molesters stories are red hot. The Post-Standard probably didn't want to break it because they were convinced not to. ESPN probably didn't go public because they figured the story wouldn't have enough legs.

If the authorities brush it off, it's almost imperative that you break it yourself.

Good points.

 

[upstater]

What was the cause of Fine's termination? Leads me to believe someone found something?

The tape.

 

[ctchamps]

ESPN should have done what they did recently: make it public. My God, the only reason they made it public now was because after the Penn State scandal broke coaches-as-sexual-molesters stories are red hot. The Post-Standard probably didn't want to break it because they were convinced not to. ESPN probably didn't go public because they figured the story wouldn't have enough legs.

If the authorities brush it off, it's almost imperative that you break it yourself.

My wife and I agree with you. ESPN, in our opinion had a moral obligation to do more and didn't. I expect that other media outlets will latch onto this and the public outcry will be significant.

 

[RS9999X]

The Post Standard released a detailed account of the 2002 investigation. Corroboration was a big problem. They invested some serious time and money trying to get the facts straight.

Worth reading if you think the Post-Standard covered it up. If charges were filed they could run with that. Without charges and without corroboration they had nothing except doubt that the story was true.

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion//print.html

 

[RS9999X]

If Laurie Fine had come out at the time and said "Yeah we were both sleeping with the guy. It was kink heaven!" then this would have gone public 8 years ago. Her denial didn't help advance the investigation and one of the others who denied in 2002 was Mike Lang the second accuser this time around

.>> Two Post-Standard reporters attempted to interview Laurie Fine at her home Feb. 10, 2003 about the taped conversation. She acknowledged she had the phone conversation with Davis. She confirmed portions of the tape are accurate, but denied saying other statements on the tape.

Laurie Fine suggested in that interview that Davis had taped her on multiple occasions and edited the recordings to create a phony tape. <<

Thne there was Davis' Mother : >> Cathy Pitts, said Thursday she didn't know about any of the allegations until he did an interview with ESPN in 2003. "I was very upset," she said of learning of the allegations then. "I wished I knew when he was little. I would have done something then. There was nothing I could do after the fact. <<

 

[freescooter]

Seems to me that the newspaper and ESPN were in a pretty difficult position. You can't just go with unsubstantiated rumors. Adn since this matter had been reported to the police who should have acted and the University which at least made some attempt to act, and nobody was able to get anyone to coroberate the accusations, they really couldn't do too much. You can't ruin a guy's life on the basis of what was little more than a rumor. If you suspect there might be something to the story, you just keep at it. To me the police are the ones who screwed this up, not ESPN, not the Post-dispatch, and not even Syracuse University. None of those other entities have the ability to condut the types of investigations that the Syracuse PD can and should have conducted.

 

[The Funster]

But when you have a legally taped, incriminating phone conversation, that's news. How ESPN didn't make that tape public is incomprehensible, IMO.

 

[upstater]

But when you have a legally taped, incriminating phone conversation, that's news. How ESPN didn't make that tape public is incomprehensible, IMO.

There's more to come.

Cuse fans are saying police and the DA knew not only about the tape but about cases against Fine.

 

[Vowelguy]

None of those other entities have the ability to condut the types of investigations that the Syracuse PD can and should have conducted.

True.
But one of the news business's jobs is to make sure public institutions do their jobs.

 

[The Funster]

There's more to come.

Cuse fans are saying police and the DA knew not only about the tape but about cases against Fine.

Wow. Then the next question would be if the police/DA pressured ESPN to sit on the recording and why ESPN would acquiesce.

 

[upstater]

Wow. Then the next question would be if the police/DA pressured ESPN to sit on the recording and why ESPN would acquiesce.

That's what I'm wondering.

ESPN not only exposes itself to lawsuits but also trouble with the authorities.

That doesn't absolve them however, but if they don't back Davis 90%, if they themselves have doubts, they may hold back.

 

[bpear1600]

I'm beginning to wonder how commonplace this type of perverted behavior in sports actually is. I've never had any personal experiences but two coaches from my youth were later found to have abused kids and I can think of a couple of other suspects. That's just in one town of 50,000 people.

 

[Deadrody]

True.
But one of the news business's jobs is to make sure public institutions do their jobs.

Ha! As if. Not sure when that stopped being their mission, but it was a long, long time ago. Especially if you think part of that mission is to be objective and not worry yourself over WHO is going to be impacted by your reports. Worse yet ? Actually trying to drive public opinion. The media is probably as corrupt or moreso than any other aspect of government-public interaction.

 

[SouthTampaBill]

When Devendorf and Melo aren't assaulting their girlfriends and Paul Harris isn't beating the crap out of women, here's ...... ................Bernie!!!!!

Syracuse fans you can burn in hell

 

[bmayuc]

When Devendorf and Melo aren't assaulting their girlfriends and Paul Harris isn't beating the crap out of women, here's ...... ................Bernie!!!!!

Syracuse fans you can burn in hell

Well, this may be a bit much...