Report: Syracuse assistant molested boys

SYRACUSE -- Two former Syracuse University ball boys say they were molested for years by an assistant basketball coach at the school, ESPN reported Thursday.

Syracuse has placed longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine on administrative leave "in light of the new allegations and the Syracuse City Police investigation," the school said.

One man, now 39, tells ESPN that Fine molested him beginning in 1984 and that the sexual contact continued until he was about 27. A ball boy for six years, the first man to go public told ESPN the alleged abuse occurred at Fine's home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips, including the 1987 Final Four.

The first man's stepbrother also told ESPN that Fine molested him starting when he was in fifth or sixth grade. The stepbrother, now 45, also was a ball boy.

Syracuse police say they are investigating allegations of child molestation.

"We are in the very early stages of an investigation," Sgt. Tom Connellan told The Post-Standard in Syracuse.

Connellan told the newspaper that police received information on the case Thursdaybut would not say who provided the information.

Phone calls by The Associated Press to the police were not immediately returned.

Fine is in his 35th season as an assistant to Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim. After a reporter knocked on the doors of the homes of Fine and Boeheim, he was told neither was home.

Boeheim said in a statement: "This matter was fully investigated by the University in 2005 and it was determined that the allegations were unfounded. I have known Bernie Fine for more than 40 years. I have never seen or witnessed anything to suggest that he would been involved in any of the activities alleged. Had I seen or suspected anything, I would have taken action. Bernie has my full support."

ESPN said it first investigated the accusations in 2003 but decided not to run the story because there was no independent evidence to corroborate the allegations. Recently, a second man contacted ESPN, alleging that Fine also molested him.

The Post-Standard reported it also investigated the accuser's allegations in 2003 but did not publish the story because it did not have a second person to confirm the accuser's account.

The resurfacing of the accusations arrived on the heels of the Penn State case in which former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is accused of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.

-- AP