Syracuse, NY (Sports Network) - Two more accusations of abuse against longtime
Syracuse assistant men's basketball coach Bernie Fine emerged on Sunday.
A third person has accused Fine of sexually abusing him as a child, while
Fine's wife expressed concerns about her husband's actions in a 2002 phone
call with an alleged victim who was previously known.
The Post-Standard reported Sunday that a 23-year-old Maine resident, Zach
Tomaselli, told Syracuse police on Wednesday that Fine molested him in 2002 in
a Pittsburgh hotel room. Tomaselli was 13 at the time.
Also on Sunday, ESPN reported that Laurie Fine admitted she had concerns her
husband molested a Syracuse ball boy in their home.
That October 8, 2002 phone call was legally recorded by Bobby Davis, according
to ESPN.
Davis accused Fine of molestation earlier this month, telling ESPN's "Outside
the Lines" that he was molested by the coach for more than 12 years beginning
in 1983, before he was in the seventh grade.
Davis reported it to Syracuse police in 2003, but was told by a detective the
statute of limitations had run out. Several news organizations investigated
Davis' allegations at the time but could not find a second source or
supporting evidence to verify the claims, and never ran the story.
A 2005 investigation by Syracuse fizzled out after the accuser's story could
not be corroborated.
ESPN said it spoke to a second man who said he was also molested by Fine
around the same time, but some -- including Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim --
criticized the alleged victim because he is a relative of Davis.
Fine, who is in his 35th season at the university and was placed on
administrative leave, released a statement last week denying those
allegations.
But ESPN's report Sunday quotes Laurie Fine telling Davis, "I know everything
that went on with him ... Bernie has issues, maybe that he's not aware of, but
he has issues."
She also told Davis, "I think there might have been others but it was geared
to ... there was something about you," according to the report.
ESPN obtained the phone call from Davis in 2003 and used a voice-recognition
expert to verify the voice on the tape matches that of Laurie Fine. It did not
report the phone call then because of a lack of corroboration.
But the tape includes several explosive comments from Laurie Fine, who said
her husband was in denial and added, "he thinks he's above the law." She also
said "he needs ... that male companionship that I can't give him," and
admitted to having a relationship with Davis when he was in high school.
ESPN said that during the phone call, Davis described how he asked Bernie Fine
for money to help pay off student loans. He said the coach used physical force
in trying to make Davis perform sexual acts, and used the money as leverage.
That report wasn't the only one to surface Sunday.
According to the Post-Standard, Tomaselli signed a police affidavit Wednesday
accusing Fine of molesting him in the hotel room the night before Syracuse
played Pittsburgh.
Tomaselli also alleged Fine invited him to a party at his house after another
Syracuse game, and described Fine's house in detail, according to the police
statement.
The paper said Tomaselli was interviewed by Syracuse police for more than four
hours on Wednesday. It added that his allegations prompted federal authorities
to search Fine's house on Friday.
But the paper also quoted Tomaselli's estranged father, Fred, as saying his
son is a lair. Fred Tomaselli denied his sons claims about traveling with the
Syracuse team and going to a party at Fine's house.
Zach Tomaselli is facing sexual assault charges in Maine, involving a 14-year-
old boy, the Post-Standard said.
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