By Michael McAllister
With the developments today of a third accuser coming forward, and the recorded phone conversation between Laurie Fine and Bobby Davis, we still have many questions yet to be answered. It seems everyday this case gets stranger and stranger.
First regarding the third accuser, Zach Tomaselli. His accusations are similar to that of Bobby Davis. Bernie allegedly befriended Zach, and invited him to Syracuse basketball games with fantastic seats. Most young boys would be thrilled to have the Syracuse assistant coach give them such great seats. Zach also reportedly traveled with the team to a 2002 road game at Pittsburgh. That is where the molestation allegedly occurred. That's very similar to how Bobby Davis described some of his encounters. The main difference here is that Tomaselli said that was only a one time thing, which seems strange. Tomaselli's father also calls his son a liar, saying he never went on any trip to Pittsburgh with the team. It should also be noted that Tomaselli and his father are currently estranged. So that begs the question, is the father telling the truth, or trying to discredit a truthful son he is holding a grudge against? To add yet another strange layer to this, Tomaselli is currently going through his own sexual abuse accusations against a 14 year old boy in Maine, where he currently resides. So was Tomaselli inspired to come forward about a horrific experience? Or is he lying, as he father says, in an attempt to explain his own alleged wrong doing?
Then there's the recording of a phone conversation between Laurie Fine (Bernie's wife) and Bobby Davis. According to the ESPN report this morning on SportsCenter, ESPN obtained this recording from Davis when they initially interviewed him in 2003. The conversation was recorded on October 8, 2002. It also came out this morning that Bobby Davis and Laurie Fine had a sexual relationship as well, that started after Bobby turned 18. Davis claims he told Bernie about the affair, but Bernie seemed to not be phased by the news. The recording is damning. It certainly appears to implicate Bernie. But it does raise some valid questions. If ESPN had this recording in 2003, why didn't they run the story then? It certainly seems like an accuser with his wife validating the accusations is more than enough evidence. If ESPN had the recording, did the Post-Standard have it as well when they did their investigation in 2003? What about Syracuse University when they did their investigation in 2005? Did Bobby Davis provide either of them with the tape? If not, why did he provide it to ESPN but not the other two? If ESPN had it in 2003, why did they not turn it over to authorities at that point considering its content? The other question it raises is if ESPN wanted to wait until they had a second accuser, which they received in Michael Lang, why did they not release the tape when they first ran their story on Outside The Lines over two weeks ago? That seems strange as well. Some have suggested maybe it was to allow ESPN to piecemeal their evidence in order to gain ratings. Certainly that's a possibility. I'm not sure I really believe that's what's going on, but it can't be immediately dismisses as of yet.
The next part is in regards to Laurie Fine. She implicated herself in the recording. It sure sounds like she's saying she knew what was going on, and allowed it to continue without doing anything. That could be seen as aiding criminal activity, and she could be under investigation along with her husband. But it begs the question, during the recording, was she talking about molestation, or a sexual relationship between her husband and another man? She mentions Davis being a boy, but also mentions Fine needs male companionship, and that he was not interested in her and vice-versa. Then there's Laurie's alleged sexual relationship with Bobby Davis. That seems strange as well. Why was that not brought out until now? In the ESPN report this morning, it was stated that Davis knew if one person could prove his allegations, it was Laurie Fine. If that's the case, why did he not mention this during the investigations several years ago? Or, if he did, why did ESPN, the Post-Standard and Syracuse University not go speak to Laurie? Or did they and she denied any knowledge back then?
Finally we're brought to the search of Fine's house and the confiscated evidence taken by authorities. There were reportedly three filing cabinets taken from the house. Were these financial records? Could they contain possible "hush" money paid by Fine to the accusers? Or could it contain extortion attempts by the accusers against Fine? There was even a thought of electronic records that proved travel information or plane tickets purchased or hotel rooms? There's another thought that maybe there could be child pornography on Bernie's computer. Now that seems highly unlikely because if they found that, Bernie would already be in custody. And to this point he is not. But it's a valid question regarding what was found in the Fine's home.
Not to give credence to rumors, but it's worth noting, there are rumors that on Tuesday there's going to be more information coming out regarding the search in Fine's home, and further evidence in this case. It's not clear whether the evidence further implicates Fine, or exonerates him. If that's the case, why is that not being released now? Why wait? It still feels like there's something very odd about this investigation, and when things are coming out.
