1963

Bernie Fine and Jim Boeheim meet when Fine was a student manager and Boeheim was a freshman on the Syracuse University men’s basketball team.

1967

Fine graduates from SU and goes into business. Fine and Boeheim remain friends.

1976

Boeheim, now head coach of the men’s basketball team at SU, hires Fine as an assistant coach. Fine has been a part of the Syracuse basketball program since then. He primarily works with SU’s centers, mentoring SU greats such as Roosevelt Bouie, Rony Seikaly, Etan Thomas and Arinze Onuaku.

2002

Bobby Davis, a former ball boy, accuses Fine of molesting him for more than a dozen years, beginning in 1984 when he was in the seventh grade. Davis reports the abuse to the Syracuse Police Department but is told the statute of limitations ran out. The abuse was said to have occurred at Fine’s home, at the Syracuse basketball facilities and on road trips. Dennis Duval, a former Syracuse basketball player, is the police chief at the time of the report.

2005

SU officials launch their own investigation after an adult male reported inappropriate conduct by an associate men’s basketball coach to SPD. The nearly four-monthlong investigation includes a number of interviews with people who Davis said would support his claims. All of those identified by the complainant deny any knowledge of wrongful conduct by the associate coach, SU officials said. The associate coach also vehemently denies the allegations.

Nov. 17

SPD reopens the investigation against Fine due to new molestation allegations from Davis, who is now 39. Davis’ stepbrother, Mike Lang, also comes forward to ESPN, claiming he was a victim of sexual abuse by Fine. In light of the new allegations and the investigation, Fine is placed on administrative leave. Boeheim gives Fine his full support and says the allegations are unfounded.

Nov. 18

Chancellor Nancy Cantor sends out an email to students describing the past accusations against Fine and what the university is currently doing about it. Fine publicly denies all allegations in a statement that afternoon, and Boeheim announces the promotion of graduate assistant Gerry McNamara to the coaching staff.

Nov. 19

Syracuse police and Department of Public Safety officers are present at the men’s basketball game against Colgate, but neither SPD nor DPS can be reached to determine whether there was an increased presence in light of the Fine allegations.

Nov. 21

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announces that SPD will not release information as it arises during its investigation of the allegations against Fine. Miner says SPD will complete its investigation fully and then turn its findings in their entirety over to the appropriate authorities and answer questions at the appropriate time. Miner says the investigation will be published as a whole rather than piece by piece because ‘any comments about specifics of the investigation while it is ongoing would be premature and irresponsible.’ In light of the molestation allegations, SU seeks help from public relations consultant Paul Verbinnen, president and co-founder of Sard Verbinnen & Co. and a 1979 SU alumnus.

Nov. 23

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick criticizes the way SPD has handled its investigation of Fine at a press conference. Fitzpatrick accuses Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton of criminally ‘leaking’ a witness affidavit in the case to try to embarrass the prosecutor’s office. He also accuses Fowler of using new procedures to restrict access to all reports in possession of the police from the prosecution and insinuated that police officials may have vandalized one of his investigator’s cars.

Nov. 25

Police search the Fines’ DeWitt home Friday afternoon. After more than six hours of digging, officers rolled out three filing cabinets, which were covered in tape that read ‘Evidence,’ and loaded them onto the back of a truck.

Nov. 26

A third person accuses Fine of sexual molestation. Zach Tomaselli, 23, of Lewiston, Maine, told Syracuse police he was molested by Fine in a hotel the night before SU played an away game against Pittsburgh in 2002. Tomaselli, who was 13 at the time, said nobody witnessed the alleged abuse and he has no physical evidence of the abuse happening. Tomaselli faces sexual assault charges of his own against a 14-year-old boy in Maine. Fred Tomaselli says in a phone interview Sunday that he never met Fine or allowed his son to attend the Pittsburgh game in 2002.

Fred Tomaselli says his son was a victim of abuse by a neighbor when he was growing up. Instead of seeking help, Fred Tomaselli said, his son became a predator and ‘master liar and manipulator.’

Nov. 27

Fine is fired at the decision of Chancellor Nancy Cantor.

Compiled by Liz Sawyer, asst. news editor, egsawyer@syr.edu 

Published on November 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm