ESPN Sat on Molestation Tape Since 2002

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | November 28, 2011 | Rush Limbaugh

[Kaslin]

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RUSH: So this assistant basketball coach at Syracuse, this guy -- Fine is his name, Bernie Fine -- has been accused of sexually molesting boys and students for a whole bunch of years. It turns out that ESPN had a tape since 2002 with evidence. ESPN has sat on evidence for nine years because they say they couldn't corroborate it. On the tape the guy's wife cops to it, saying she witnessed it and a ball boy admits it. They say they couldn't corroborate it. I wonder if the coach's name had been Paterno if ESPN woulda sat on this for nine years. They're saying they couldn't corroborate it.

"Syracuse fired assistant coach Bernie Fine Sunday after a 2002 phone recording emerged in which Fine's wife told his accuser she was well aware that her husband had molested him. The tape had been in ESPN's possession since former team ball boy Bobby Davis legally recorded it nearly a decade ago, but the network said it didn't air it until Sunday, it said, because it didn't have corroboration. Two other men have also come forward to say Fine molested them since Davis first accused Fine. The accusations became public after Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was fired amid allegations he sexually abused young boys.

"Davis made the tape after a brief talk with police in 2002. His allegations, which he brought to ESPN and the Syracuse Post-Standard at the time, created a journalistic conundrum for both: They didn't know whether to report accusations that could be incredibly damaging to Fine, or to risk not exposing a child molester. Both news outlets opted not to report on the allegations, they said, because they couldn't find anyone to support Davis' account. Neither Davis nor ESPN passed on the tape to Syracuse University officials for an internal investigation of Fine in 2005. Syracuse chancellor Nancy Cantor noted in a statement Sunday that university officials did not have the tape at the time.

"'That is true. They did not have that tape in 2005,' ESPN's Mark Schwarz reported Sunday night. 'Bobby Davis did not know what to do with that tape. All he knew is that the Syracuse police had a cursory five-minute phone conversation with him in 2002. He then made the tape. He presented it to us. We didn't have a corroborating second alleged victim,'" and apparently no curiosity, either! Apparently no curiosity to find out anything further. But then the whole thing blew up when the coach's "wife told his accuser she was well aware that her husband had molested him." So the wife knew that this was all going on all this time!

As I say, I wonder if the coach's name were Paterno or if McNabb had been involved somehow, if ESPN woulda sat on the tape for nine years. It's really fascinating stuff. I mean, a lot of people are asking, "How do you sit on evidence like this for nine years and not have even any curiosity to find out if what you've got is a bombshell?" We're hearing all this holier-than-thou wringing of hands. "My God, the abuse of a child is going on, and nobody did anything about it! How could this coach possibly sit by?" This McQueary guy, the Penn State guy, "How could this McQueary guy let it go? How could he let it go on? How could he not stop it?" How could ESPN let it go on? How could they not take steps to stop it, corroborate it, or whatever? It's amazing.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: All right, this scandal now at Syracuse, the Bernie Fine scandal. For nine years a tape with evidence of sexual molestation of a young boy. Nine years. They said they couldn't corroborate it. For nine years they sat on it. Why not? Folks, there's this giant elephant in the room. It's the same thing happened at Penn State. Nobody wants to bring it up, nobody wants to talk about it, nobody's got the guts and the courage to talk about it, but it's there, and there's no question. You see how fast ESPN would have put out that tape if this Bernie Fine guy had said something questioning the media hype around Donovan McNabb. See how fast ESPN would have put that out if it was a young girl that was molested.

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[Scoutmaster]

No, Paterno was not at the meeting that McQueary had with Curley and Schultz.

However, McQueary first spoke with Paterno, the morning after he witnessed the anal rape. The Grand Jury presentment says that McQueary told Paterno what he saw. It doesn't say he told Paterno part of what he saw. Or that because of Paterno's age only told Paterno in general terms what he saw.

Whatever Paterno heard, it was bad enough that Paterno not only contacted Curley the next day, he summoned Curley, the Athletic Director, and Schultz, the Senior Vice President of Business and Finance to his (Paterno's house). Do you think McQueary was so shook up at seeing the defensive coordinator for the Penn State team he played for as QB, the man whose son he went to school with, and played touch football with (in the vacant lot next to Paterno's house) was so shook up that (a) he could tell his father in detail the night before, and (b) tell Curley and Schultz in detail - but not Paterno?

And given that Sandusky had played for Paterno and been a coach under him for 30 years - and his defensive coordinator for about 20, that Paterno wouldn't have asked?

And if Paterno only thought some fondling may have taken place, why would he have not only contacted Curley, but Schultz? And Curley and Schultz were Paterno higher-ups only on an organizational chart. Paterno hired Curley.

It's surprising too frequent that prosecutors choose not to seek indictments against certain figures. Having thoroughly considered the presentment, I believe Paterno was one of those individuals a prosecutor chose not to indict.