It's bad enough when victims of abuse, bullying and
other personal crimes are afraid to come forward,
because of shame or fear, but the problem gets even
more painful when there is doubt involved. We have
just been through a couple of weeks were some very
big names have been shamed, whether through they own
doing or lack of doing, and now comes another.
Syracuse University has been dragged into the muck
much like Penn State was this week, and in the interim
there have been other schools and institutions that
have been exposed. Even the Citadel recently admitted
that they may have handled a previous issue of sexual
misconduct improperly, and there are countless others
that don't even make national headlines when something
like the Penn St story isn't floating around. Just
last week I read a story that I had never heard of
before until Jeff Passan of Yahoo sports did a piece on
it, and it involved the Boston Red Sox. According to
Passan it was only news in Massachusetts and Florida
where the child abuse occurred, hardly a national stage.
Syracuse much like Penn State is not located in a big
city, and the Basketball coach much like Penn State's
Football coach is almost God like, in that they have
been there for what seems like forever, have squeaky
clean reputations, and are winners on and off the field.
That may be where the similarities regarding the recent
news ends though. Boeheim unlike Paterno has come out
very loud and very vehemently denying all charges.
Boeheim even went as far to say "I am not Joe Peterno..."
in a statement, when going on to say that if he knew,
he would have said something, and that this is a pack
of "...a thousand lies". I admire Boeheim for this,
especially if he's telling the truth, and I believe he
is. I've been waiting for Paterno to do the same, but
every case is different and I believe there is alot more
muck involved in the Sandusky case than there is in the
Bernie Fine case, and yet, I like you sometimes don't
know what to believe. I saw the "Outside the Lines"
video interviewing both the accuser and the his step
brother who claims that there was some abuse with him
as well, but he stopped it much sooner. I also give
Jim Boheim credit for something else in his statement,
he said that right now he doesn't have any reason not to
support Bernie Fine, if he had reason to not support him,
he wouldn't support him, he also goes on to say that if
he saw something he would have reported it. He has been
strong and adamant in his statements, and unless he is
being duped as well, which is very well possible, then
someone is being very wronged here, victim or accused,
very wronged.
Watch the video, see for yourself. I'm no expert, but as
I stated earlier in my radio show: "these guys are either
real good liars, crazy, or they're telling the truth",
I just don't know, but this is getting ugly and I hope it
doesn't keep real victims from coming forward or real
abusers from being caught.
Tweet Thank You Al Davis !
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