Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine’s claims of innocence in response to charges of sexual molestation brought against him by a former team ball boy are now in serious doubt.
New questions about the situation have come to light after an audio tape emerged containing his wife, Laurie, admitting she had concerns about her husband’s behavior.
Bernie, of course, has been publicly accused by former ball boy Bobby Davis of molestation that spanned many years.
Now, a new audio tape of a conversation between Laurie and Davis from October 8, 2002 shines a new light on who is telling the truth in this matter:
"I know everything that went on, you know," Fine said on the call, obtained by ESPN’s Outside the Lines from Davis. "I know everything that went on with him .. Bernie has issues, maybe that he's not aware of, but he has issues .. And you trusted somebody you shouldn't have trusted..
"Bernie is also in denial. I think that he did the things he did, but he's somehow through his own mental telepathy has erased them out of his mind."
"Do you think I'm the only one that he's ever done that to?" Davis asked.
"No .. I think there might have been others but it was geared to .. there was something about you," Fine said.
"Yeah, that's what I'm wondering," Davis said. "Like I'm wondering why I was like the worst one."
"I don't know," Fine said.
"Because I care about you, and I didn't want to see you being treated that way .. ," Fine said.
"Yeah," said Davis.
" And, it's hard .. " Fine said. "If it was another girl like I told you, it would be easy to step in because you know what you're up against. .. (When) it's another guy, you can't compete with that. It's just wrong, and you were a kid. You're a man now, but you were a kid then. …"
"You know, he needs .. that male companionship that I can't give him, nor is he interested in me, and vice versa."
Laurie also questioned Davis about the $5,000 Bernie gave him to pay off student loans.
"When he gave you the money, what does he want for that? He wants you to grab him or he wanted to do you?" she asked.
"He wanted to do me. He wanted me to touch him, too. He tried to make me touch him a couple of times. He'd grab my hand, and then I'd pull away, and then he'd put me in your bed, and then you know, put me down, and I'd try to go away, and he'd put his arm on top of my chest. He goes, 'If you want this money, you'll stay right here,' " Davis said.
"Right. Right .. ," Laurie Fine said. "He just has a nasty attitude, because he didn't get his money, nor did he get what he wanted. He didn't get .. "
Davis interrupted her at that point and said, "It's not about the money." To which Laurie Fine replied, "It's about the d---. I know that. So you're -- I'm just telling you for your own good, you're better off just staying away from him."
Neither Bernie nor Laurie has offered a public response to the audio tapes as of this moment.
On Sunday, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported that a third accuser has come forth and claimed that Bernie sexually abused him as a child.