Former player, SU trustee passionately defends Fine amid allegations
George Hicker, former Syracuse University men’s basketball player and a member of the SU Board of Trustees, rejected the idea that Thursday’s allegations against Bernie Fine are in any way accurate.
Fine, an associate head coach for the men’s basketball team, is accused of molesting two former ball boys, Bobby Davis and Mike Lang, according to an article published by ESPN on Thursday. The Syracuse Police Department is investigating the allegations against Fine. Fine is now on administrative leave.
‘I’ve been around him in every imaginable circumstance in life,’ Hicker said of Fine. ‘And there is no chance, no chance these allegations are right.’
Hicker played for the men’s basketball team from 1964-68. As a sophomore, Hicker played alongside then-senior SU head coach Jim Boeheim. Hicker said he has known both Boeheim and Fine, who was a student manager of the team at the time, for at least 45 years.
‘I know them. There’s no way this kind of stuff is going on,’ Hicker said. ‘Boeheim never saw anything, this guy is lying, and Bernie never did it.’
Hicker criticized ESPN for reporting on the investigation without having full knowledge of the facts, calling it ‘irresponsible journalism.’ What happened at the Pennsylvania State University is not similar to the events at SU, Hicker said.
‘It’s an entirely different situation at Penn Sate, where there was a grand jury investigation,’ Hicker said. ‘They only just initiated a police investigation here so it’s not even a comparable thing. They’re going to investigate it and then they’re going to drop it.’
When asked whether Hicker had spoken with Boeheim or Fine, Hicker didn’t provide comment. However, Hicker said he had spoken to a ‘tremendous amount of people’ after the news broke, many of whom played for both Fine and Boeheim. He described those he spoke with as ‘flabbergasted by the allegations’ and said no one believes the accusations to be true.
Hicker said he doesn’t know how long it will take for the allegations to die down, but hopes the situation will settle as soon as possible so that each party involved can move on.
Said Hicker: ‘Hopefully they can get to it quickly so that he can go back to his job and when he walks into the Carrier Dome he gets an ovation for what he’s meant to the school.’
Published on November 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm
