I think it's fine for JB to defend Bernie publicly, but calling out the accusers for lying is dangerous. JB can't know everything about Bernie, and even if there is only a slight chance the accusations are true, you have to play this with a little more nuance and sensitivity. I would prefer, "I don't believe Bernie did this, but we're aggressively investigating to get to the bottom of it." The tone struck by Nancy is the right one.
I think it's fine for JB to defend Bernie publicly, but calling out the accusers for lying is dangerous. JB can't know everything about Bernie, and even if there is only a slight chance the accusations are true, you have to play this with a little more nuance and sensitivity. I would prefer, "I don't believe Bernie did this, but we're aggressively investigating to get to the bottom of it." The tone struck by Nancy is the right one.
Yeah, there is the possibility for those quotes to end up looking back for JB. He said he's never been in Bernie's room before?
Or alternatively, JB is intimately familiar with the details of these allegations and Fine's involvement [or lack thereof] from the 2005 investigation, which is why he was so definitive.
Frankly, if these allegations are false and the accusers aren't credible, then JB's tone was the right one. Why equivocate?
But if any fraction of this proves to be true, JB made things 1000 times worse for himself and the program by being so pointed.
No, I think he was countering Davis's description about Boehiem coming to the door and seeing the boy in Bernie's room.
"He makes the point that he was around and traveling with the team," Boeheim said. "Not that I know of. I never saw him. He is quoted -- (that) I saw him in the room. I have never been in Bernie Fine's room in my life. That is an outright lie."
Good point. Let's hope JB is so confident in the results of the previous investigation that he can come out this strongly. It just seems to me that it would be hard to be 100% confident in these types of matters, and that a statement like the one he made carries far more risk than reward.
I think JB's quotes are great and he deserves a ton of credit for stepping up and saying in no uncertain language that their story is BS. JB is helping to put this whole mess in its' proper perspective. I don't believe these guys and I agree with JB that they are after money. JB contradicted their story that the kid was in Bernie's hotel room, etc. If any of this were true, JB would be on the hot seat, and his willingness to go to bat so strongly for Bernie shows how shaky these accusers are.Anyone read some of them in the ESPN story? They are very, very bold. Not saying that is good or bad, mind you.
Given what Tim Welch and the 1987 team manager had to say, I'm feeling more confident that it will be the former.
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I think JB's quotes are great and he deserves a ton of credit for stepping up and saying in no uncertain language that their story is BS. JB is helping to put this whole mess in its' proper perspective. I don't believe these guys and I agree with JB that they are after money. JB contradicted their story that the kid was in Bernie's hotel room, etc. If any of this were true, JB would be on the hot seat, and his willingness to go to bat so strongly for Bernie shows how shaky these accusers are.
Can you ellaborate on this, what did they say?
Everyone in the business and fans know that JB is a straight shooter. He wouldn't be so strong in his defense of Bernie if there were any truth to these allegations.He definitely deserves a lot of credit for it, assuming there is nothing to the story.
If he is exonerated I think Bernie has to keep his job, unless he chooses to leave. SU needs to take a stand and say that through the due process of the law, an employee, wrongfully accused, has been cleared and as such may resume his position with the team. Bernie may feel that he would rather slip away, which would be terrible, but in no way should he be fired from these allegations alone. That sets up a horrible precedent!!No doubt--he pushed all of his chips into the center of the table last night. He's either going to be spectacularly exonerated or perish in flames.
Given what Tim Welch and the 1987 team manager had to say, I'm feeling more confident that it will be the former.
But at the end of the day, this is a no-win situation. If the accusers really were molested, then they are tragic victims. And if it's false, then Bernie still loses his job and he's attached with a heinous stigma that will follow him for the rest of his life.
Exactly, and even if more people come out, JB has the right to his opinion. He believes in Bernie, says the kid is lying. I am not sure how he would ever been proven 100% right or wrong in this regard. Because the perception of this story is the story, we need to be firm now, as this will be its legacy.I don't care how many of you couch-critics analyze it, I like JB's quotes. Nobody knows what happens within the team more than he does and I trust him a hell of a lot more than some shady dude and his step-brother.
BTW, why can I still not create threads ... just polls that wont submit?
Everyone in the business and fans know that JB is a straight shooter. He wouldn't be so strong in his defense of Bernie if there were any truth to these allegations.