November 18th, 2011 
Zach Lowe 
Based on all those conversations during my four years at Syracuse, I find it very hard to believe the allegations that are being made against Bernie Fine. Of course, I don’t know the truth. And I would never want to impugn the integrity or motives of a possible victim of abuse. But all I know is what I know. And what I know from my personal experience is that Bernie Fine is a very generous and caring person. He was always looking out for my friends and me. He always wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. He was always our first call whenever we ever had any problems. And he never asked for anything in return.
I remember one time I was in his office going over some trivial fraternity issue and Hakim Warrick ducked his head in the door. I turned and saw who it was and gathered my stuff to let Bernie attend to real business. But no, Bernie told Hak he’d be with him in a minute. Right now, I was the most important person in the room.
It’s dizzying to see the speed at which information came out, even more so when it’s so close to home (and either wonderful or terrible that so many of those reporting are actually Syracuse alumni themselves – I can’t imagine how they’re handling this). As the story broke, I felt as if I was screaming at my Twitter feed to just slow down for one god damned second so I could get my thoughts together.
From the timeline of events, it certainly seems clear that this is no Penn State situation. When Syracuse was made aware of the allegations in 2005, it acted. A four-month investigation yielded nothing. The Syracuse Post-Standard looked into the issue earlier and like ESPN, found nothing to corroborate the allegations of the alleged victim.
I guess I am proud by how Syracuse has handled this situation since the story broke. It communicated quickly and clearly. It took the necessary step of placing Bernie Fine on administrative leave – the best move for all concerned. And this all comes the day after SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor sent a letter to the SU community about what to do in the event abuse like that at Penn State is witnessed.
In the days, weeks and months ahead, the truth will come out. Until then, we wait. We let the facts come out. We do not jump to conclusions. We do not pass judgement. There will be plenty of time for that.
I hope with every fiber of my being that these allegations are not true and that the Bernie I knew yesterday is the same as the one today.
But right now, all I can be is sad. Sad for Bernie. Sad for his family. Sad for the alleged victims.
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I am *so* glad that you posted this..as a 2002 grad (married to a 2003 grad), Syracuse basketball is a huge part of my life. I’m really struggling with what reaction to have — I want the investigation to be completed fully, so that we ALL know the facts.
But given what I know about the SU program, it’s impossible for me to believe that so many smart people could have ignored or blown off legitimate claims.
Thanks for your perspective.
Thanks, Katy. I think a lot of folks are finding themselves in the same place as you and me.
The whole thing is pretty upsetting. As a loyal Syracuse fan and graduate, I find it hard to believe, but I also found the Penn State situation hard to believe until more facts came out (Grand Jury report, etc.). As a fan base (and to greater extent, society), we need to wait and see, which in this day and age of social media is nearly impossible.
At the end of the day, someone is going to jail and I just hope the judicial process gets it right.
I also thank you for publishing your thoughts. As a VERY proud SU Alum (MBA ’91) and an individual who had inside knowledge of the Duke Lacrosse Case a few years ago, I just feel we need to let things play out. This situation feels much like the Duke one did (a wild story but just no facts to support it). I think SU has handled it well so far and I’m even more proud today to be Orange because of that.
Well said Zach. As a member of said fraternity and a proud alumnus of SU it is difficult to convey the feeelings of confusion and shock at these allegations. My heart goes out to the victims and whatever suffering they have endured I hope is eased. However I do praise the SU administraion for acting quickly and decisively and respecitng all voices involved in this troubling situation. I hope that all involved are treated with the respect and understanding they deserve as members of the Syracuse community and as people.
All of this is horrifying… Is the real issue at hand the horrid interaction between Campus Police, City Police, and the University Administration on potentially horrific crimes/claims? How can there be such gray area in policing/policy coordination if an accusation occurs that allows a University to conduct an independent private investigation in lieu of the city Police or the District Attorney? Is this now why there is public, internal fighting between the DA and the City Police? In my view, for such serious charges, there should be little opportunity for anyone to feel that an investigation was biased or not thorough enough. Ultimately shouldn’t there be clear criteria for the accuser to demand police support or for the accused to file suit in response to protect his/her reputation if the accusations are found to be defamatory?