What happens on the court this year for Syracuse college basketball is really trivial and trite compared to what’s going on for the Orange off of it. Anyone who isn’t mentally slow or a boring, two-dimensional stick figure is aware that Jim Boeheim has much more important things to deal with right now than hoops. Bringing justice against the molesting of children, which occurred within his program and during his regime is a million times more important than anything a scoreboard or the Big East standings have to say this year.
Unlike Penn State, Syracuse University has handled the situation and damage control reasonably well.
Except for Boeheim of course, who looks like an egomaniacal loose cannon after he attacked the alleged victims, accusing them of lying/opportunism. That’s why he needs to calculate his next public move very carefully. Hence the silence yesterday.
Boeheim ran a closed practice Monday as sex abuse victims’ advocates wondered whether Boeheim deserves to keep his job. He is rightfully receiving a ton of criticism for his initial support of Fine and the verbal attacks he made on the accusers. So he avoided the press after practice and stayed in his office instead, likely contemplating his next statement, because he knows that if he screws that one up- his job could be the next casualty.
From the AP
Boeheim, who had been sharply critical of the accusers, has softened his stance 10 days after an impassioned defense of Fine, who spent 35 seasons on the bench next to Boeheim and was fired Sunday.
The Rev. Robert Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery, a group that supports victims of sexual abuse, said the dismissal of Bernie Fine was appropriate but didn’t go far enough.
“I think Jim Boeheim should be fired or resign as well,” Hoatson said Monday. “These boys were members of the basketball program. Jim Boeheim’s responsibility is to oversee that program, and the children were not safe on his watch.”
We’re a long way from painting Syracuse with the “lack of institutional control” brush that cane be applied in multiple coats on Penn State. However, there is a case to dismiss Boeheim right now, and if he doesn’t explain himself further, and soon, the case will only get stronger. It’s his program, he’s the captain of the ship- when it takes on a lot of water, you know it usually only means one thing.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Walter Football.com, and Yardbarker
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.