Syracuse, N.Y. – The fourth accuser to come forward in the sexual molestation allegations against former Syracuse men's basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine has admitted to lying.
Floyd VanHooser, currently in state prison, wrote a letter obtained by the Syracuse Post-Standard and said he was never abused by Fine as a child. He said he made up the lies about Fine in part as revenge because the former coach would not hire a lawyer to help with his latest criminal action.
The Post-Standard said it received copies of two letters dated November 29 and mailed to Fine.
"I am writing this of my own free will," VanHooser's letter published in the paper began. "I need to right a wrong. In a statement I gave I told a lot of lies about Bernie Fine. None of what I said was true. Bernie has been nothing but good to me over the years. He was the only thing I had close to a father. He never did any thing wrong he is a good man. I'll testify in court if needed to."
Fine, who had been Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim's top assistant since 1976 before his firing in November, has been accused of molesting two former ball boys and another boy said to have accompanied Fine on a Syracuse road trip.
On December 7, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick called two of the accusers credible, but also said the statute of limitations had passed and his office could not file charges.
Fitzpatrick said he believed Bobby Davis and Mike Lang were both credible in their accusations against Fine, who was fired on November 27 in the wake of the allegations. Fine has denied any wrongdoing.
The case involving Zach Tomaselli, the third accuser, was in the hands of federal authorities because the alleged abuse occurred outside of Onondaga County.
Fitzpatrick had indicated during his December 7 press conference that the fourth accuser's story was not credible.
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