How worried should Syracuse fans be now that Jim Boeheim’s comments against Bobby Davis and Mike Lang will be reopened in court? Hard to say right now. Originally Boeheim’s statements that the two former ballboys were liars and just looking for money were thrown out because they were seen as mere opinion, not based in fact. Now, they’re being seen as more than that:
The slander suit has been reinstated, which is peculiar timing since we seem on the verge of finding out what the NCAA investigation dug up. Is it possible info has leaked on that front, and influenced the courts to reverse field on Boeheim?
The state Court of Appeals unanimously yesterday¬†overturned a lower court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Davis and Lang. They have¬†accused Boeheim of slandering them in 2011 over¬†claims that Bernie Fine molested them when they were SU ball boys.
Boeheim has always been sharp of tongue, and it has brought him plenty of critics. He was definitely in a defensive posture when he made the comments, the program was under siege, and it was the middle of a very volatile time in the wake of the Penn State scandal.
But it would seem the bigger problem would be the NCAA findings, which have fostered dread inside the SU inner circle. There are more than a few people close to the program that fear the NCAA could hand down major punishment. If these findings end up punishing the Orange, and have led to Boeheim being dragged to court, it’s the ultimate double-whammy for SU hoops.
Posted: D.A.
One response to “Is Boeheim’s Slander Case Connected to the NCAA Investigation at Syracuse?”
DA, this case probably won’t get past summary judgment, and if it does, SU will enter into a confidential settlement with the plaintiffs. There’s no connection between this decision and the NCAA committee on infractions hearing that is upcoming. However, the NCAA itself has a dilemma. How do they come down on SU when they went so light on Miami due in part to their botching the investigation? Furthermore, how do they hammer SU when UNC, a sacred cow, has apparently been engaged in the longest running, most far reaching academic fraud scandal in NCAA history. The UNC situation is so bad I think the AD and Ole Roy will be gone in 2 years. Bottom line, if the NCAA tries to hammer SU, SU will go to court to challenge the NCAA’s monopoly, and their inconsistent enforcement structure and their inconsistent punishment structure. After how amateurish the NCAA wonks came off in the O’Bannon case, the NCAA has zero desire for further litigation. That is part and parcel of why the Penn State sanctions were commuted. These are scary times, and I suspect about 15 wins from 2012 will be vacated, the Big East regular season title forfeited, and money returned, but I doubt they put SU on a postseason ban, and reduce basketball scholarships by more than one. Furthermore, SU has taken corrective action on the academic front, and the NCAA has historically lessened penalties when that is done. The same is true of Fab. Had he played in the 2012 tournament, I think SU’s outlook would be worse.