Bernie Fine will not be charged by Federal Prosecutors after a year-long investigation into child abuse allegations, the US Attorney’s Office announced on Friday morning.
“The nature and seriousness of these allegations, which involved conduct typically committed in private with individuals who are reluctant to come forward, warranted a thorough federal investigation,” United States Attorney Hartunian said.
Over the past year, investigators had looked through more than 100,000 pages of documents and spoken to more than 130 witnesses while working with multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies. That investigation didn’t warrant sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.
» Related: Laurie Fine takes legal action against ESPN
Still, prosecutors said this wasn’t a confirmation, one way or the other, of what actually happened, only that there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed.
Fine was fired in November after 36 years at Syracuse after the allegations of two former Syracuse ball boys were aired on ESPN. While four accusers came forward, two have since recanted.
In May, Fine’s wife, Laurie, filed a lawsuit against ESPN for its reporting.
Previously, a statement issued by Fine called the allegations of the first two accusers “patently false.”
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