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Author Topic: Sportswriter Bill Conlin Accused of Child Sex Abuse, Quits Newspaper  (Read 6891 times)
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MuffyBee
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« on: December 20, 2011, 06:51:12 PM »

I wonder how many other victims have suffered in silence over the years?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/20/legendary-philadelphia-sportswriter-bill-conlin-accused-child-sex-abuse/?intcmp=trending
Famed Philadelphia Sportswriter Bill Conlin Accused of Child Sex Abuse, Quits Newspaper
December 20, 2011

A longtime sports columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News has quit the newspaper as he faces allegations he molested three girls and a boy during the 1970s.

Bill Conlin, an award-winning columnist, reporter and television commentator, resigned Tuesday from the newspaper where he had worked for more than four decades, the Philadelphia Inquirer said in a report on the allegations that it published online Tuesday afternoon.

Three women and a man have come forward accusing 77-year-old Conlin of groping and fondling them decades ago when they were ages 7 to 12, the Inquirer reported.
 ::snipping2::
Mark Block, Vice President of External Relations for Philadelphia Media Network, said the Philadelphia Daily News had only recently become aware of the allegations against Conlin and were not taking the claims lightly.

"This story is not over," Block told FoxNews.com. "That's the unfortunate outcome of any child sex abuse case, you just don't know."

Conlin's attorney, George Bochetto, said his client "is obviously floored by these accusations, which supposedly happened 40 years ago. He has engaged me to do everything possible to bring the facts forward to vindicate his name."
 ::snipping2::
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the victims decided to come forward after the child sex abuse scandal involving former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky brought back painful memories.

In one of his recent columns, Conlin questioned those who claimed they would have intervened had they witnessed Sandusky committing one of his alleged acts of abuse.

"Everybody says he will do the right thing, get involved, put his own ass on the line before or after the fact," Conlin wrote. "But the moment itself has a cruel way of suspending our fearless intentions."

Prosecutors in New Jersey, where the alleged abuses occurred, told The Inquirer no criminal charges would be filed against Conlin because the statute of limitations had passed. Blanchet said she and the other victims hoped their case would shed light on the shortcomings of the statute of limitations involving sex crimes.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2011, 07:00:57 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2011, 06:58:19 PM »

I had just read this elsewhere.  It just never ends.

Edited subject line only.  MB
« Last Edit: December 20, 2011, 07:01:58 PM by MuffyBee » Logged


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« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2011, 07:09:27 PM »

I had just read this elsewhere.  It just never ends.

Edited subject line only.  MB

There's just not enough time and room to list all that I'm finding, including a hockey coach.     I posted this particular case, because the victims felt compelled to step forward as adults years later, because the Jerry Sandusky case has brought back so many painful memories. I believe we'll be seeing more victims step forward from other incidents, locations, sports, organizations etc. 
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« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2011, 07:13:15 PM »

I had just read this elsewhere.  It just never ends.

Edited subject line only.  MB

There's just not enough time and room to list all that I'm finding, including a hockey coach.     I posted this particular case, because the victims felt compelled to step forward as adults years later, because the Jerry Sandusky case has brought back so many painful memories. I believe we'll be seeing more victims step forward from other incidents, locations, sports, organizations etc. 
I guess if there can be something good to come out of the Penn State garbage its that others will have the courage to come forward.
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« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2011, 07:15:32 PM »

I had just read this elsewhere.  It just never ends.

Edited subject line only.  MB

There's just not enough time and room to list all that I'm finding, including a hockey coach.     I posted this particular case, because the victims felt compelled to step forward as adults years later, because the Jerry Sandusky case has brought back so many painful memories. I believe we'll be seeing more victims step forward from other incidents, locations, sports, organizations etc. 
I guess if there can be something good to come out of the Penn State garbage its that others will have the courage to come forward.
It is unfortunate the statute of limitations has run out.
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« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2011, 09:09:16 AM »

I had just read this elsewhere.  It just never ends.

Edited subject line only.  MB

There's just not enough time and room to list all that I'm finding, including a hockey coach.     I posted this particular case, because the victims felt compelled to step forward as adults years later, because the Jerry Sandusky case has brought back so many painful memories. I believe we'll be seeing more victims step forward from other incidents, locations, sports, organizations etc. 
I guess if there can be something good to come out of the Penn State garbage its that others will have the courage to come forward.
It is unfortunate the statute of limitations has run out.

There's been a lot of discussion lately about changing laws concerning the statute of limitations and reporting sexual abuse of minors. I was surprised to find how much these laws vary from state to state.
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« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2011, 09:11:39 AM »

http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-20/news/30538412_1_allegations-legendary-voice-daily-news
Platt: How do we report about our own?
By Larry Platt, Daily News Editor
December 20, 2011


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« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2011, 09:17:58 AM »

http://news.bostonherald.com/business/media/view/20111221philly_papers_share_outrage_over_bill_conlin_case/srvc=home&position=recent
Philly papers share outrage over Bill Conlin case
By Will Bunch / Philadelphia Daily News
December 21, 2011

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« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2011, 09:28:25 AM »


http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/good_day_philadelphia/Bill_Conlin_Child_Abuse_Allegations_Nancy_Phillips_122111
Reporter: Sandusky Case Influenced Conlin Accusers
Inquirer Reporter Discusses Bill Conlin Story

December 21, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Longtime Daily News sportswriter and columnist Bill Conlin has retired amid allegations of child sex abuse.

Four people say Conlin molested them back in the '70s. Among the alleged victims are Conlin's niece and nephew.

Conlin's attorney says he retired out of respect for the paper he has worked at for decades, not guilt.

"You can imagine the surprise and literally the mortification that takes place when this type of thing comes out of nowhere like that," said George Bochetto, Conlin's attorney.

The Daily News says it didn't know anything about the allegations until Tuesday.
 ::snipping2::
New Jersey did not have a statute of limitations on sex crimes. One was enacted in 1996, but it's not retroactive. Prosecutors looked at the incidents but have said unless other people come forward there is nothing that the law can do, Phillips said.

Some of the victims did not know each other. The niece who alleges she was abused said she reached out to other family members after Conlin's wife died, and that's when a relative introduced her to others who she says had the same experience.

 ::snipping2::
Video at Link
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« Reply #9 on: December 21, 2011, 09:42:32 AM »

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/9576853-419/hall-of-fame-baseball-writer-accused-of-child-sex-abuse.html
Hall of Fame baseball writer accused of child sex abuse
December 21, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — A veteran sportswriter and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News was accused in a newspaper report Tuesday of molesting three girls and a boy in the 1970s, including his niece, who is now a prosecutor.
 ::snipping2::
Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin’s who is now a prosecutor in Atlantic City, N.J., and others told the newspaper they were speaking out in part because of the child sex abuse allegations being faced by Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State University assistant football coach. Like in the Sandusky case, people aware of the allegations involving Conlin years ago did not go to police, the newspaper said.

“This is a tragedy,” Blanchet said. “People have kept his secret. It’s not just the victims, it’s the victims’ families. There were so many people who knew about this and did nothing.”
 ::snipping2::

Daily News editor Larry Platt, speaking at a news conference, said he accepted Conlin’s offer to retire by phone on Tuesday afternoon. Platt would only characterize the conversation as “painful.”
 ::snipping2::
In one recent column titled “Tough Guys Are Talking About Sandusky,” Conlin questioned people who say they would have intervened had they witnessed child sex abuse.

“Everybody says he will do the right thing, get involved, put his own ass on the line before or after the fact. But the moment itself has a cruel way of suspending our fearless intentions,” he wrote.
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« Reply #10 on: December 21, 2011, 05:13:32 PM »

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mclaughlin--lauricella-pc-to-represent-victims-in-bill-conlin-sexual-abuse-matter-136016948.html
McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C. to Represent Victims in Bill Conlin Sexual Abuse Matter

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Slade H. McLaughlin and Paul Lauricella of McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C. in Philadelphia have been retained to represent three of the victims who have come forward in connection with the Bill Conlin sexual abuse matter.  Kelley Blanchet, Karen Healey, and one other victim (who has asked to remain unidentified) have given statements and provided detailed information to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and to the Philadelphia Inquirer.  They now ask that you respect their privacy, and that of their families, and they request that all press and other media inquiries be directed to their attorneys at the contact information below.
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« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2011, 05:19:18 PM »

http://deadspin.com/5870204/a-conversation-with-bill-conlin-the-day-before-the-inquirer-dropped-its-molestation-story
A Conversation With Bill Conlin The Day Before The Inquirer Dropped Its Molestation Story
By A.J. Daulerio
December 21, 2011
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« Reply #12 on: December 21, 2011, 05:43:26 PM »

So much for some of the comments I've been reading about the victims making up  false charges to bring a lawsuit for monetary gains and want attention.    The article I'm posting below refutes that and if true, that scratches out money and fame.  What's left?  Stopping the same thing from happening to other children?  Maybe they're facing what happened to them as children and they're coming to grips with it and will find some peace in knowing something was done.  JMHO


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mclaughlin--lauricella-pc-to-represent-victims-in-bill-conlin-sexual-abuse-matter-136016948.html
McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C. to Represent Victims in Bill Conlin Sexual Abuse Matter
Alleged Conlin victims retain law firm
Philadelphia Business Journal by Jeff Blumenthal, Reporter
December 21, 2011

Three of the four alleged victims in the sexual abuse matter that led to the retirement of prominent sportswriter Bill Conlin have retained plaintiffs personal injury firm McLaughlin & Lauricella.

Conlin was accused by four people, including his niece, Kelley Blanchet, of molesting them over 40 years ago when they were children between the ages of 7 and 12. While the story was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer    , the Deadspin sports blog broke the news of Conlin’s impromptu retirement and the reason for it.

But according to McLaughlin & Lauricella name partner Slade H. McLaughlin, his three clients are no pursuing any legal cases against Conlin, the Philadelphia Daily News    sports columnist who was elected into the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame last summer.

McLaughlin said three of the four alleged victims were referred to him by lawyers in Atlantic County. He met with Blanchet, Karen Healey, and one other victim (who has asked to remain unidentified) Tuesday evening for two hours and McLaughlin said they made two things clear: They do not want to pursue a lawsuit or reap any other financial gain from the Conlin matter and they do not want to deal with the media or garner any more publicity.
 ::snipping2::
Conlin has retained George Bochetto of Bochetto & Lentz, who said Tuesday that his client was “floored” by the allegations and “has engaged me to do everything possible to bring the true facts forward and to vindicate his name.”

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« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2011, 10:25:10 AM »

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/20111222another_woman_comes_forward_in_bill_conlin_child_sex-abuse_case/srvc=home&position=recent
Another woman comes forward in Bill Conlin child sex-abuse case
By Nancy Phillips / The Philadelphia Inquirer
December 22, 2011


Photo by Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT (File)
Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin while accepting an award at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s induction weekend in July 2011.

PHILADELPHIA — Another woman has come forward to say that Bill Conlin, the Hall of Fame baseball writer and former Philadelphia Daily News columnist, sexually assaulted her when she was a child.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said Conlin repeatedly abused her when she was about 7 and lived in the Whitman Square section of Washington Township, Gloucester County, in south New Jersey. She was a childhood friend of Conlin’s son, Peter, and often spent time at his house nearby. It was there, she said, that Conlin molested her.

She is the fifth person to tell The Philadelphia Inquirer that Conlin assaulted her.
 ::snipping2::
One of Conlin’s accusers is his niece Kelley Blanchet, who said her uncle sexually assaulted her decades ago when she was 7. Her brother walked in on the assault and told his mother, who told his father, she said.

Blanchet’s father, Harry Hasson, said he angrily confronted Conlin, who broke into tears and insisted that he had only touched the girl’s leg. From that point on, Hasson said, the relationship between his family and that of his brother-in-law was strained.

The woman who came forward Wednesday described abuse mirroring that described by the other accusers.
She said Conlin groped and fondled her as she sat in his living room watching television. And she said he assaulted her in an upstairs bedroom after inviting her to see a litter of kittens.

"It was so upsetting," said the woman, now 44 and a mother of three. She said that on two occasions, Conlin touched her genitals and put his fingers inside her.

(The Inquirer is withholding the woman’s name in keeping with its policy of not identifying people who say they have been alleged victims of sexual assault unless they agree to be named.)

The woman said the assaults ended when she told her mother. She recalled that her father angrily confronted Conlin.

"I just remember my mom holding my dad back and two of them (Conlin and her father) screaming at each other," she said.
Through his lawyer, George Bochetto, Conlin has said he was "floored" by the abuse allegations and vowed to clear his name. Bochetto could not be reached for comment Wednesday. In the hours before The Inquirer posted the story on its website Tuesday, Bochetto said Conlin specifically denied discussing the story with Daulerio.
 ::snipping2::
Four of Conlin’s accusers gave videotaped statements to Gloucester County prosecutors last year. In a statement Wednesday, Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said his office had conducted "an exhaustive investigation," but concluded that no charges could be filed because the statute of limitations on any crimes had expired.

Dalton, who said his office would have no further comment on the matter, urged victims of sexual assault to contact law enforcement.
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« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2011, 07:15:13 PM »

A total of 6 adults have come forward saying Bill Conline molested them when they were younger.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7379125/reports-2-more-accuse-ex-philadelphia-daily-news-columnist-bill-conlin-abuse
Reports: Bill Conlin accused again
December 22, 2011

PHILADELPHIA -- Two more people have come forward claiming they were abused by a Philadelphia sports columnist who abruptly retired just before the publishing of a report alleging he abused young children decades ago.
The two women bring to six the total number of adults who say former Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin molested them when they were younger.

Fifty-year-old Linda Stella tells the Daily News that Conlin molested her on two occasions at his New Jersey home. A second unidentified woman tells The Philadelphia Inquirer she was also abused at Conlin's home.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #15 on: December 23, 2011, 09:09:44 PM »

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpps/news/seventh-accuser-comes-forward-in-columnist-sex-abuse-case-dpgonc-20111223-kh_16580293
Seventh Accuser Comes Forward in Conlin Sex Abuse Case
December 23, 2011

(NewsCore) - Another woman came forward Friday to accuse Hall of Fame baseball writer Bill Conlin of sexually abusing her when she was a child, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The women, who asked not to be identified, claimed Conlin abused her on two occasions during the 1960s when she was aged 11.

The latest accuser is the third person to come forward since Tuesday when The Inquirer first published a report detailing the alleged abuse of three women and one man, who claimed the long-time columnist molested them during the 1970s when they were aged between seven and 12.

The newest alleged victim, now 59, claimed Conlin, a family friend, assaulted her during trips to Margate, N.J. where her family had a beach home.

The now mother-of-two said she decided to break her decades-long silence in light of the courage of the other victims.

"When I read it, I started to cry," she told the paper. "I just felt overwhelmed. The fact that I wasn't the only one made me feel stronger."
 ::snipping2::
Slade McLaughlin, a lawyer for three of the female accusers, told WTXF-TV he thought his clients did the right thing by going public and said he believed they were telling the truth.

"They are extremely believable ... nothing about anything any of these women told me sounded at all like it was feigned, or made up, or twisted," he said.

He added that there would be no lawsuits as his clients were not interested in money.

 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #16 on: December 24, 2011, 08:29:54 AM »

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network's hotline number is 1-800-656-HOPE. Its online hotline is at http://rainn.org/get-help/national-sexual-assault-online-hotline.

The number for Childhelp is 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
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« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2012, 11:03:07 PM »

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/sports/baseball/sportswriters-tribute-seems-out-of-place-to-some-hall-of-fame-visitors.html?pagewanted=2
A Sportswriter’s Hall of Fame Tribute Is Out of Place to Some
January 5, 2012
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« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2012, 08:24:13 PM »

http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/11/abuse-allegations-come-to-the-hall-of-fame/?iid=op-main-lede
Abuse Allegations Come to the Hall of Fame
We're used to scandals about athletes, but should sportswriter Bill Conlin be allowed to stay in Cooperstown?
By Doug Glanville
January 12, 2012

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« Reply #19 on: January 12, 2012, 08:27:28 PM »

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-01-09/news/mc-bill-white-child-sex-abuse-20120109_1_abuse-chairman-ron-marsico-child
Big child sex abuse cases embolden victims
By Bill White
January 9, 2012

The alleged child sex abuse victims of Hall of Fame baseball writer Bill Conlin weren't the only ones who came forward in the wake of the Penn State scandal.

The day one of my columns on this subject appeared, I got a phone call from a man in his 80s. He told me about his being abused when he was a young teenager — and said this was the first time he had told that story to anyone. Even his wife didn't know about it.

If the scandal at Penn State has any positive result, it will be the way in which it has helped lift the curtain of silence from the subject of child sex abuse and emboldened more victims to finally speak up about what happened to them. I suspect the Conlin accusations have had a similar effect.
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