Jim Boeheim initially insisted two former Syracuse ball boys were lying when they accused his longtime assistant of molesting them.
Now they're suing the Orange men's basketball coach and the university for defamation, saying he was the one making false statements.
Stepbrothers Bobby Davis and Mike Lang have alleged they were molested by Bernie Fine, who has since been fired and has denied the allegations. A third man also has accused the 65-year-old Fine, who had been Boeheim's top assistant since 1976.
Boeheim "has seriously hurt my reputation but I want people to know the truth," Davis said, reading from a statement at a news conference after the lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday.
When the allegations surfaced Nov. 17, Boeheim staunchly supported Fine, saying the accusations were lies to capitalize on the Penn State child sex abuse case.
"The Penn State thing came out, and the kid behind this is trying to get money," Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard. "If he gets this, he's going to sue the university and Bernie. What do you think is going to happen at Penn State? You know how much money is going to be involved in civil suits? I'd say about $50 million. That's what this is about. Money."
And in an interview with ESPN, which broke the story, Boeheim said: "It is a bunch of a thousand lies that (Davis) has told. You don't think it is a little funny that his cousin is coming forward?"
Former Syracuse ball boys Bobby Davis, left, and Mike Lang, right, flank attorney Gloria Allred during a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, in New York. The men say they were molested by former assistant Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine and have sued the school and men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim for defamation. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) CloseLang said that when Boeheim suggested "my little brother and I were lying," he "felt sick to my stomach."
University spokesman Kevin Quinn declined to comment. The U.S. attorney's office is investigating for potential criminal charges.
"Boeheim's statements were even worse given his 35 years of opportunity to observe Fine at close quarters, and at least seven years of opportunity to see Fine with Bobby Davis on trips, at practices, in Manley Field House and at games," the suit says.
Victim advocates reacted angrily to Boeheim's initial comments and called for him to resign or be fired. He later said he was wrong to question the motives of the accusers.
That's not enough, said the two men's attorney, Gloria Allred, whose recent clients include a woman who accused presidential candidate Herman Cain of making unwelcome sexual advances.
"Although Boeheim eventually acknowledged that he 'misspoke,' those words came too little too late," Allred said. "One of Syracuse's most respected individuals had already told the world repeatedly that Bobby Davis and Mike Lang were nothing but liars and out for money and nothing else.
"Boeheim has not suffered any consequences in his employment for using his position of power within the university to make these false, inflammatory and injurious statements about Bobby and Mike."
On Nov. 27, Zach Tomaselli, of Lewiston, Maine, also accused Fine, and ESPN aired a tape in which a woman the network identified as Fine's wife tells Davis she knew "everything" that was going on. After Fine was fired that night, Boeheim released a statement saying he regretted any statements he made that "might have been insensitive to victims of abuse."
On Nov. 29, Boeheim apologized, but said again he didn't regret defending his old friend based on the information he had at the time, adding that he never worried about his job status in 36 years.
By Dec. 2, he was far more contrite.
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