An FBI agent said former Syracuse University associate men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine tried to molest him 34 years ago, in a deposition filed in federal Court on Wednesday.

Douglas Astralaga lived near Fine when he was 15, Astralaga said in the deposition.

Fine was accused in 2011 by Bobby Davis and Mike Lang of molesting them while they were ball boys at the university. Fine was fired by SU but was never charged after an almost yearlong federal investigation. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Astralaga testified that Fine invited him to play at a local park twice. Astralaga was uncomfortable with the way Fine played defense on him the first time, he said. The second time, Fine kept his hands on Astralaga’s back and sides, he said.

“Pretty much he was touching me and feeling me up to the point where I felt really uncomfortable,” Astralaga said in the testimony. “At one point I just immediately confronted him and I said, ‘What kind of defense are playing on me?’”

Fine touched Astralaga’s buttocks and reached forward toward the genital area before Astralaga confronted Fine about it, he said. Eventually, Astralaga left and never had contact with him again, according to the testimony.

Astralaga’s brother worked at ESPN in 2011 and Astralaga told the network off-the-record about his interaction with Fine. His FBI bosses prohibited him from speaking on-the-record, Astralaga said.

Astralaga’s testimony was included in ESPN’s defense in a libel suit filed by Fine’s wife, Laurie Fine, regarding ESPN’s coverage of the allegations in 2011.

Published on October 1, 2015 at 12:40 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds