Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children

A Sportswriter’s Hall of Fame Tribute Is Out of Place to Some By ANDREW KEH January 5, 2012 COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.

Four people, including Conlin’s niece, came forward last month and accused him of molesting them when they were children more than three decades ago. Their detailed stories were recounted in an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Shortly thereafter, three more people emerged with similar allegations.

The accusations precipitated Conlin’s immediate resignation from The Philadelphia Daily News. Because of the statute of limitations in New Jersey, where Conlin’s accusers say they were molested, he is not expected to face criminal charges, and he has not publicly addressed the allegations. His lawyer said last week that he and Conlin were working to clear his name.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/sports/baseball/sportswriters-tribute-seems-out-of-place-to-some-hall-of-fame-visitors.html


Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children By Nancy Phillips INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Tue, Dec. 20, 2011

Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist.

In vivid accounts, the four say Conlin groped and fondled them and touched their genitals in assaults in the 1970s, when they were ages 7 to 12.

"This is a tragedy," said Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin's who said he molested her when she was a child. "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."

Conlin retired Tuesday from the Daily News, where he had worked for more than four decades.

Through his lawyer, George Bochetto, Conlin declined to comment.

"Mr. Conlin is obviously floored by these accusations, which supposedly happened 40 years ago," Bochetto said. "He has engaged me to do everything possible to bring the facts forward to vindicate his name."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/135951483.html