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

Conlin accused by 7th alleged victim

Conlin accused by 7th alleged victim
Dec 24, 2011

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 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 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."

The 77-year-old Conlin, a fixture in the Philadelphia sports scene for nearly 50 years, retired abruptly Tuesday from the Philadelphia Daily News, where he worked since 1965.

He has declined to comment publicly on the allegations, denying them through his attorney....

Prosecutors in New Jersey, where the alleged abuses occurred, said no criminal charges would be filed against Conlin because the statute of limitations had passed.

Conlin's attorney, George Bochetto, said Tuesday his client was "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."

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 mon

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Bill-Conlin-Philadelphia-columnist-accused-of-child-sexual-abuse-by-7th-alleged-victim-122311