Ex-AAU President Accused of Child Molestation After Penn State Scandal Supposedly Prompts Men to Take Action

Whittel & Melton, LLC 866-608-5529 – Florida Sex Crime Attorneys

Ex-Amateur Athletic Union president Robert “Bobby” Dodd was recently accused of molesting two former basketball players dating back from the 1980s.

Both men said that the news coverage of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal urged them to independently confront Dodd concerning his alleged behavior in November.

One of the players, now 43, spoke about his alleged sexual abuse on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” The man claims that Dodd fondled him, attempted to fondle him and masturbated in front of him at Dodd’s home in Memphis, the AAU Junior Olympics in South Bend, Ind. and at tournaments in Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee.

He told ESPN that Dodd either molested or attempted to molest him a half-dozen times from 1983 to 1985.

The man, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, supposedly contacted Dodd on Nov. 11 and asserts that Dodd apologized for the alleged abuse. ESPN supposedly examined telephone records and confirmed an eight-minute phone call made by the former basketball player to Dodd.

Both of the accusers said they only recently told their families about the supposed sex abuse and never contacted the police.

The AAU made it known as of Friday that they were investigating the claims. Memphis police released a statement that the AAU had contacted them and was looking further into the allegations.

The Memphis Police Director stated that the Memphis Police Department takes sex abuse accusations involving minors very serious and will thoroughly examine this case despite the potential problems with the amount of time that has passed.

The AAU released a public statement that they were in shock of such allegations and quite concerned due to the serious nature of such accusations.

The AAU’s interim president released a statement Saturday that made it clear that safety is the number one concern for all children enrolled in their programs and activities, no matter where in the country they take place. The organization has supposedly offered the Memphis Police Department full cooperation with the investigation and has performed an internal investigation and review of AAU’s policies and procedures already set in place.

It was also noted that Dodd is no longer president and executive director of AAU and that the organization supposedly has no continuing contact with him.

It was announced Friday that Dodd, 63, has colon cancer and would no longer hold the position of president and executive director of AAU.

Dodd has not responded to any of the allegations against him. His assistant allegedly told ESPN that Dodd has cancer and retired from his positions with AAU on Nov. 29 for health purposes.

Undoubtedly, the Penn State scandal has brought about numerous sexual abuse allegations throughout the country. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this investigation and if any actual charges are brought forth. Although a good amount of time has passed between now and when the alleged sexual abuse took place, the man could still face charges if any evidence is recovered that indicates actual sexual assault took place.

In the state of Florida, legislators recognize that child sexual abuse victims are not always able to discuss or remember possible abuse due to the psychological trauma that tends to follow abuse at a young age. Florida law allows victims of child sexual abuse to file suit against their supposed abusers without any time cap. Other states may have a time limit on when one can press charges, depending on the state’s statute of limitations.

Statutes of limitations block criminal and civil suits from being filed against someone accused of a crime if too much time has passed between the alleged incident and when civil or criminal action is commenced. Statutes of limitation are put in place because when a good amount of time has passed from when a supposed crime happened evidence can be lost and witnesses’ may not be able to recount exact details of what happened, which would not end in justice actually being served. However, when it comes to child sexual abuse, the state of Florida allows anyone who was abused under the age of 16 to file suit against their abuser at any time due to the notion that a victim’s memory of abuse may not surface until years later.

If you have been accused of child sexual abuse or were arrested for a sex crime in the state of Florida stemming from past or recent alleged events, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Attorneys at Whittel & Melton online or dial us toll-free at 866-608-5529.