US youth sports exec accused of abuse

US sport was hit by a new report of alleged child sexual abuse on Friday as two former basketball players told ESPN that longtime Amateur Athletic Union president Robert Dodd had molested them.

The AAU, a non-profit organization that oversees a range of amateur and youth sports programs across the country, told ESPN it was investigating the claims, which date from the 1980s and were reported on the sports network's "Outside the Lines" program.

One of the players, 43-year-old Ralph West, told reporters for the show that he was assaulted by Dodd in Memphis in 1984.

West and a second unidentified man accusing Dodd said news reports about alleged child sex abuse by a former Penn State assistant football coach prompted them each to confront Dodd in November.

The player who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity said he called Dodd on November 11 and that Dodd apologized for the alleged abuse.

ESPN reported that telephone records confirmed an eight-minute call to Dodd.

Both accusers said they never went to authorities, and told their families only recently.

AAU Acting President Louis Stout said in a statement on Friday that the 63-year-old Dodd has colon cancer and will not return to his positions as president and executive director.

"The AAU has recently been made aware of some serious allegations about President Robert W. 'Bobby' Dodd, dating back several decades," the statement said.

"The AAU has opened an independent investigation into these matters and also has contacted local law enforcement in Memphis, where the activities allegedly occurred. We will actively cooperate with any and all authorities to determine the facts and the truth."

The issue of child sex abuse has rocked US sports in the past two months.

Former Penn State University assistant American football coach Jerry Sandusky faces criminal charges of sex abuse with boys over a 15-year period.

He has denied wrongdoing, but his case, and concerns that Penn State administrators knew of the allegations and did not tell police, led to the firing of Penn State's president and legendary gridiron coach Joe Paterno. Two others face criminal charges.

Only a few weeks later, Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine was sacked after allegations of child molestation surfaced involving claims by three men.

Fine called the allegations "patently false" and local authorities said they would not file charges because the statute of limitations had expired.

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