they say there's an active investigation into bobby dodd. the amateur athletic union is one of the largest sports organization in the country. two men spoke out claiming they were sexually abused back in the 1980s by dodd. one of them spoke anonymously. frank west spoke out. said he was sexually abused six times while a teenager. listen to what he told "outside the lines." >> i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has -- he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. i jumped up straight out of bed and he's not there but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed and of course i was freaked out. >> how did he get in the room? >> he had a key. he always somehow had a key to whatever room i was in. >> we are just starting to see bits and pieces of this story online. the full story is expected to air sunday on espn. again, since this story broke, the aau has confirmed that they contacted police, which have, again, started an investigation and the aau has also started its own investigation also name agnew i

memphis police say investigators are trying to follow up on allegations that ex-aau president bobby doddldren 30 years ago but they have not yet received a formal victim complaint. investigators have received information from the aau about accusations but are not saying whether they are investigating one or several. the interim president of the aau spoke about what the organization did after reports first surfaced on espn. >> like syracuse and citadel we acted immediately. we didn't wait six months to find out if this was a protective thing because of a executive director. we acted immediately. we formed our own internal investigative process. and then once we found out who the accusers were we immediately went to the police department. we didn't sit on this. no one has acted any more properly than the amateur athletic union regarding these accusations. >> reporter: the 63-year-old bobby dodd retired last month. the aau says he has colon cancer. >>> an unusual sight in miami, florida. a police car vertical on a utility pole. the officer was apparently reaching down to get a dropped pen a

memphis police say investigators are trying to follow up on allegations that the ex-aau president bobby dodd molested children 30 years ago but haven't yet received a formal victim complaint. investigators received information from the aau about accusations but are not saying whether they are investigating one or several. the interim president of the aau spoke about what the organization did after reports first surfaced on espn. >> reporter: the 63-year-old bobby dodd retired last month. aau says he has colon cancer. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> the marine corps is apologizing for sending purple hearts to the family of the fallen instead of those marines wounded but still alive. the package contained a letter addressed to the fallen hero and information about reconditioning. a spokesperson says there's no excuse for what happened and accept full responsibility. more than 9,000 packages were sent out but 1,150 went out to families of marines who had died. >>> news around the nation -- this is something you don't see everyday. a police car vertical on a utility pole. look at this! this is e

memphis police tell us there's an active investigation into the alleged actions of robert bobby dodd the now former president and ceo of the amateur athletic union which is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in sports. the investigation comes after two former players now grown men came forward espn outside the line alleging that dodd touched them inappropriately when they were teenagers playing for one of his teams here in memphis. one of the men spoke anonymously to espn. but ralph west in miami spoke publicly. he said he was sexually abused six times in the 1980s, sneaking into the hotel's hotel room when the team traveled out of town. dodd drugged him and suing gived to pay him $1,000 to perform a sex act. since the story broke the aa uconn tacted memphis police about these allegations and dodd's former nonprofit released a statement basically saying that they launched their own investigation after these investigations and the organization named a new leader saying dodd has cancer and has been planning to retire. but, again, the full story on this, set to air on espn at 10

he says a team trip to florida he was sexually assaulted by his coach bobby dodd. >> i was devastated. i don't remember anything but waking up and he is trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. >> reporter: dodd went on to become the ceo and president of aau. west kept quiet for de-- kids -- decades. the allegations rocked the all-american reputation. it is one of the most powerful youth sports organizations in the world. >> this should be a wake-up call to end a wake-up call. if you can not trust your boy or girl to play sports in this country within an aau program what can you trust? dodd has chancer and left the organization. he hasn't spoken. aau which does not require background checks says it is reviewing policies and trying to find out if there are anymore victims . >> we are urging anyone in the aau community who has information of inappropriate behavior or abuse to contact law enforcement and aau. >> reporter: the organization that tries to use sports to teach kids to be good citizen finds they may have a lot to learn. >>> three year search for britney has ended. remains of

accusations about bobby dodd first emerged in a report on espn, two men say dodd abused them in the 'when they were between the ages of 12 and 16. neither espn or cnn has been able to contact him for comment. >>> and now, major developments in the fight over your money. less than three weeks now, the taxes in your paycheck going to go up unless congress agrees on extending the payroll tax cut, that expires at the end of this month. kate bolduan following this for us on capitol hill. we know there's a vote set for tonight. i'm assuming that is still on. >> reporter: that has not happened yet, still scheduled for this evening. and republican leaders in the house have been confident they'll have the votes to pass that measure. but it may not get much further from there as senate majority leader harry reid says that bill will not pass in the senate because it includes one obstacle it includes is a controversial measure that house republicans added to their bill to extend the payroll tax cut. having to do with the keystone oil pipeline project. senator harry reid says that will not paz in

an active investigation into the former president and ceo of the amateur athletic union, robert bobby doddis investigation started after two men decided to confront dodd and share their stories on espn's "outside the line" claiming that dodd sexually abused them back in the 1980s when these men were teenagers. both say they decided to speak out, given the sexual abuse allegation that are playing out at syracuse university and penn state. now one of the men spoke anonymously to espn but one of the men, ralph west decided to speak on camera saying he was sexually abused at least six times back in the 1980s. just look at what he told "outside the lines." >> i was dead asleep. i don't remember anything but waking up and he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up straight out of bed and he's laying down there next to my bed. of course i was freaked out. >> how did he get in the room? >> he had a key. he always had somehow had a key to whatever room i was in. >> since the story broke, the aau contacted memphis police. an active investigation happening here. the aau brought o

ralph west says bobby dodd abused him. dodd has denied the allegations. >>> the holidays are looking happier for one teenager in virginia. he was vacationing in the philippines in july. he was snatched from his resort. after five months in captivity, he pulled a fast one and managed to get away. >> reporter: these are the first pictures of kevin in five months. smiling and safe in the philippines. the 14-year-old from virginia outwitted his armed kidnappers on friday. telling them he was going to wash up in a stream and running. >> it was a tough time. it was a tough five months. i only know he is a hero. and i'm so happy he es kipped. >> reporter: villages found him on an island about 25 miles from where he was kidnapped in july. more than a dozen armed men stormed the resort in the middle of the night. kevin's mother was released in october. after ran some was paid. his cousin escaped in november. kevin is in good health. kelly cobiella, abc news, london. >> a truly incredible story here. a resourceful south florida man

two men tell epsn that robber bobby dodd molested them back in the 1980s when they were playing on his basketball team. no comment from dodd. he's battling colon cancer. >>> protests are happening right now in russia. this is part of today's demonstration that's been going on in moscow. thousands of people have been gathering all week to protest the elections. demonstrators are saying there's voter fraud and they're pointing the fingers at vladimir putin's united russia party. freshly minted front-runner newt gingerich has sparked a new round of controversy in this new round of controversy calling palestinians an invented people. >>> a top palestinian executive committee member said the comment is, quote, the most racest statement i've ever seen. >>> so you know almost all the republican candidates for president are in iowa for a debate tonight. iowa is one of three early caucus and primary states where a new cnn orc time magazine poll shows newt gingerich with dibble digit leads here. mitt romney is still on top, though, in new hampshire. gingerich making headlines this morning, as i

two men tell espn that robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 19 0s when they were playing on his aau baseball team. there's been no comment from dodd. he's battling colon cancer right now. >>> there was a candlelight vigil last night on the virginia tech campus. they were remembering a police officer that was killed. the officer was killed before the gunman killed himself. he was a part-time student at nearby radford university. they're still searching for a motive. people trying to come together after that. >>> the supreme court has agreed to hear a challenge to texas's congressional redistricting plan. state republicans aren't real happy with the way a federal court redrew the map last month. that court was responding to a lawsuit filed on behalf of minority groups. the supreme court will hear that case in early january. >>> let's talk about newt gingrich. he says palestinians are an invented people. raising a lot of eyebrows this morning. he made the strong statement in an interview on the jewish channel. take a listen. >> i believe that the jewish people have the right to hav

the amateur athletic union know about these allegations of sex abuse against its former leader, bobby dodd. what we do know is that two men came forward to share their stories on espn's "outside the lines," claiming dodd sexually abused them in the 1980s when they were teenagers. today we confirmed through the aau there may also be a third person who complained to that group with similar allegations. now, back to the timeline of events, what we were able to confirm today through the aau is that the group knew about these allegations starting on november 7th. november 7th and 8th when they received anonymous e-mails from a source only identified in the messages as shrimp breath. also they received phone calls. again, it took a little more than a month before they contacted police on december 8th. so today i contacted the spokesperson, the hired spokesperson for the aau, robert sacks, to ask him why it took so long to contact police. take a listen. >> there was no specificity about an individual that they could contact. no name, no phone number, no hard address, neither was there an offer in

in an in depth report today on espn's "outside the lines" two men tell how robert "bobby" dodd molested them in the 1980s when they played on one of his basketball teams. he's being treated for colon cancer and denied the allegations in a meeting with aau officials last month, but cnn has confirmed the organization investigated those claims and then fired dodd. >>> so with all of these new allegations of coaches abusing children allegedly, what can you do to ensure your child's safety? what standards should be set for organizations designed to actually help children? we get those answers when we talk to the executive director of the national children's advocacy center today in the 5:00 eastern hour. >>> from syria now, a warning. a blood bath could be imminent. the syrian government is giving protesters a deadline. the details straight ahead on that. >>> checking news headlines overseas now. an earthquake struck southern mexico overnight, centered about 100 miles south of mexico city but still felt in the capital city. officials say the 6.5 magnitude quake killed at least two people and

union, one of the biggest sports in the nation has been rocked tonight by shocking allegations that bobby dodd the man who has led the organization for nearly two decades sexually abused aau athletes. >> that was his mo, was coming in in the middle of the night when you were asleep and trying to assault you. >> at least two men as teenagers played on the coach's team say he attacked them on road trips in the '80s. >> i was dead asleep, i don't remember anything but waking up, he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. i jumped up straight out of the bed, he's not there, but he's laying on the floor next to me, down by the bed. >> reporter: nbc news has been un able to reach dodd for confirmation on the allegations, but can confirm he has been replaced as president and ceo of the organization. the aau is taking the allegations seriously and cooperating with memphis police. the string of high profile public accusations over the last couple months, have empowered other potential victims to come forward, in the week after the penn state scandal broke, calls to a state child abuse hotline doub

the amateur after tthletic unit the longtime president and ceo bobby dodd will no longer head the organization. two people said he molested them in the '80s when they was their coach. >> 3:00 in the morning, i was dead asleep, and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has his -- he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up straight out of the bed. and he's not there but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. you know, of course, i was freaked out. >> the players say the abuse happened when they were between the ages of 12 and 16. memphis police and the aau have both opened investigations. >>> today is the 112th annual army/navy game. and somebody decided to play a flag prank at the memorial in northwest. someone took down the navy flag and put up an army flag today. it sounds like the people who are running the memorial are taking it all in stride. in a tweet they road, keller roar. the army mule flag flies over the navy memorial. we'll have highlights from the game coming up in sports. >>> a holiday tradition at arlington national cemetery this mornin

ralph west says bobby dodd abused him. dodd has denied the allegations. which are now under investigation. >> yet another case. >>> the holidays are looking happier for one teenager in virginia. he was vacationing in the philippines in july. when armed islamic militants storm his resort and literally snatched him away. after five months in captivity, he pulled a fast one and managed to get away. here's abc's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: these are the first pictures of kevin in five months. smiling and safe in the philippines. the 14-year-old from virginia outwitted his armed kidnappers friday, telling them he was going to wash up in a stream, then running. he says he wandered in the jungle for two days. >> it was a tough time. months. i only know he is a hero. and i'm so happy he escaped. >> reporter: villagers found him on an island about 25 miles from where he, his mother, and a cousin were kidnapped in july. they were on vacation when more than a dozen armed men stormed the resort in the middle of the night. kevin's mother was released in october. afte

. >>> two former basketball players are accusing ex-amateur president bobby dodd of molestation. the claims date back to the 1980s. the players in their 40s say the penn state sex abuse case prompted them to confront dodd in november. directors in the community where dodd once coached say they're shocked. >> they come at us for protection and trust, and once you violate that, as an authority figure, i mean, it's -- you know, doesn't sit right with me. >> the memphis police are locking into the allegations. dodd has colon cancer and will not return to his position. >>> occupy protestors have been evicted in business ton. 46 people arrested today as police dismantled the occupy boston camp. mayor menino set a date to remove the camp saying it was a public health and safety hazard. it took crews about an hour to clean it up, and take away all the tents. demonstrators were forcibly removed from similar sites, and new york city, los angeles, and philadelphia and san francisco. >>> across the world more than a half million people have been able to buy homes thanks to habitat for humani

no one has acted any properly than the am your athletic union. >> this is not the bobby dodd who coached georgia football and now deceased and no one has come forward to file a complaint. >>> we just learned the state of florida has lunched a fraud investigation into florida a&m's response to the death of a band member almost a month ago. robert exam died on a band bus of mysterious circumstances believed to be related to hazing. the band's director is now on administrative lead and the president has been reprimanded. >>> and after being efficiencily beaten for skipping a meet, three band members face criminal hazing charges but the lawyer s says they may face a lawsuit as the school bears responsibility as well. she will join me in this broadcast. >>> on long island, they expect to know soon what they already suspect, that the bones they found yesterday belong to a prostitute who vanished 19 months ago,s who disappearance start finding a serial killer. they were searching the marshes and beaches where she was last seen, they uncovered other victims' remain, one man and woman's clothing

bobby dodd say cuesed of molesting two former players in the 1980s. >> i was dead asleep, and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has this -- he is trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. >> we are urging anyone in the aau community with information about any instans of- appropriate behavior or abuse to contact law enforcement and the aau. >> the allegation rocked the aau all american reputation. and it's one the oldest and mostpowerful sports organizations in the world. from the scandal former penn state coach joe paterno is in the hospital. word from his family says he fractured his pelvis following a fall from his home. he is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for a treatable cancer. >>> alex twine charged with disorderly conduct after an officer spotted him ranting and punching cars. it happened early friday at a shopping center off campus. when he was confronted, he fled. the freshman has been released and will face trial in january 30th. a team spokesman says that matter would be handled internally. >>> news time 5:15. and terrell suggs forced three fumbles and

more than 500,000 young athletes, has been has been rocked tonight by shocking allegations that bobby dodd, the man who has led the organization for nearly two decades, sexually abused aau athletes. >> that was his m.o. was coming in in the middle of night when you were asleep and trying to assault you. >> reporter: at least two men who as teenagers played on teams coached by dodd say he attacked them during team road trips in the '80s. one of dodd's accusers spoke with espn. >> i was dead asleep. and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has his -- he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up straight out of the bed, and he's not there, but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. >> reporter: nbc news has been unable to reach dodd for comment on the accusations but can confirm tonight he's been replaced as the president and ceo of the organization. the aau is taking the allegations seriously and cooperating with memphis police who are also investigating. experts say the string of high-profile public accusations over the last couple of months have e

the allegations against bobby dodd date back to the 1980s. two men told espn that dodd molested them when they were boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, while they stayed at hotels tournament tournaments. >> he had a key. he always somehow had a key to whatever room i was in, because that was his m.o. was coming in in the middle of the night when you're asleep and trying to assault you. >> the aau, one of the biggest volunteer sports organizations in this country, has also launched an investigation. dodd is currently on medical leave and the aau and says he will not return to his job. >>> former penn state football coach joe paterno is hospitalized with a broken pelvis. he fell at his home on saturday and reinjuring the broken pelvis he suffered in august when he was hit by one of his players during practice. paterno was fired by penn state following allegations of sexual abuse involving one of his former assistants jerry sandusky. a key prosecution witness in the case is expected to testify tomorrow. anna werner reports. >> reporter: former

happened and his memphis basketball team was on a youth league trip in 1983 when he says his coach bobby dodd came into the hotel room and sexually assaulted him. a second former player who wants to remain anonymous claims dodd molested him when he was 12 years old. >> i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has his -- he is trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. >> we are urging anyone in the aau community who has information about any instances of-appropriate behavior or abuse to contact law enforcement and the aau. >> reporter: dodd denied the allegation when confronted about "-- by officials. left the organization and police are investigating. sherrie johnson abc2 news. >>> joe paterno is in the hospital this morning. word from someone close to the family says he is fractured his pelvis after a fall at his home. paterno turns 58 on december 21st -- 85 on december 21st. and he is undergoing treatment for a treatable form of cancer. >>> republican presidential candidates traded jabs. perry insisted romney supports the requirement that all individuals have he

his memphis basketball team was on a youth league trip when he says his coach bobby dodd came into his hotel room and sexually assaulted him a second former player who wants to remain anonymous claims dodd molested him when he was 12 years old. >> i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but wake up and trying to put his hands in my boxer shorts. >> we are urging anyone in the aau community with information about any instance of- appropriate behavior or abuse to contact law enforcement and the aau. >> reporter: now dodd denied allegations when confronted by aau officials and left the organization in november and police are investigating. sherrie johnson, abc2 news.>>> we are standing by for an update on the joe paterno. he fell and broke his pelvis during the weekend according to a report. he will be turning 85 later this month and is undergoing radiation and key my therapy for what the family is calling a treatable form of lung cancer. >>> the iowa caucuses are coming january 3rd and republican presidential candidates are trying to catch newt gingrich and mitt romney making a c

the allegations are coming from two men who claim they were molested by robert bobby dodd in the 1980s when they were teenagers. details and a live report straight ahead. >>> also, are police closer to what happened to missing mom? divers conducting a search in a canal in a home owned by the primary suspect's father. we'll have the latest on this investigation. >>> and two weeks left in the holiday shopping season. needed a nagging. >> me, too. if you're trying to cross off people on your list like we are, we have gifts for pup flat screens to gadgets to gamers. >> i'm still compiling the list. busy time. >>> allegations of child sex abuse leveled against the ex-president of the amateur athletic union. jay gray has details. >> reporter: good morning, lester. in the wake of the scandal's here at penn state and syracuse university, the scenario's become hauntingly familiar. young athletes and allegations of abuse by a coach. this time the focus shifting to the former head of the amateur athletic union. this morning there are shocking new accusations that the longtime president and ceo of

. >> reporter: that coach was bobby dodd. he would eventually become the head of that youth league, the amateur athletic union, one of the largest and oldest in the country. west kept his secret for decades but after the penn state scandal, he decided to speak out. he claims the aau ignored him, so he broke his silence to espn's "outside the lines." >> i was afraid to fall asleep when he was around. >> reporter: a second former player who wants to remain anonymous, claims dodd molested him when he was 12. >> i can remember him touching me in ways that i didn't want another man touching me. >> reporter: dodd denied the allegations when confronted by aau officials. he left the organization in november. police are now investigating. >> we are shocked and deeply concerned about these serious allegations. >> reporter: with hundreds of thousands of kids paratticipati in aau-sponsored events every year, parents are left wonder who they can trust? >> you have to check the coaches. you have to check who is leading those children. if y

working with police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against former director robert "bobby" dodd. two men say me molested them in the 1980s. the 63-year-old dodd left the aau last month. he's undergoing treatment for colon cancer. the aau says dodd denied the allegations when they first surfaced last month. >>> and national league mvb ryan brawn could miss the first 50 games of last year because he tested positive for a banned substance. synthetic testosterone was found in braun's system when he was tested in october. he is appealing the test. a spokesperson for braun said there were highly unusual circumstances surrounding the case and that the milwaukee brewers all-star will be cleared. >>> another sports story. a nasty one. look at this mess. this is a crosstown rival. became an all-out brawl. the end of the game between xavier university and their rival, university of cincinnati. this started shortly after xavier's point guard taunted players and coaches on the cincinnati bench. there will no doubt be suspensions after officials review this game. again, this happened just wit

aau, bobby dodd is accused by two moor players of abuse three decades ago.re between the age of 12 and 16. they claim he molested them in hotel rooms during tournaments. >> we are concerned about the serious allegations and taken active appropriate steps to address them. >> dodd could not be reached for comment. they said he has colon cancer and no longer associated with the group. >> jerry sandusky returns to court on tuesday for a preliminary hearing. he faces 52 count of child six abuse. some or all of his 10 ache carries will teach. and then the judge will -- will testify. and then the judge will determine if there is enough it evidence to go to trial. >>> a virginia tech police officer and the community is having a difficult time dealing with the loss. he was a brave man with a huge heart. he served his family. school and country. and completed a 18 month tour of iraq in 2003. and in 2004. i said to myself going to work. it can't be him. he could make it through iraq and make it through anything. >> he pulled over this man and he killed the officer and

into those allegations claiming child sexual assault by the former head of the aau, bobby dodd.is the aau investigating, but now memphis police. that's where the accusations come from from two players on a team that he coached 30 years ago, in the 1980s. they have just begun these investigations. we have reached out to dodd, have not had any response at this point. i did talk to a coach of -- a once prominent aau team. his club has began to back away from that organization over the last couple of years because of what he calls a, quote, lack of oversight, supervision and an absence of integrity. tom. >> jay gray live for us this morning, jay, thank you. >>> the biggest street protests in decades are being held today in russia following complaints about corruption and last weekend's national elections. nbc's stephanie gosk is in moscow this morning. good morning, stephanie. >> good morning, tom. well, you know, government officials tried to dissuade people from coming out here today. health officials warn they might get the flu. education officials made high school kids go to sch

robert bobby dodd was dismissed from his post about a month ago. that's according to a pr firm hired by the aau firm hired to take care of this crisis. dodd denied the allegations when confronted but the aau saw fit to tell dodd to leave his post and not return. george howe, they must have found something to force dodd out. do we know what that was? >> reporter: don, at this point that does seem to be the case. in fact, we are learning new details as we examine the time line of events. how long did this group know about these allegations before making the call to contact police? now, what we do know is that two men spoke publicly to espn outside the lines to share their story about the alleged sexual abuse that happened back in the 1980s when the men were teenagers. what we learned is that a third person may have also contacted that group with similar complaints but it all goes back to the timeline. on november 7th and 8th, this group apparently received anonnous e-mails about a source only known as shrimp breath. again, it took a little over a mon