Philadelphia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Longtime Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin will not face prosecution over child sex abuse allegations -- even if there were grounds for charges -- because the statute of limitations concerning the alleged crimes has expired , according to prosecutors . The claims were published in an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday after an investigation was initiated by authorities , according to a statement from Bernard Weisenfeld , a spokesman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor 's Office in New Jersey . The article says three women and a man allege they were molested by Conlin in the 1970s when they were between the ages of 7 and 12 . One of the alleged victims is Conlin 's niece , said Slade McLaughlin , an attorney who represents three of the accusers . A spokesman for the Daily News said the newspaper had no knowledge of the allegations prior to The Inquirer 's story . Conlin has denied the claims , speaking through his attorney . He retired from the Daily News on Tuesday , the newspaper said . `` Mr. Conlin is obviously floored by these allegations , which supposedly happened 40 years ago . He 's engaged me to do everything possible to bring the facts forward to vindicate his name , '' said attorney George Bochetto . Prosecutors say an exhaustive investigation had been launched into the allegations . But , Weisenfeld said , it was later determined that even if there were legal grounds to pursue a criminal prosecution , prosecutors are barred from doing so because the alleged crimes occurred too long ago . A 1996 law actually eliminates statutes of limitations on sexual assault cases in New Jersey , but the law is not considered retroactive for claims that date back as far as the 1970s . Still , McLaughlin said , his clients want to speak out . `` They made the decision that they were going to tell their story , '' the attorney told CNN . `` This is n't a he-said , she-said story . It 's a he-said , they-said . Their only motives are getting closure and public service . '' McLaughlin also noted , after speaking with his clients , that the accusations made in The Inquirer 's story were accurate . Conlin , 77 , who gained national recognition from appearances on ESPN , could not be immediately reached for comment . The veteran sportswriter worked for the Daily News for nearly half a century . The newspaper published an editorial Wednesday written by its managing editor in an effort to address the scandal . `` I have been a journalist for more than a quarter century , and I have never had a professional experience that was sadder â $ '' or more shocking â $ '' than reading the allegations leveled against Bill Conlin yesterday , '' wrote Larry Platt . `` We 've taken the unusual step of also running -LRB- the Inquirer 's story -RRB- , in its entirety , on the following page , because I felt you deserved to see the allegations in full context , '' he added . Still , Platt reminded readers that Conlin has not been charged with a crime . The Inquirer and the Daily News are owned by a parent company , Philadelphia Media Network . This week 's allegations come in the wake of a series of recent child sex abuse scandals , including the case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky , who faces more than 50 counts of child sex abuse spread over several years . Conlin , who covered sports throughout Pennsylvania for the newspaper , weighed in on the Penn State scandal last month in a column published by the Daily News titled `` Tough Guys Are Talking About Sandusky . '' Conlin expressed doubt about those who said they would have intervened on behalf of a child , had they witnessed the boy 's alleged molestation at the hands of Sandusky in a university locker room shower . `` Everybody says he will do the right thing , get involved , put his own ass on the line before or after the fact , '' Conlin wrote in a column published on November 11 . `` But the moment itself has a cruel way of suspending our fearless intentions . ''