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Duke lacrosse players await results
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Also by Kate Maternowski:
- In-Depth: United by the outcome, divided by the process (September 21, 2006)
- In-Depth: 'We Conserve' shines light on campus conservation issues (September 28, 2006)
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- Despite DNA, Duke investigation goes on (April 12, 2006)
- Duke tackles race issues (March 5, 2007)
- Band allegations include sexual fondling (October 9, 2008)
- Duke gives students iPods (February 6, 2006)
- Student writers take spotlight (September 18, 2006)
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by Kate Maternowski
Monday, April 3, 2006
Investigation surrounding rape allegations of three Duke University men's lacrosse team members continues this week as the university's president urges patience.
Allegations stemmed from a March 13 off-campus party at which many Duke lacrosse team members were in attendance. A black exotic dancer and student at nearby North Carolina Central University, who was hired to perform at the party, told police she was assaulted and raped by three men at the party, all of whom she said were white.
Police collected DNA samples from 46 of the 47 lacrosse team members; the 47th was excluded because he is black and therefore does not match the attackers' profiles.
Duke Director of Athletics Joe Alleva expressed dismay regarding the allegations but maintained nothing has been proven thus far. But there were other aspects of the party also causing alarm, he said.
"Several players who were present acknowledge … that they did hire private party dancers and that underage drinking occurred," Alleva said. "The judgment of the team members to host and participate in this event is inconsistent with the values of Duke Athletics and Duke University, and is unacceptable."
According to a Duke release, the captains stated "unequivocally" that any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false; they also said DNA results expected to be available sometime this week will exonerate them.
Alleva decided to forfeit the following two men's lacrosse games as investigations pressed on. Then, Tuesday of last week, the captains of the lacrosse team met with Duke President Richard Brodhead and told him they believed it was in the best interest of the university, the community and their families to suspend competitive play because of the "intense emotions" surrounding the allegations.
Brodhead announced Tuesday the official suspension of the lacrosse team's future games, at the request of team members, until there is a clearer resolution to the legal situation.
In a press conference Tuesday, Brodhead acknowledged the importance of the team taking responsibility for their actions but agreed with the necessity to suspend play.
"In this painful period of uncertainty, it is clear to me, as it was to the players, that it would be inappropriate to resume the normal schedule of play," Brodhead said in a written statement at the press conference. "Sports have their time and place, but when an issue of this gravity is in question, it is not the time to be playing games."
Brodhead said that while the team will continue to practice, the game suspensions will have "serious implications" for the team, which was runner-up for the NCAA title in 2005 and was ranked second in the nation before the incident.
After the press conference Tuesday, demonstrating students assailed Brodhead with questions; according to a Duke release the students were unhappy with how long the university took before alerting students of the incident, and one student shouted she did not feel safe on her own campus.
Brodhead, in response, agreed to meet with a group of students Wednesday to discuss the situation. Additionally, he sent out letters to Duke parents and alumni late last week, alerting them to the situation and promising an appropriate response when further information is gathered.
According to Vince Sweeney, senior associate athletic director of external relations at the University of Wisconsin, the closest UW has ever come to this type of mass suspension was nearly five years ago when several athletes were suspended because of controversy surrounding the store owner of Shoebox giving athletes a discount that the NCAA deemed an "extra benefit."
Sweeney noted the difference between the Shoebox controversy and the current situation at Duke but said it is difficult for any university to plan for circumstances like these.
"I'm not sure you can have a plan for something like this," he said. "But I am sure that we would have taken our student athlete disciplinary policy into consideration, acted swiftly and tried to deal with it as best we could."
The Student Government at Duke released a statement Friday expressing disgust of "any and all" acts of sexual misconduct and violence, and encouraged students to attend events being held on campus as Sexual Assault Prevention Week continues.
The Black Student Alliance at Duke declined comment but is expected to put out a release regarding the situation later this week.
Anonymous (April 3, 2006 @ 3:21pm):
Just wondering, Kobe Bryant was not suspended from NBA play when he was accused of rape, so why the double standard?
Karen Ehlin (April 4, 2006 @ 1:41am):
It seems that if there was wrongdoing of this magnitude, some men on the team would have come forward by now. The DNA testing positive will only make it worse for them. I hope that their silence indicates their innocence of the major crime. The party should not have happened, the girl should not have been entertaining the way that she did, many rules have been broken, but it seems that the major rule has not. If there are a few men guilty, they should step forward and save the respectibilty of Duke University and their fellow team members. I hope that the scientific tests prove valuable in proving their innocence.
Anonymous (April 4, 2006 @ 3:27pm):
if the girl is lying, i hope she is punished severely.
Anonymous (April 4, 2006 @ 6:59pm):
Rape cases such as those where the law merits search and seizure... Are public and when public are a wrong. Finishing the public database for "Hair Specimins" would go mainstream sometime. Usually at childbirth a lab specimin is/should be collected. Due process would not be violated and any search unnecessary and a victim could be kept confidential until trial. It is a weighty issue/subject.
ANTHONY JONES (April 5, 2006 @ 2:12am):
I dont understand why this news is not talked about in the media.
Anonymous (April 6, 2006 @ 3:27pm):
I agree with alot of other people when they say if it was the other way around and the girl was white and the players were black, someone would be convicted and going to jail by now. I thought that ignorance was over with but apparently its still here... alive and well. By the way a DNA test only takes 48 hours so what's the hold up?
