Well, either Day 5 or Day 17, depending on when you start the clock. In that timeline, it’s important to note that the university’s president claims Duke began investigating the incident on Wednesday March 15, yet the team played 2 more games before the story hit the papers.
Published on duke.edu is a statement by the Duke Lacrosse team captains:
The captains of the team met this morning with President Brodhead, and expressed sincere regret over the lapse in judgment in having the party on March 13 which has caused so much anguish for the Duke community and shame to our families and ourselves.We also stated unequivocally that any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false.
The team has cooperated with the police in their investigation. We have provided authorities with DNA samples. The understanding is that the results of the DNA testing will be available sometime next week. The DNA results will demonstrate that these allegations are absolutely false.
Because of the intense emotions surrounding these allegations, we feel it is in the best interest of the University, the community and our families that the team should not play competitively until the DNA results verify our unequivocal denial of these allegations.
I’m quite naive in some aspects. I believe when people come out and say they aren’t guilty, that they are, in fact, not guilty. Hell, for about 3 months, I didn’t think OJ possibly could have done it.
A fact came out today that doesn’t really sit right with me. Remember we told you about the woman who called 911 because she was driving by and one of the team members called her a n******? Well, the police responded right away and found the place completely empty. At 1 in the morning. You don’t clear out a party by 1 in the morning on a college campus unless something really bad happened. Couple that with the finding of the stripper’s things at the house and it doesn’t look good for the lacrosse team.
Still, I have to point out that nothing is ever how it plays out in the press. Despite the fact that most lacrosse players are dicks, it doesn’t mean they’re rapists. Does anyone remember Tawana Brawley?
Someone is quick to remind us that the three accused men are innocent until proven guilty. However, someone should learn to spell alleged.
(via Signifying Nothing)
10 replies on “Duke Lacrosse Team scandal Day 5”
she feels this strongly — “A member of a women’s sports team at the university said she knew several of the players and could not imagine them engaging in violent behavior against women. “They are the nicest guys and I’m going to stand by them because they have not been charged,” said the athlete, who asked that her name be withheld.”
Duke Lacrosse – Sportszilla — Hey, this is David Arnott from Sportszilla. First, thanks for reading and linking to us. Second, just to make absolutely clear, I don’t think the Duke lacrosse captains have actually made any public statements. My piece is fictional and is what I wish one of these kids would stand up and say. Your post here kind of implies someone actually said that.
dammit — I kinda read that and thought it was fictional. But then I googled it and it seems they did make a statement that day. So your timing made it seem like that was the actual statement. Sorry about the confusion. I’ll edit the column with their actual statement.
agree on some points — In this entry http://blog.sportscolumn.com/story/2006/3/30/6321/36672 I pointed out that the 15 prior charges were run of the mill college stuff that most of us are guilty of.
You are right that everyone jumps to conclusions and that these folks aren’t necessarily guilty. That’s why I linked to the Tawana Brawley case. Most people in college now might not remember it.
Finally, the part I don’t understand is why they would kill a party at 1 AM when according to the neighbor, it was still going on at 12:45. Is college different now? (I graduated in 95) Who ends a party at 1? When the police showed up, there was no one around.
Do you have a link to the info about the prior charges against the alleged victim?
Thanks for replying .. — You make some very interesting points about this story. Innocent until proven guilty 100%.
I can see your point about the politcs angle with the DA up for reelection. That said, he still has a job to do and I hope he is doing it to the best of his ability and not purely for self-interest.
I have one question, though.
Thanks for posting, and good luck to you and your friends and I hope that the case is resolved through the court system fairly.
Those Duke Boys! — I encourage everyone to get out pen and paper and jot down what is known and is not known about the “case” and about the alleged victim and alleged rapists.
It is interesting to consider the relative criminal histories. I know nothing of the “dancer” except what was posted earlier.
The guys crimes ammount to having a few beers and needing to pee. I do not know what makes so many others want to take the word of this woman without question. Is it in the politically correct handbook that any rape accuser must be championed and that any alleged perpetrator must be villified?
Go to the Raleigh News and Observer web site and listen to the 911 calls. Look at the transcripts. The caller who reported a racial slur has bizarre changes in affect, sobbing incoherently then instantly changing to a normal tone and back and forth two more times. She reported that the slur came from a guy along the wall, which is on the opposite side of the road she was driving on, then she claims that it came from a bunch of guys leaving a Frat house she was walking by. The only consistent thing in the call is the address she spouts out three times. MSNBC showed a video demonstrating that the house number can’t be seen in the day. How could this person know the address at night? I can’t be sure if this call is “real” or something else.
Who really knows what went on in the house?
I would say a portion of the male guests, and the woman, assuming intoxication did not impair memory. Unless there is some kind of video, we will be forced to trust one or the other or neither. Neither party is of such sterling character that one can eliminate the possibility that they are lying. Is it more likely that one person would lie to save face, get back her phone and cash, stick it to those jerks, or other unknown reason; or that 46 would conspire to hide the terrible crime of 3 which they might also be liable for. I do not know.
The DA is running for reelection and needs to look tough on this situation. How much easier for him to hammer hard on this and get tv time. If the DNA indicates there was sex of some type, he has a case and tons of TV time coming. If there was no DNA evidence of sex, then he still looked tough on the Guys and friendly to the alleged victim and got some TV time.
So many in cyberspace have rushed to convict the Lax players. The media is rampant with “sex crime” and “race card” elements. So many on Duke’s campus have eagerly accused and harrassed their fellow students.
I hope for clarity in the coming week. I will wait for justice to prevail.
I will be interested to see the fallout either way.
The 911 call — to report the racial slur is pretty suspicious – especially about the house number part.
However, I have no doubt that one of them said “thank your grandpa for my nice cotton shirt”. Prep schools (where most lax players come from) are full of the most racists bastards I’ve ever met. I think the neighbor is the key to this. Does he hold enough of a grudge against loud frat boys to make shit up? I dunno. I hate my neighbors too but I don’t accuse them of rape.
It’s amazing that we all are Sherlock f’ing Holmes now.
The neighboor —
The guy next door didn’t really accuse them of rape. He just noted that racial slurs were shouted, the strippers left, and then the guys left. I don’t really find the fact that they left as suspicious as the blogmaster here does. I haven’t heard a single report of a woman being at this “party”. So it wasn’t a real party. The stripper was most likely the reason they were all gathered there. When she left, apprently under less than pleasant circumstances, the players probably did what any college aged male would do at 1 am on a weekend- head down to a bar or go over to a real party that has hot chicks. They aren’t going to sit around at what amounted to nothing more than a sausagefest at that point. My personel guess is that no rape happened. I think its important to wait until all the facts come out (The DNA test being the most critical) but that’s my gut feeling. There are just too many weird things going on here. The 911 call is the most shaddy, but I’m also concerned about the fact that all this evidence (which if a rape did occur would be damningly incriminating) is just sitting around the house 2 days later. This stuff has the potential to ruin their lives but we are supposed to believe that they paid it no more mind than an empty beer can. It just doesn’t add up.
vin the moron — You are a moron, get over yourself.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty? whatever. — I was wondering if the female Duke athlete who wrote this “editorial” in support of the Duke Lacrosse Team would like to qualify her statements in light of the email released to the media yesterday. Also, she might want to check the criminal background of Dan Flannerty. If she doesn’t know who he is, she can refer today’s News and Observer, unless of course, she only subscribes to newspapers in the northeast. By the way, “alot” is actually two words. If she doesn’t believe me, she can check with one of her Duke English professors.