Sportscolumn Blog

At this point, the tide seems to be turning in public sentiment that the Duke lacrosse team is innocent of rape charges. Not to be deterred, at a community forum at NCCU, Durham County DA Mike Nifong had this to say:

A lot has been said in the press, particularly by some attorneys yesterday, that this case should go away. My presence here means that this case is not going away.

Experts agree that not having DNA evidence does not make prosecuting the case impossible but that because of CSI, it’s going to be hard to get a conviction.

We wonder if this is the DA refusing to bail out of a sinking ship or if the lawyers for the lacrosse players are blowing smoke. Either way, someone’s career is going to be ruined. And since they’re all lawyers, does it really matter?

A doctor and nurse who examined the alleged victim said she had injuries consistent with rape. So, if not the lax boys, then who did it?

By the way, just so you know, one of the fathers of the lacrosse players said the boys are innocent. Gee, thanks, AP, for that stellar piece of investigative journalism … ’cause you know, there’s no bias there.

[Yahoo]: Prosecutor: Investigation of rape allegations at Duke lacrosse party ‘not going away’

A lawyer for one of the team captains said DNA tests show that the players are innocent of the rape charge. We don’t exactly trust lawyers so we’ll note that you should take anything coming out of their mouths with a grain of salt. Just because no DNA evidence was found that matched any of the players doesn’t mean that they are innocent. Although the case is looking more and more like a hoax with every new detail that comes out.

Remember that District Attorney Mike Nifong that he was “absolutely convinced” a rape had occured and that he could still file charges even if no DNA evidence was found. Hmmm… Nifong is someone who tops out list of people we wouldn’t want to be right now. He’s right above of the person who heads Detroit’s 911 service.

Links:
[News&Observer]: Attorney: No DNA found on victim

The ref clearly is excited to be there

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2006 Rock Paper Scissors champion is David McGill from Omaha, Nebraska. In a grueling 5 hour tournament at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, it all came down to one final throw… and of course, the winner had no idea what it was. When asked about the winning throw, McGill replied, “I’m sorry. I’ve been here since 2 in the afternoon.”

People were dressed in costumes and the final rounds took place in a miniature boxing ring on stage. Talk about making a big spectacle out of nothing. But hey, $50k is a lot of money for a game that requires no training and no talent. The tournament is all dumb luck so we can’t wait to sign up next year.

The RPS championship could be HUGE next year. It’s the perfect combination of booze and easy money. Bud Light might have just stumbled upon something great here for their sponsorship dollars.

Links:
[Las Vegas Review Journal]: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS — BEER

One of the anonymous comments in a previous blog entry mentioned that the alleged victim had prior charges. Well, we finally found a source. WRAL in Raleigh reported that in 2002, the alleged victim gave a lap dance to a taxi driver, then stole his car and lead the police on a high speed chase. The chase ended when she hit a dead-end road. She had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit at the time. She served probation and some jail time for the “joyride”.

Her lawyer points out that what happened in the past should not affect the current investigation. We agree with this, however, not many people pointed this out when the media reporting that 15 of the lacrosse players had prior convictions for public drunkeness.

On the other side, Joseph Cheshire, a laywer for the Duke lacrosse team claims he has time-stamped photographs that prove there was no rape committed at the house. Cheshire claims that there is a photograph of the dancer smiling at the photographer, followed by one six minutes later where she is passed out on the porch. Another photograph, 3 minutes later, shows a team captain helping the woman into her car.

We wonder if this description of the photographs will change the public’s mind on whether a rape took place. Naturally, both sides are standing by their stories.

Links:
[WRAL]: Alleged Rape Victim Had Past Brush With Law
[News&Observer]: Attorney: Party pics help players