Sportscolumn Blog

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)

The Smoking Gun has published the search warrant obtained by the North Carolina police to search the premises of house where the alleged rape took place.

Included in the warrant are the names of the three alleged rapists.

The victim stated she tried to leave and the three males (Adam, Bret, and Matt) forcefully held her legs and arms and sexually assaulted her anally, vaginally and orally. The victim states she was hit, kicked and stranged during the assault and she attempted to defend herself, but was overpowered. The victim reported she was sexually assaulted for an approximate 30 minute time period by the three males.

As a way to thwart us hardworking bloggers, Duke University has removed the lacrosse team roster from their site. However, this is the internet and there’s more than one way to skin a cat. By looking over the 2006 stats, we were able to weed out the names of all the Duke players. See Duke, information wants to be free.

Ok, I better put a disclaimer here. We’re not saying these are the guys who did it. Innocent until proven guilty. But, the victim stated that her three attackers were team members. So, my extensive investigative expertise (learned from Encyclopedia Brown) yields only 1 Bret, 3 Matts, and 0 Adams.

Another aspect of this case is the media coverage of it. This is a story that didn’t make ESPN (i.e. national) coverage until the sordid details started filtering out. Yet, Dhani Jones getting arrested for dancing in Miami Beach makes Sportscenter immediately. I don’t often play the race card but this has me scratching my head more than Adam Morrison.

One piece of reporting that I question is that 15 members of the team had prior charges including underage alcohol possession, having open containers of alcohol, loud noise and public urination. I understand this is relevant, but is it really relevant? It’s practically a rite of passage in college to drink beer, make noise and urinate in public. Yes, technically, they had prior charges but the AP headline was “15 Duke lacrosse players had prior charges”, which leads you to believe they have something criminal in their backgrounds. Sorry, but being a drunk asshole isn’t really that big of a crime. (Yes, I know, headlines are sensationalistic and I’m being naive.)

This scandal will catapult Duke lacrosse into the national conciousness negatively for a long time. As much as I dislike the overuse of the term “perfect storm” (thanks to that terrible book and movie), this guy has got it right when detailing why this story is front page news: rape and gender, race, class, timing, and the team’s foolhardy adherence to a code of silence.

Barry Bonds on the juice gets the attention of sports junkies and makes the rounds on the sports blogs. Duke lacrosse players raping a black woman gets on everyone’s radar.

Reactions from the blogosphere:

[Justice 4 Two Sisters]: This blog is keeping track of a ton of the blog entries on this scandal.

[My All time top 5]: “If the lacrosse scandal turns out to be true… and as much as I hope it’s not, it’s hard to shake what appears to be serious evidence to the contrary or at the very least, a major violation of “the stupid rule”… not only does it smear every good student at the University and obliterate any semblance of relations with Durham, but most importantly, it’s a lasting, stinging reinforcement of the Duke Prick Stereotype: that if you’re a rich white kid, you can do no wrong. Get in, get out, get your 6-figure i-banking job, and don’t give a shit about anybody else.”

[Under the Dryer]: “To Devon Sherwood, the lone African-American player on the Duke University Men’s Lacrosse Team. (this is listed on Duke University Athletics public website www.goduke.com) I know you are a freshman, you are probably on scholarship, you are the only brother on this team. I’d be scared to death in some ways if I were you. Despite all this, I am appealing to you young soldier to come forward and tell what you know and or saw and see that these your sisters receive the justice they deserve. This could have been your mother, your sister, your cousin, your girlfriend,your classmate. They are college students just like you, one is a mother, trying to support her children and make a better life. What are you going to do? The activist Angela Davis said “If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you in the afternoon.” Don’t think you can’t or won’t be racially terrorized my brother. You OWE all the hundreds of thousands of our forbearer whose backs YOU stand on, who suffered, worked, protested,marched, sat-in, bled, and died so that you could go to an institution who historically did not always admit African-Americans to be educated or play organized sports. YOU OWE THEM DEVON. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? HOW LONG WILL YOU SIT AND LET THESE SISTERS SUFFER?”