To get elected. Which he was.
Now, all he has to do is secretly convince her to drop the case and he's golden. He can then shrug his shoulders and say he tried.
"The heart of a man is a dark forest",
--German saying.
To get reelected as a Prosecutor is my guess. Nifong is pandering to the local African American resentment against Rich White College Pukes. Hell maybe the Students have some resentment coming, but not to the extent of a bogus rape conviction.
I don't think he plans to sacrifice his career. My best guess is that he knew this would make political hay during the election, and now he hopes it will quietly sink into oblivion. Once it's out of the headlines, it wouldn't surprise me if he dropped the charges. However, at least three lives have been ruined by these false charges, so I do hope that their lawyers keep it in the headlines. The more they do, the worse Nifong looks, and maybe they can restore a few shreds of these young men's reputations.
And note to college guys: hiring strippers might momentarily satisfy your raging hormones, but as has often been said, if you lie down with dogs, don't be surprised if you get fleas.
A jury of peers should consist of 12 upper-income white lacrosse players. Find those in Durham...