Posted on 03/28/2006 10:21:27 PM PST by Howlin
(03/28/06 -- DURHAM) - Duke University's highly ranked men's lacrosse team won't play again this season until school administrators learn more about allegations that several team members raped an exotic dancer at an off-campus party, the school said Tuesday.
University president Richard Brodhead had decided to suspend the team from play "until there is a clearer resolution of the legal situation involving team members."
The suspension raises the possibility the Blue Devils will miss the rest of their games. Duke has four games left on its regular-season schedule, followed by next month's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Baltimore and a likely bid to the NCAA tournament. Last year, Duke lost to Johns Hopkins in the school's first appearance in the national title game.
No one has been charged in the case, which has roiled the campus, raised racial tensions and heightened antagonism between the affluent students at Duke, which costs about $43,000 a year, and the city of Durham, which has a large population of poor people and is about evenly divided between white and black. Armed with a judge's order, police took DNA samples with a cheek swab from 46 of the lacrosse team's 47 players last week. The 47th player, the only black member of the team, did not have to provide DNA because the dancer said her attackers were white.
"I needed to have the information about who will be charged," said District Attorney Mike Nifong said Tuesday. "I feel pretty confident that a rape occurred."
Brodhead said the team's captains notified Duke athletic director Joe Alleva on Tuesday the team wanted to stay off the field until results of DNA testing came back from the state crime lab. Brodhead said it was his decision to expand the suspension.
"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. "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."
An hour before the rape was reported, 911 operators received calls from another woman who was walking by the party.
"It's right in front of 610 Buchanan [Blvd.] , and I saw them all come out like a big frat house, and me and black girlfriend are walking by, and they called us n-----s," the caller said.
An hour later, a 27-year-old dancer reports being strangled, kicked, beaten and raped by three members of Duke's lacrosse team. Traumatized and full of fear, she retreated to a nearby grocery store and refused to get out of the car until an officer arrived.
"The problem is, it's a lady in somebody else's car and she will not get out of the car," the 911 caller said. "The owner of the car is right here and she says she can explain what happened."
The documents say some players threatened to assault the victims sexually with a broom as they performed. Court documents also say team members tried to create an "atmosphere of confusion" by giving fake names to hire the strippers.
Investigators say they are encountering a stonewall of silence against a mounting pile of evidence.
"Based on what I know about the crime, is that it is highly unlikely that the people at that crime scene who where not directly involved in the crime did not know that something untoward was going on," said Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Two weeks into the investigation, Nifong says he has received little cooperation from Duke lacrosse team members.
Durham CrimeStoppers is making a new plea for help in the investigation. Officials sent out an e-mail Tuesday afternoon, saying in part:
"Although we have received many calls expressing concerns and anger about this incident, we have not received any calls which would allow us to assist in resolving this case&We are extending our plea for information and help to our Duke family, who are also part of our community."The police department's plea is the latest in a PR battle between investigators and Duke University officials. It comes one day after Duke President Richard Brodhead said the team had been cooperative.
"My information is that they have been cooperating all along with the investigation," he told Eyewitness News.
DNA samples from the lacrosse players did not come voluntarily. District Attorney Nifong said Tuesday that Duke is not hampering the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Durham chapter of the NAACP is asking for a private meeting with Duke officials.
Thanks for posting these bits, Howlin.
I'm really disgusted over the hoopla. The media circus.
Heard on the news today, how curious it was that the 911 call just so happened to be quite detailed about the address wherein "so-called" racial epiteths were emitting from. Turns out, there's NO HOUSE ADDRESS IDENTIFIER ON THE HOUSE (FRAT HOUSE) IN QUESTION.
Let the guilty be charged -- BUT NOT! before the facts.
Leave the poor boys alone..some were just trying to change their luck....and of course a black female with such a stellar background would never lie... Folks, this ole boy surmises that some of the boys didn't pay her for a trick and her pimp decided to drop them in the grease.... just my take...
But whether it is or not I'll tell you what really sticks in my craw: On HEARSAY ALONE. "A female's word".. the Duke team is suspended from playing. This smacks of old time tricks.
Apparently doctors vouch that she was raped. that usually means vaginal scarring (and anal allegedly). unless she happened to suffer from a particular medical condition, women can't fake that.
I heard one of the dancers was at college.
Here's another insight to the character of these players. Divison III powerhouse Salisbury University beat Duke in a pre-season game last year. Allegedly, Duke refused to shake hands after the game.
Police Affidavit
middle of page & then continued
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0405061duke3.html
Wonder why the Media won't this ?? Only on a small station website only.
Wonder why?
http://www.wral.com/news/8513890/detail.html?rss=ral&psp=news
http://www.wral.com/news/8370290/detail.html
Dancer steals car and goes on high speed chase thru two counties and then tries to run over the Policmen.
No marches or vigils at her school (or anywhere else) though. I think the culture at NCCU may have fostered and fomented this type of criminal behavior.
.
Given that the dna tests came back absolving the players, what is your response now?
"...we do not do business with people who graduate from Duke if we know their background. I will never hire one."
What, may I ask, is YOUR collegial background, sir?
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