Posted on 04/12/2007 9:53:40 AM PDT by Reaganesque
Durham, NC -- I join with everyone who cares about justice in welcoming the North Carolina State Attorney General’s announcement that the remaining charges have been dropped against David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann. This announcement comes at the end of an extraordinarily painful year for the young men and their families. They have carried themselves with dignity through an ordeal of deep unfairness.
Let’s be clear about what was said today. The Attorney General did not dismiss the allegations on narrow, equivocal or legalistic ground. He determined our students to be innocent of the charges and said they were “the tragic result of a rush to accuse.” In short, he used the strongest language of vindication.
From the outset, I have been careful to note that these students were entitled to the presumption of innocence and I looked to the legal system to determine the merit of the charges. Now, finally, that process has given us a decision based on a thorough and objective review of the evidence. This is what we have all needed from the start. I trust the State Bar’s review will be equally thorough so that we can understand the District Attorney’s conduct in this case. As for Duke, while not reliving the past year, we won’t be afraid to go back and learn what we can from this difficult experience.
During the past year, the world has known these young men, their teammates and a great university largely through the filter of unproven allegations. I trust that today’s decision will begin a new day for all involved.
Now, that comment may be a problem for Ms. Broverman. She should clearly be fired at this point as she represents Duke. Her or any other professor can not continue to insinuate the guys are guilty at this point with the AG saying they are innocent. Brodhead has to fire her or that may open Duke up to liability.
I am a graduate of Duke.
ALL of their requests for funds simply go in the trash can.
Not one more dime!
I am a graduate of Duke.
ALL of their requests for funds simply go in the trash can.
Not one more dime!
I met Reade Seligmann last year while both of us were doing volunteer work in a church soup kitchen here in NJ. What an outstanding young man. I told him about FR and we were with them all.
I hope those families take those bastards to the cleaners.
Add the fired lacrosse coach, too.
Falsely accused. Falsely indicted. I’d wager that the LAX players and coach don’t consider the Duke administration to have protected their rights whatsoever.
I don’t know if your assertion is correct or not, but even if it is, it’s a no less a travesty in cases like this. Brodhead still screwed up, the Gang of 88 is still a bunch of leftist harpies, and the school administration deserves every bit of criticism and scrutiny that it so uncomfortably finds itself under as of yesterday.
Multiply that about 100 times for the DA (and those who voted him back in office when evidence was already shown to be non-existent in the case), the ADA’s and perhaps some of the police dept.
And the lacrosse coach who was unjustly fired.
"Sex assault advocates?"
What the.....?
Oh, I agree they screwed up, and that Gang of 88 are a piece of you know what. They certainly deserve scrutiny and criticism.
An email that I already sent to Duke in January:
I very much appreciate this note from you. In the past, because our daughter is a recent Duke graduate, my wife and I have made small donations to Duke. We make more substantial donations to our own colleges. I make these donations to my university both because I appreciate the education I received from its faculty and because I feel strongly about the role a university should play in society. This role is principally to teach and to pursue the truth, including but not limited to the pursuit of truth in academic research. I believe that President Brodhead had an opportunity to further the university’s mission by demonstrating fairness and courage during a difficult time. He failed to take advantage of this opportunity. As I wrote to President Brodhead in April, it is easy to express principles but difficult to act in accordance with them. Instead of continual apologia such as the letter from Mr. Burness in today’s Wall Street Journal, I believe that Duke owes its students, alumni and the public a true apology for its failures in this matter. As a Duke alumnus was quoted in the January 22nd edition of The Chronicle: “It’s just my hope that Duke will admit some of the instances where they might have been wrong and work to make sure this doesn’t happen again, where Duke students are targeted by Durham authorities and Duke’s own faculty would be cited in a defense change-of-venue motion. It’s in their best interest that it’s not a part of Duke’s reputation.”
I don’t care if these families have millions...I hope they sue and win millions, and donate the money to a charity.
This statement is ludicrous.
He should offer to trade places with the fired Lacrosse coach. The greater loss would be to whatever team Broadhead ends up coaching.
How about an apology for the reprehensible way you and your faculty treated these innocent young men, their coach and the lacrosse program???
This dude is a weasel. If it were me I would sue him, the 88, the county, the DA and anyone else I could think of to sue.
And what was the coach’s name? Where is he working now?
Any suit against CGM can prohibit her profiting from this fiasco.
I was just looking on FR to see what has been posted about this case. I think it closely parallels the Dirty dishonest prosecutor of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Campean, brave border patrol agents. They didn’t let the evidence in their trial, plus they were prosecuted with lies. Glad these La Crosse boys got OFF. Our justice system is so messed up when Martha Stewart goes to prison for lying and Bill and Hillary Clinton don’t. Plus not to mention OJ, Robert Blake, Ted Kennedy, and others who SHOULD be in prison now.
And if I were young and a stripper and I stripped at a party full of drunk frat boys I would expect to get raped. duh.
I’m not defending Brodhead or most of his actions, but Duke’s rules do stipulate that any student charged with a felony be suspended.
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