Duke launches investigation into possible player mistreatment

[mainejeff]

While that may be true it's complete speculation to connect the two and will lead to people to jump to conclusions they shouldn't... everyone should just wait and let the investigation run it's course...

Well maybe EVERYONE on here should stop speculating then! If anything, I'm letting you know that maybe this isn't all her fault and that she needs help. Of course that would put holes in your Big Bad JPM narrative.......

 

[HuskyNan]

They don't release hospital records due to privacy laws. You know that. If I were a Husky fan, you would be celebrating my statement..I've read a lot worse on here.

No, it has nothing to do with being a Husky fan. It has to do with anonymous Internet posters trashing the reputation of people without a shred of proof.

The previous comments you're referring to have a basis in fact, many of which were video taped, such as press conferences. McCallie's performance in those pressers were open to scrutiny and criticized, often harshly. That has nothing to do with speculation someone may have made up.

 

[mainejeff]

No, it has nothing to do with being a Husky fan. It has to do with anonymous Internet posters trashing the reputation of people without a shred of proof.

The previous comments you're referring to have a basis in fact, many of which were video taped, such as press conferences. McCallie's performance in those pressers were open to scrutiny and criticized, often harshly. That has nothing to do with speculation someone may have made up.

Here ya go, Ms. Nan.........

She is honest about the difficulty of juggling a high-stress career as a college coach with the desire to be a good parent. She reveals how unprepared she was for the rigors of new parenthood, which landed her in the hospital suffering from exhaustion. From those days she says she learned how important it is to “be clear about what you can control and to remain consistent to it in times of difficulty.”

McCallie’s book fulfills promise to daughter; signings set in Portland, Bangor

 

[xHunt3r]

Well maybe EVERYONE on here should stop speculating then! If anything, I'm letting you know that maybe this isn't all her fault and that she needs help. Of course that would put holes in your Big Bad JPM narrative..

My narrative? What is my narrative? I haven't posted anything in this thread about McCallie .

 

[HuskyNan]

Here ya go, Ms. Nan....

She is honest about the difficulty of juggling a high-stress career as a college coach with the desire to be a good parent. She reveals how unprepared she was for the rigors of new parenthood, which landed her in the hospital suffering from exhaustion. From those days she says she learned how important it is to “be clear about what you can control and to remain consistent to it in times of difficulty.”

McCallie’s book fulfills promise to daughter; signings set in Portland, Bangor

See, how hard was that?

 

[Wally East]

What the entire University did to that Duke Lacrosse team and coach was one of the most horrific things in history.

But at least we're not being hyperbolic in discussing it

 

[mainejeff]

See, how hard was that?

It wasn't hard at all. I had forgotten that your standards are much higher for non-Husky fans when posting on here.

 

[CocoHusky]

Just a few points.
- My main reason for the post is that the modus operandi being used by the two educational institutions is somewhat similar...an internal investigation.
This has been picked up not just by posters (like me) but media that cover the school: Duke conducting 'evaluation' of women's basketball program. Could be the most "fair" way (objective sense) or the way to get around a long(er)-term contract (cynic's view).
- There were clearly delineated complaints at Nebraska that led to this investigation. (there are a slew of articles on this if you google Yori Resigns)
- Nebraska has kept the specific findings of their investigation private, which I bet was part of the payout deal with Yori. Since Duke is a private institution, I'll wager whatever comes of this is kept under stricter lock and key.
- Yori has had a very successful run, going to the NCAA a lot more than she hasn't in the last five-six years.
- Once again, I'm not defending or accusing either/or in these cases, but more pointing out how both are utilizing internal investigations.

My gut tells me that if Duke is undertaking an investigation like this, there will be some changes...

While I agree with most of your points would like to point out a counter example-where an internal investigation resulted in no finding of wrong doing ,the coach retained his position, and no additional transfers (ie. No Changes)
Illinois women's basketball investigation finds no wrongdoing, discrimination[/QUOTE]

 

[CocoHusky]

It wasn't hard at all. I had forgotten that your standards are much higher for non-Husky fans when posting on here.

Not true & very very weak of you to think it was!

 

[bags27]

It wasn't hard at all. I had forgotten that your standards are much higher for non-Husky fans when posting on here.

What you initially implied (I think/hope that's been deleted) and what is at least in the summary of her book are not exactly the same, and the difference is significant. To my mind, what you posted transcends what is good and proper to relate publicly, and if you don't see the difference then you're not going to appreciate that this has absolutely nothing to do with what team you root for.

 

[Dillon77]

While I agree with most of your points would like to point out a counter example-where an internal investigation resulted in no finding of wrong doing ,the coach retained his position, and no additional transfers (ie. No Changes)
Illinois women's basketball investigation finds no wrongdoing, discrimination

[/QUOTE]

Hey...Thanks. I think respectful discourse is great -- one of the ways in which we learn. Thanks for passing this along. I (now) remember reading it back in 2014. Interestingly, the end result of this (for now) was just released: Illinois reaches settlements with Tim Beckman, former women's basketball players

The University settled out of court with the b-ball players that launched the initial suit for a far less sum than they were looking for. Looks like the one assistant in question -- who did lose his job -- was cited for harsh coaching but not for discrimination, which was the crux of the suit.
Both the former and current AD's have continued to support the HC, so we'll see what happens.

 

[UcMiami]

A couple of things:
When there are issues under review with coaches and players it is very seldom 'cut and dried' and you can seldom 'go to the video tape' as they could with the Rutgers basketball coach. In most instances there has been one group of players and former players that are making complaints and another group of players and former players staunchly defending a coach. Athletic excellence requires blood sweat and tears, and it usually involves pushing athletes beyond the limits of what they thought they could do - that is a very frequent statement by both current players and former players at Uconn and within most programs that achieve national success. And the process of breaking through those limits is a combination of players being committed and of coaches pushing hard - that gets to the border of 'mistreatment' and also to the border of masochistic and other mental disorder (see Shea Ralph story) in the athletes themselves. Being 'world class' in any pursuit generally requires a level of 'imbalance' in individuals that can be frightening to mere mortals - where is the line between genius and madness is a frequent discussion and you can look at people like Bobby Fisher, or a movie like 'A Beautiful Mind' for the mental edge, just as you can look at stories of athletes and musicians and scientists who have crossed those lines. And you can look at world class coaches in the same light - Bobby Knight crossing over to the dark side on occasions is well documented.

That is all to say that issues of coaching hard vs. mistreatment are very difficult to determine, especially for outsiders - pushing one player who wants to be pushed may be great coaching, pushing another who has reached breaking point may be terrible and judging the two situation is not easy. Having multiple coaches empowered to modulate and take the temperature I think is the easiest way to avoid most problems and something that Uconn seems to do very well - but they have a very stable staff that also helps, and they are in a position to be very selective in the players they recruit which also helps.

As far as the specifics involved at Nebraska and Duke - of course lawyers are involved and whatever findings they come to are seldom to the level of 'cause' in terms of employment and the breaking of a contract, and the cost of defending a contract termination for 'cause' both in legal fees and PR hits is seldom worth it - hence almost every contract termination that is not clear cut includes significant buy-out provisions. We have no idea what the Duke investigation will come up with, and we have no idea what the Nebraska investigation results were. At Nebraska it is clear that at least one player felt the accusations were unfounded and has chosen to leave partly because of the rift created within the team and the resignation of a coach she liked.

 

[UcMiami]

Specific to any correlation at Duke between the current situation and the lacrosse team is ridiculous - the lacrosse team was involved in an outside criminal investigation led by a prosecutor on a mission - there was very little 'internal' about it. The clearest correlation I see for the latter is the situation at PSU.

In both situations a university found itself in the middle of a criminal investigation involving reprehensible accusations and a resultant media firestorm and they both responded in fairly similar ways with suspensions to personnel or students - a fairly typical response for any organization with members under criminal investigation. That in one case the accusations proved true and the other they were a tissue of lies is really immaterial to how the initial reactions are judged. I have not seen the 30 for 30 review and am going to search it out.

But one thing that did come out and was I believe correctly reported was the disregard by the coach and the athletic department of numerous complaints of unruly partying and underage drinking associated with the lacrosse team - a situation that is similar to numerous other situations involving athletic departments around the country, and one of the contributing factors sited in the PSU case, where 'big time college program' issues get preferential treatment within universities and their communities. With coaches and players, results usually trump behavioral issues until the behavioral issue are thrust into the glaring light of a media firestorm and can no longer be ignored. (UNC is struggling to keep there 'behavioral issues' (academic fraud) on the periphery of such glaring light and it says a lot about society that they are somewhat succeeding while more salacious scandals lead the news.)

 

[Crossover]

A couple of things:
When there are issues under review with coaches and players it is very seldom 'cut and dried' and you can seldom 'go to the video tape' as they could with the Rutgers basketball coach. In most instances there has been one group of players and former players that are making complaints and another group of players and former players staunchly defending a coach. Athletic excellence requires blood sweat and tears, and it usually involves pushing athletes beyond the limits of what they thought they could do - that is a very frequent statement by both current players and former players at Uconn and within most programs that achieve national success. And the process of breaking through those limits is a combination of players being committed and of coaches pushing hard - that gets to the border of 'mistreatment' and also to the border of masochistic and other mental disorder (see Shea Ralph story) in the athletes themselves. Being 'world class' in any pursuit generally requires a level of 'imbalance' in individuals that can be frightening to mere mortals - where is the line between genius and madness is a frequent discussion and you can look at people like Bobby Fisher, or a movie like 'A Beautiful Mind' for the mental edge, just as you can look at stories of athletes and musicians and scientists who have crossed those lines. And you can look at world class coaches in the same light - Bobby Knight crossing over to the dark side on occasions is well documented.

That is all to say that issues of coaching hard vs. mistreatment are very difficult to determine, especially for outsiders - pushing one player who wants to be pushed may be great coaching, pushing another who has reached breaking point may be terrible and judging the two situation is not easy. Having multiple coaches empowered to modulate and take the temperature I think is the easiest way to avoid most problems and something that Uconn seems to do very well - but they have a very stable staff that also helps, and they are in a position to be very selective in the players they recruit which also helps.

As far as the specifics involved at Nebraska and Duke - of course lawyers are involved and whatever findings they come to are seldom to the level of 'cause' in terms of employment and the breaking of a contract, and the cost of defending a contract termination for 'cause' both in legal fees and PR hits is seldom worth it - hence almost every contract termination that is not clear cut includes significant buy-out provisions. We have no idea what the Duke investigation will come up with, and we have no idea what the Nebraska investigation results were. At Nebraska it is clear that at least one player felt the accusations were unfounded and has chosen to leave partly because of the rift created within the team and the resignation of a coach she liked.

One of the most thoughtful posts I have read in a long time. This, together with Dillon77's posts (#53 et seq.), sets an awfully high bar.

 

[UcMiami]

Last post (I think!)
The whole issue of coaching behavior is a changing landscape in our society, and the nature of athletic competition at least at early ages has completely changed with the idea of maintaining children's self esteem and the proliferation of participation trophies. (A similar change has happened with birthday parties that I find really strange - the gift packages for every attendee as if we cannot recognize a birthday as unique to one child?!)
Besides nice things to say about Uconn the video in this link, JC Watts also talks about his early sports experience and how his coaches would be arrested for the things they did as routine.
Great quarterback & Congressman pays big tribute to our women
I do think with the amount of time playing games and the very limited practice time HS kids get, many really are unprepared for the rigorous demands placed on them in competitive college sports environments and that this is probably more true with women than with men. Society still expects boys to be 'tougher' and more stoic and girls, even gifted athletes, to be more 'emotional'. The line in 'A League of Their Own' - 'Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball!' sums it up.
Add to the surprise of really hard and long practice, the additional frustration of not being better than everyone else on the team, as many recruited athletes discover in their first weeks of practice, and the whole thing can get tied up in a feeling of 'mistreatment'.

I'm not saying that there is not mistreatment or other issues in college coaching - just that it is not a simple question. A coaching staff with turnover of assistants and not the right mix of criticism and support can provide players with no 'release point' for issues that arise and can lead to complaints that get couched as 'mistreatment'.

 

[caramel]

It wasn't hard at all. I had forgotten that your standards are much higher for non-Husky fans when posting on here.

Wow,I didn't know,as a Husky fan,I got lower standards.I confess,though,that I do like New Mexico's teams,so I guess my standards should be somewhat higher then>

 

[pinotbear]

Wow,I didn't know,as a Husky fan,I got lower standards.I confess,though,that I do like New Mexico's teams,so I guess my standards should be somewhat higher then>

Your standards are certainly higher for scenic beauty. While I"m a nutmegger, born and bred, and certainly find beauty in the state, I love visiting New Mexico. I find New Mexico to be simply stunning.

 

[meyers7]

You made my day. Gave me hope for this place.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

As far as the specifics involved at Nebraska and Duke - of course lawyers are involved and whatever findings they come to are seldom to the level of 'cause' in terms of employment and the breaking of a contract, and the cost of defending a contract termination for 'cause' both in legal fees and PR hits is seldom worth it - hence almost every contract termination that is not clear cut includes significant buy-out provisions. We have no idea what the Duke investigation will come up with, and we have no idea what the Nebraska investigation results were. At Nebraska it is clear that at least one player felt the accusations were unfounded and has chosen to leave partly because of the rift created within the team and the resignation of a coach she liked.

This is what I do not understand in the Duke situation. Are they using Nebraska as a blue print to be rid of Coach P. Quite a blueprint - Nebraska paying 1.3 or 1.5 million,depending on the news source, after starting a process that was guaranteed to hurt. This suggests to me that the Admin. at Duke is divided and someone heavily invested in Coach P has dug their heels in in support of this loser.

 

[UcMiami]

This is what I do not understand in the Duke situation. Are they using Nebraska as a blue print to be rid of Coach P. Quite a blueprint - Nebraska paying 1.3 or 1.5 million,depending on the news source, after starting a process that was guaranteed to hurt. This suggests to me that the Admin. at Duke is divided and someone heavily invested in Coach P has dug their heels in in support of this loser.

I think the other options is much simpler - they have received complaints from multiple sources and find them credible enough that they have no choice but to investigate. I don't think it need be a 'political' situation at all, just a matter of proper procedures with no ulterior motive to justify retaining or firing JPM.
And my understanding is that that was the situation at Nebraska - the end result was a 'settlement' resignation, but I doubt that was the plan the administration had when the complaints were first made that prompted the investigation.

 

[Charliebball]

I'm not sure if everyone is aware of this one......I kind of remember it from a while ago.......

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reached a proposed agreement with former women’s basketball student-athletes who had filed a lawsuit against the university. The students alleged racial discrimination and mistreatment that included verbal and emotional abuse from coaches. Associate coach Mike Divilbis left the program in May 2015 but head coach Mike Bollant remains at Illinois.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

find them credible enough that they have no choice but to investigate.

As opposed to those multiple complaints a few years ago, with very public, racially tinged allegations. You know, before ND came along and ended the lock, albeit apparently ceremonial trips to the NCAA etc. Nope, somebody's collar got tight and it became a case of her or me and that landed it in HR. Pure conjecture, but your scenario is too clean to be true. Lots of alumni pressure and White could not defend her anymore.

 

[UcMiami]

As opposed to those multiple complaints a few years ago, with very public, racially tinged allegations. You know, before ND came along and ended the lock, albeit apparently ceremonial trips to the NCAA etc. Nope, somebody's collar got tight and it became a case of her or me and that landed it in HR. Pure conjecture, but your scenario is too clean to be true. Lots of alumni pressure and White could not defend her anymore.

The complaints leveled a few years ago were as far as I know external - specifically from a not disinterested party from the Philadelphia area and I believe driven partly from an initial unwillingness to grant a general release. It would be interesting to know (and probably unknowable) whether there were any complaints lodged by players on the roster at that time.

 

[LesMis89]

I'm not sure if everyone is aware of this one.I kind of remember it from a while ago..

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reached a proposed agreement with former women’s basketball student-athletes who had filed a lawsuit against the university. The students alleged racial discrimination and mistreatment that included verbal and emotional abuse from coaches. Associate coach Mike Divilbis left the program in May 2015 but head coach Mike Bollant remains at Illinois.

Already mentioned - Check posts #68 by CoCoHusky and #71 by Dillon77 on this thread

 

[Geno-ista]

Sadly, there have been lots, lots worse.

If one of your children were on the team- I'm not so sure you'd feel that way. And if they were one of the three they almost sent to a federal pen- where they each would have been dead in a week- not sure how it gets much worse than that. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[cabbie191]

A couple of things:
When there are issues under review with coaches and players it is very seldom 'cut and dried' and you can seldom 'go to the video tape' as they could with the Rutgers basketball coach. In most instances there has been one group of players and former players that are making complaints and another group of players and former players staunchly defending a coach. Athletic excellence requires blood sweat and tears, and it usually involves pushing athletes beyond the limits of what they thought they could do - that is a very frequent statement by both current players and former players at Uconn and within most programs that achieve national success. And the process of breaking through those limits is a combination of players being committed and of coaches pushing hard - that gets to the border of 'mistreatment' and also to the border of masochistic and other mental disorder (see Shea Ralph story) in the athletes themselves. Being 'world class' in any pursuit generally requires a level of 'imbalance' in individuals that can be frightening to mere mortals - where is the line between genius and madness is a frequent discussion and you can look at people like Bobby Fisher, or a movie like 'A Beautiful Mind' for the mental edge, just as you can look at stories of athletes and musicians and scientists who have crossed those lines. And you can look at world class coaches in the same light - Bobby Knight crossing over to the dark side on occasions is well documented.

That is all to say that issues of coaching hard vs. mistreatment are very difficult to determine, especially for outsiders - pushing one player who wants to be pushed may be great coaching, pushing another who has reached breaking point may be terrible and judging the two situation is not easy. Having multiple coaches empowered to modulate and take the temperature I think is the easiest way to avoid most problems and something that Uconn seems to do very well - but they have a very stable staff that also helps, and they are in a position to be very selective in the players they recruit which also helps.

As far as the specifics involved at Nebraska and Duke - of course lawyers are involved and whatever findings they come to are seldom to the level of 'cause' in terms of employment and the breaking of a contract, and the cost of defending a contract termination for 'cause' both in legal fees and PR hits is seldom worth it - hence almost every contract termination that is not clear cut includes significant buy-out provisions. We have no idea what the Duke investigation will come up with, and we have no idea what the Nebraska investigation results were. At Nebraska it is clear that at least one player felt the accusations were unfounded and has chosen to leave partly because of the rift created within the team and the resignation of a coach she liked.

One of the most cogent posts I've read on the BY.

 

[CocoHusky]

One of the most cogent posts I've read on the BY.

And yours would be also, except many will have to look up the meaning of the word cogent.

 

[UcMiami]

Duke University- an elite bastion of integrity when it comes to investigations!
What the entire University did to that Duke Lacrosse team and coach was one of the most horrific things in history. Did anyone out there see the recent ESPN 30 for 30 - the Big lie ??? It was mortifying what they did to 40 kids and came very close to sending 3 innocent kids to a federal prison. Jay Bilas was the only brave person associated w Duke to ask the question if there was any proof! Coach K was silent!!! And that coach was supposedly his best friend on campus. Biggest which hunt in history. Duke Univ- they can have it!!!

I know this discussion is peripheral to this thread, but the above and a few other posts bother me enough that I need to reply.

Duke had no hand in putting those three innocents in peril of prison - that was a criminal investigation by police and a prosecutors office, and any interference in that investigation by anyone associated with Duke would have been very wrong. That the prosecutor mishandled the investigation and grandstanded for the press was clearly professional 'malpractice', but those kids had a huge advantage over many people who find themselves falsely accused in that they had the resources to hire very good legal representation, and they were never 'very close' to prison - if the case had gone forward against them it was unlikely to be finally resolved for at least a year and probably a lot longer. (Police and prosecutorial malfeasance as we are learning is not as uncommon in this country as we perhaps believed even five years ago.)

I am sure that the 30 for 30 piece was very strong (have not been able to watch it yet) with the clarity of 20/20 hind sight, but it was produced by a company that in real time was running with the hounds of public outcry against Duke and the lacrosse team. That the Duke administration was caught up in a scandal of epic proportion and responded to the accusations of criminal activity by legal authorities as they did is not surprising - they did not know that those accusations were the result of a prosecutor who had gone off the rails. That the rest of the Duke athletic community did not leap to the defense of players or coaches is also not too surprising. Those were reprehensible accusations made by legal authorities, and of which none of them had first hand knowledge.

And within the larger Duke community as within most university communities there are significant divides between those who see athletic departments as seriously corrupting influences to the whole purpose of the institution's existence - the pursuit of higher learning. Resentments run deep, both within staff and student body, and they are exacerbated by perceived and real preferential treatment of student athletes. That some athletes flaunt that preferential treatment does not help. That the lacrosse scandal brought those divides to the forefront is not surprising, nor that the athletic department was placed in a defensive position with little to say.

And while the players were innocent of the specific charges, they were not 'innocent'. There had been documented complaints of unruly behavior and underage drinking, both within the Duke community and the surrounding town. That these existed already is not unique to the lacrosse team or to Duke University - athletes and teams are fairly notorious nationwide, but most athletes and teams and universities are not thrust under the glare of a media firestorm. In that glare it is hard to completely ignore the behavioral issues that can and are brushed aside quietly in other instances.

I really like and respect Jay Bilas and that he comes out of this as a voice of reason is great - but I suspect there were other 'voices of reason' at PSU and at UNC who are thankful that their utterances are lost to the wind, when what seemed to them wild accusation without proof, were over time proven to be true.

 

[huskeynut]

UC - excellent post!

I would add to the thought process that in today's society, these types of accusations are "hot button" topics for the media and others. It brings out the rage in people.

In this particular case of JPM, it seems that Duke and the athletic department are taking a measured investigation into any allegations. And they should. And we "the public" do not have a right to know what is happening right now. We need to calm down and wait to see how this all develops. If the investigation does find wrong doing / verification of allegations, then it is Duke who will decide.

Many may not like JPM, but it still is "innocent until proven guilty."

BTW - I did watch the 30 for 30 on the Duke lacrosse team. It was an out-of-control prosecutor who brought the case to court. And the lacrosse players were not any "angels" for sure.

 

[CocoHusky]

I know this discussion is peripheral to this thread, but the above and a few other posts bother me enough that I need to reply.

Duke had no hand in putting those three innocents in peril of prison - that was a criminal investigation by police and a prosecutors office, and any interference in that investigation by anyone associated with Duke would have been very wrong. That the prosecutor mishandled the investigation and grandstanded for the press was clearly professional 'malpractice', but those kids had a huge advantage over many people who find themselves falsely accused in that they had the resources to hire very good legal representation, and they were never 'very close' to prison - if the case had gone forward against them it was unlikely to be finally resolved for at least a year and probably a lot longer. (Police and prosecutorial malfeasance as we are learning is not as uncommon in this country as we perhaps believed even five years ago.)

I am sure that the 30 for 30 piece was very strong (have not been able to watch it yet) with the clarity of 20/20 hind sight, but it was produced by a company that in real time was running with the hounds of public outcry against Duke and the lacrosse team. That the Duke administration was caught up in a scandal of epic proportion and responded to the accusations of criminal activity by legal authorities as they did is not surprising - they did not know that those accusations were the result of a prosecutor who had gone off the rails. That the rest of the Duke athletic community did not leap to the defense of players or coaches is also not too surprising. Those were reprehensible accusations made by legal authorities, and of which none of them had first hand knowledge.

And within the larger Duke community as within most university communities there are significant divides between those who see athletic departments as seriously corrupting influences to the whole purpose of the institution's existence - the pursuit of higher learning. Resentments run deep, both within staff and student body, and they are exacerbated by perceived and real preferential treatment of student athletes. That some athletes flaunt that preferential treatment does not help. That the lacrosse scandal brought those divides to the forefront is not surprising, nor that the athletic department was placed in a defensive position with little to say.

And while the players were innocent of the specific charges, they were not 'innocent'. There had been documented complaints of unruly behavior and underage drinking, both within the Duke community and the surrounding town. That these existed already is not unique to the lacrosse team or to Duke University - athletes and teams are fairly notorious nationwide, but most athletes and teams and universities are not thrust under the glare of a media firestorm. In that glare it is hard to completely ignore the behavioral issues that can and are brushed aside quietly in other instances.

I really like and respect Jay Bilas and that he comes out of this as a voice of reason is great - but I suspect there were other 'voices of reason' at PSU and at UNC who are thankful that their utterances are lost to the wind, when what seemed to them wild accusation without proof, were over time proven to be true.

UC this part of this thread may eventually end up in the cesspool but like you I had to respond.

I’m most jarred by your statement: “While the players were innocent of the specific charges, they were not 'innocent' because it so closely resembles the statement of the Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead: “ If they didn’t do it, whatever they did is bad enough.”

The crime these players were accused of is rape, rowdy behavior and underage drinking cannot be equated to rape.

The Duke administration did plenty of things wrong to put these players in peril of prison. Among the most perilous besides the above statement by Brodhead:

1. Dean Sue Wasiolek advised the players to cooperate with police and tell the truth, not tell anybody about the charges, nor hire attorneys because she thought nothing would come of it.
   Source: “Presumed Guilty". Reader's Digest February 17, 2009.
2. Duke athletic director Joe Alleva lied when he announced that the team's players “wished to suspend competitive play until the DNA results come back.” Source: “Presumed Guilty". Reader's Digest February 17, 2009.
3. The players invoked their right to due process & remain silent the administration attempted to pressure Coach Mike Pressler into threatening the players scholarships and expulsion. When Pressler refused he was fired. Source: “It's Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives it shattered” by Mike Pressler
   
4. 88 Duke Professors -Gang of 88 including some department heads placed an ad in The Chronicle detailing the allegations as a social disaster, racist & sexist there by forever polluting any potential jury pool. If 88 of your professors think you did “something” wrong what is a jury supposed to think? Source: Duke Chronicle April 2007

This was a sad tale full of missteps and many villains, Nifong chief among them & the players being the least. Somewhere in the middle is the Duke Administration. If Duke is analogous to a family then that administration should have done more to make sure the legal rights of the players were upheld. The same administration should also have publically criticized the faculty for its lynch mob mentality.