For what was subsequently adjudged to be his many shortcomings in the handling of the Duke lacrosse case, Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was fired from office, was disbarred and was sentenced to one day in jail—the only person who spent any time in jail in connection with the case.
The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities, due out April 8 from Scribner. For Ryan McFadyen, however, there was no multi-million-dollar settlement and no public apology. (A lawsuit he filed, along with two of his teammates, against Duke and others is still pending.)
The entire Duke-lacrosse criminal case, from the night in question to the dismissal of the criminal charges against three players—Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and David Evans—took 13 months. In that time, lacrosse coach Mike Pressler was forced to resign; the remainder of the team’s promising 2006 season, for which Duke returned six All ...
McFadyen, along with teammates Collin Finnerty, a sophomore attack, Kevin Mayer, a sophomore defenseman, and a couple of others, met up at the dorm and turned on the television to watch ESPN. The media coverage of the alleged rape had exploded. “All of a sudden, I’m quoted on ESPN,” McFadyen recalls.
Mike Pressler , the coach of the lacrosse team, received threatening e-mails and hate calls, had castigating signs placed on his property, and was the frequent victim of vandalism in the aftermath of the accusations. On April 5, 2006, he resigned (later revealed to have been forced) shortly after the McFadyen e-mail became public. Through his lawyer, he stated that his resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing on his part. On the same day, Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University, suspended the remainder of the lacrosse season.
On February 21, 2008, the families of 38 of the lacrosse team's 47 members who were not accused filed a 225-page lawsuit against Duke University, the Duke University Hospital, the city of Durham, and various officials of each organization for multiple claims of harassment, deprivation of civil rights, breach of contract and other claims.
A couple of hours after the party ended, Ryan McFadyen, a member of the lacrosse team, sent an e-mail to other players saying that he planned to have some strippers over, kill them, and cut off their skin while wearing his Duke-issue spandex and ejaculating.
The sole black member of the team was exempt because Mangum had stated that her attackers were white. On April 10, 2006, it was announced that DNA testing by the state crime lab had failed to connect any of the 46 tested team members to the alleged rape.
DNA from multiple unidentified males was found inside Mangum and upon the rape kit items that had been tested, but none matched any of the lacrosse players. Nifong falsely represented to the court and the public that DNA had only been found from a single male source, Mangum's boyfriend.
Mike Pressler , the coach of the lacrosse team, received threatening e-mails and hate calls, had castigating signs placed on his property, and was the frequent victim of vandalism in the aftermath of the accusations. On April 5, 2006, he resigned (later revealed to have been forced) shortly after the McFadyen e-mail became public. Through his lawyer, he stated that his resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing on his part. On the same day, Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University, suspended the remainder of the lacrosse season.
Duke's Athletic Director at the time, Joe Alleva, who forced lacrosse coach Mike Pressler 's resignation, faced criticism for his handling of this case.
Ten years ago this month, Duke lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans were accused of raping Crystal Mangum, a North Carolina Central College student who was hired to strip for the team during a party. The media’s coverage of the case inflamed race, gender and class divisions locally and nationally.
Because of that presumed credibility, Abrams and CBS legal analyst Rikki Klieman told HuffPost that they both thought the Duke players were probably guilty when they first heard the news, with Abrams pointing out that most sexual assault allegations are in fact true.
Ten years ago this month, Duke lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans were accused of raping Crystal Mangum, a North Carolina Central College student who was hired to strip for the team during a party.
Nifong subsequently said the case had nothing to do with the election . Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. Nifong was also eager to tell Mangum’s story, repeatedly failing to use important qualifiers like “we believe the evidence will show.”.