Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Associated Press
DURHAM, N.C. - The president of Duke University on Monday defended his decision to allow two lacrosse players accused of sexual assault to resume taking classes, and he criticized the lead prosecutor in the case.
Richard Brodhead also called for a civil debate about race and class, issues that arose after the accuser in the case alleged in March that she had been raped at a lacrosse team party. All but one of the players on last year's team was white. The accuser is black.
Lacrosse players Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann had been barred from attending class during the fall semester while their case was pending. A third player, Dave Evans, graduated in May, the day before he was charged. Seligmann is from Essex Fells, N.J.
Rape charges against the three men were dropped last month, after the woman who said she was attacked wavered on some key details. The men are still charged with sexual offense and kidnapping; they are not expected to go to trial before the spring.
"Although the two students still face serious charges, in the changed circumstances, it seems only right to strike the balance at a different point. The fair thing is to allow the students to continue with their studies," Brodhead wrote in a letter to students and faculty.
Lawyers for Seligmann and Finnerty have said their clients have not decided whether to return.
Brodhead has been critical of District Attorney Mike Nifong since the charges were dismissed, and he continued that criticism Monday.
"Those who work in the legal process must behave with elemental fairness and regard for the rights of those involved," he wrote.