the fallout from the duke lacrosse scandal will be lost in the upcoming weeks. in just a few days, as the legal proceedings wrap up, the names of the accused, the accusor, and all those involved in this situation will evaporate into the warm summer air.
after all, with the nhl playoffs underway, the nba playoffs about to begin, the nfl draft in two weeks, and the baseball season just getting underway, sports networks will focus their attention on these events.
likewise, racist comments made by don imus, paternity tests for anna nicole's baby, and the inevitable paris hilton #### shot (aren't we due) will hinder the news networks' ability to continue coverage on the duke case.
this is an inescapable truth. with new 24-hour networks dedicated to news, and augmented by internet sites and cell phone and blackberry updates of the same ilk, there will enough news created in the next few days (however insignificant) to hide the consequences form the duke lacrosse scandal.
knowing full well this will be the case, i say: let's not allow that to happen.
as sports bloggers, we would all consider ourselves fans, and most of us write about social themes derived from sports. we have, and will continue to, comment upon the racial, political, and personal undertones in the world of sports. we give our opinions as to how these events and their consequences affect teams, players, and fans in both on- and off-field situations. in short, we as bloggers and fans run the gamut of opinion making and sharing on a daily basis.
not to say that we have the power to sway the opinions of so many casual fans, but we do have a propensity for (or at least an interest in) writing about these issues. those who read the site, as well as our families, friends, and colleagues, are influenced by our opinions, and we should do our best to keep the duke case within the crosshairs of public opinion.
you may ask why...why should we drag this on any further? why should we continue to focus on something that only hurt those involved? why should we contribute to the thousands who have already shared their opinion in a public venue, be it television, written page, or the internet?
just because no one was killed, ####, assaulted, or otherwise physically harmed does not equate to the common schoolyard epitaph "no harm, no foul." i don't believe the national public understands the consequences for these three young men.
they were smart enough to attend duke university, and well-rounded and athletically gifted enough to play a division 1 sport while there. this is not a slouch of a division 1 school, nor is it a case of their athletic prowess pushing them through classes on their way to fame and fortune at the next level. despite their talent in this area, nike sponsorships and games on national networks aren't in their future. although their status as athletes affords them scholarship money, training gear, and notoriety amongst their peers, it does not ensure (or, in many cases, even offer) them a career.
this is not to say that these three student-athletes were angels..in fact, they were blue devils by trade. i have no idea as to how these students were perceived, and i have never met a single one of them. i have no authority to comment on their personalities, both individually and as a group. in fact, no one seemed to have an opinion about them - until they were accused of henous and unspeakable crimes. it's funny to see public perception change in these instances; in the blink of an eye, it becomes posh to kick them while they are down. after all, it puts people in the majority, for what it seems are all the right reasons.
however, when the tides turn, those who let unwarranted criticism flow forth unabated from their tongues clam up. in the same instant it took for them to join the public bashing, they join the new public humility, awkwardly (but privately) swallowing their words of hate. one of these students' most outspoken critics, espn's hill, publicly ate her words, and while her original comments remain irresponsibly hurtful, she deserves respect for her ability to open up and admit wrongdoing, all while ackowledging the inconsequential nature of the apology.
while i will say that i never assumed these three young men were guilty of anything, i will not dwell on it, because that isn't the purpose of this post. i will say that after all they have been through, they are guilty of the following thing: as a team, they hired a stripper, under her own freewill and for monetary compensation, to perform and entertain their team at a function. that's it. period. something that i, as a conservative, college-educated, american male, have done several times, spiraled into a lifetime of ill repute for them.
the funny thing about these accusations - these words - is that they hurt without truth. its like taking caution to never trip up, never fall - and yet receiving scars, as if you had, that mangle you for the rest of your life. there will never be a time when their names or a recollection of the incident do not evoke memories of the house, and all the false reports we heard for months while these boys, their families, their teammates, and their school stewed in public humiliation. think about anyone you know who was falsely accused of something terrible, even though it was later found to be untrue. i bet you still associate that person with the event, instead of freeing him/her from it following their proof of innocence.
that will be the case for these young men for the rest of their lives, which is precisely why i have refrained from using their names in this post. not to say that the readers don't already have these monikers ingrained in their heads, but rather that i don't wish to contribute to this process. think of it like vegetarians...they know that they aren't going to save a cow by not eating a steak - its too late in the process - but its the principle of the matter.
these three students will be marked with this event for the rest of their lives, as will all those who are related to, or associated with, them. it will hinder them from getting jobs, engaging in social functions, establishing relationships, and functioning as they grow up and continue to mature. the book signings, talk show appearances, and straight-to-tv drama movies based on the event will only go so far to build back what was irretrievably lost. this incident will affect them in all aspects of life, and it exists only as a creation of an over-zealous district attorney and a malicious young woman.
i won't hesitate to mention their names - mike nifong and crystal gail mangum. we all need to know who they are, as it is vitally important to remember those two names as we move forward. it would be easy to retaliate against these individuals in a venue such as this, but it would be just as egregious an offense as was committed by those who unfairly criticized the accused in the first place. to assign these two a myriad of harmful labels (of which i have plenty), and relegate their fate in the future would be a contradiction of my argument against those who did just this when the charges were originally filed.
we do not know which one of these two lied and which one chose to keep going, turning the knife into these young mens' backs with each press conference and public appearance. both could be equally at fault, only one could be mostly responsible, or this could be the work of both these two, as well as other forces of which were are currently unaware.
the bottom line is: beyond the role of these two, we don't know. we may never know what each exactly contributed to this disaster. we may never know who else was directly involved in ruining three innocent young mens' lives. what we do know is that all those who came out in support of ms. mangum and d.a. nifong without a proper conscious and with an ideal that stretched beyond the facts should taste as much of the same hurt that they placed upon these young men as possible.
jesse jackson, rev. al sharpton, and all others who blindly took up the fictitious cause of a cunning young woman should not be permitted to end their penance with an apology. more accountability is needed if one is willing to spout off unfounded accusations without due diligence. this is precisely why, despite the neverending onslaught of news from around the world, we must not allow this event to fade from our minds. it is certainly not on the same level as other widespread human indecencies throughout history, but just as the remembrance of them contributes to prevention of the same in the future, hopefully the same process will work for this scandal.
this may affect the aformentioned detractors inasmuch as harming their pride, political ambitions, or personal agendas for a few days. it devastated these three young men for the rest of their lives.
It's just funny that most people, who are so sympathetic towards these three students, are also the ones who made up their minds about Kobe's guilt in the Colorado incident.
these kids deserved what they got. this is their punishment for HUBRIS. when they were shouting racial epithets at her, telling her pick cotton, calling her '####' and '####' - what did they think was gonna happen? dont defend these screw ups. what about the teammate who wrote the email about getting another stripper and killing her... the next day. the university only made it worse by not investigating until AFTER the news hit the wire. had she been white, the hint of rape would have shut the school down. the neighborhood had to threaten to riot and call ESPN to even get the police to question the boys. they refused to speak to the cops. thats a crime in and of itself. withholding knowledge of a crime is a crime... and they werent even cuffed.
everyone made this case harder than it had to be. but it wouldnt have started had those boys any respect.
Demon, you're using a pretty broad brush stroke there. You seem bitter.
Just because someone goes to Doooke doesn't mean you get to pummel them blindly.
Not cool. That would make you a bigot.
bbomg168...did you take a poll? Please cite your sources and results.
That's another general statement without any support.
The #### DA, Nifong, made a public apology today. One would assume his own attorney is working on damage control. Nifong's career in the public arena is over, as it should be.
Duke, as an institution, has been libeled and slandered by the media and 'civil rights' leaders.
How is Duke and its family of students/alumni going to be 'healed?'
Let's go back to the Anna Nicole paternity stuff.
It's far more entertaining when we only have to worry about stupid people with money.
bbing168 - if you mean in your comment that the same people who irrationally decided kobe's guilt in their minds also did the same to these three young men, then i completely agree with you. those who can get on the bandwagon of a "moral crusade" (egotistical nba superstar rapes innocent hotel employee or rich white kids rape defenseless dancer) usually do, and when they do, its polarizing in one direction. our society most certainly hands out the sentence before hearing the case, and that has to change. thanks for the comment.
demonicume - i absolutely and vehemently disagree with your comment in many respects. first, it was never proven that these boys said anything to her. the only witness to these racist and sexist comments is the accuser - the same young woman who fabricated a rape, kidnapping, and assault. needless to say, her credibility is lacking. while the email by another teammate the next day is valid, it does not involve these three young men. how would you like it if youf floor at your company had a dinner with your boss, then someone emailed a joke about him the next day, and you were indicted based upon that?
second, the inconsistencies with prosecuting the case and bringing attention upon it (as you asserted, because the girl was african american) are not the fault of these young men. the responsibility for those actions lies upon nifong, the durham police, and duke university. and the three students only refused to speak to police because they had requested a lawyer before doing so. they were in fact brought in in handcuffs and publicly assailed for crimes they never committed.
thank you for your comment, but i believe your view of the situation as a "lack of respect" issue is irresponsible.
slshusker - thank you for your criticism of demonicume. i agree that his views reak of bigotry.
i also agree that nifong's career in the public arena is over, as it should be. he said during the investigation that he's going to "teach these rich white boys they can't do whatever they want." that, in and of itself, is grounds for dismissal from a public role in law. in addition, he granted interviews and speaking engagements galore in october while he was looking into this case and running for re-election. now, he is speaking through his lawyer and denying interview requests. pretty cowardly.
i think that the duke community will be healed over time. as is the case with the accusations against these three students, the scars are there, and will only fade over time. reinstituting the lacrosse program and the students will be a solid first step.
i do disagree with your last comment, however, that we, as americans, need to shift our focus back to "stupid people with money." its precisely that kind of attitude against which i am warning in this post.
nope, I didn't take a national poll. I was only referring to the 20 or more commentators on Foxnews, CNN, MSNBC, etc, who were quick to point out Kobe's guilt and suggest that the girl was a victim of court injustice that favors rich defendents. Somehow these commentators quickly reversed their positions and became strong supporters for the 3 LAX players.
The two rape cases are basically the same. Both involve rich athletes getting away with a possible crime because of high-powered defense attorneys and lack of critical evidences.
I personally think that both Kobe and some LAX players at that party committed rape, but since there is no evidence beyond reasonable doubts in either case, it makes sense to let Kobe and the LAX players go free.
But it just digusts me that the general public perception is that Kobe got away with a crime, while the LAX players are victims.
As a white person, I hate when people play the race card, but how else can I or anyone explain this double standard?
bbing - i completely agree with your first statement. those privledged in society (wealthy, attractive, famous, etc.) are scrutinized more stringently in the public eye in cases such as these. oftentimes, guilt is placed upon them before formal charges are even brought against them.
you are also correct in saying that those same critics change their tunes if their first assumption proves incorrect. check out the unreal article by woj on today's espn.com page (small box in the lower right corner). it echoes exactly what you and i are saying, and putting the quotes from a year ago and recently together is comically tragic.
Last edited by imstillmatic on April 13th at 10:09 AM.
however, bing, i must disagree with the latter portion of your comment. you are entitled to your opinion that both kobe and the three young men from duke are, in fact, guilty, as long as you ackowledge that the most capable and accomplished of american citizens in the legal arena proved otherwise in fair investigations and trials.
the young men's families ability to afford better lawyers did not negate their committal of a crime; rather, it simply allowed their defense to be bolstered, and unethical elements of the process pointed out. for instance, nothing the lawyers said changed the fact that d.a. nifong conducted the lineup himself and without supervision (illegal in n.c.). instead, those lawyers were simply cognizant enough to recognize his mistake.
you also mention in your last sentence that you "hate when people play the race card," when in fact you end your bio on your homepage with "love asian chicks (don't know why)." it seems as if you rather enjoy playing that very card. thanks for the comments.
imstill, good point! I am glad that we agree on something. But I have to emphasize that it is my PERSONAL SUBJECTIVE opinion that Kobe and some (not neccessarily those 3) LAX players committed a crime (again not neccessarily rape) sexually in nature. We are all entitled to our own opinions, and we base our decisions in daily living on those opinions.
However, in the court of law, it's totally different! For a person to be convicted of such a serious crime, one must have good OBJECTIVE evidence proving beyond reasonable doubts. In both cases, no such evidences exist, thus both cases were dropped.
Do I think it's unfortunate? Yes, because two potential crimes went unpunished. But do I wish the outcome would be different? Nope, because our justice system cannot be based on evidence-less bias.
Thus, I really have no problem with the outcome in terms of what happened legally.
What I have problem with is the double standard some people have. The very same people on TV (such as Nancy Grace of courtTV) who demonized Kobe for the Colorado incident have been the same people passionately defending the 3 LAX players. Even though those people (including Nancy Grace) were never there in that Colorado hotel room or that student house off Duke campus.
And when I looked the two cases and tried to think of any reason why would professionals like Nancy Grace have such double standard, I could only think of 1 reason.
It just seems like when a black man is accused of raping a white girl, it's probably true and it's too bad he is rich enough to get away with it. But when a white man is accused of raping a black girl, wait a minute, we need more evidence before judging!
And to add insult ot injury, now those people (such as Nancy Grace or Bill O'Reilly) now want Nifong's head chopped off. Think about it, why don't they want to punish the black girl for fabricating the story? If they truly believe that the LAX players were falsely accused of a crime, why don't they go after the source of those allegation or the black girl?
You know why? Because they are afraid of being labeled a racist. That's why they are taking their anger out on a WHITE DA.
I still believe these guys are guilty.They were rich and guilty and it seems the same people that have a problem with Imus being put in his place are now directing their attention to this BS.
I really get tired of hearing how these guys lives have been ruined when you still have tons of innocent black men locked up behind some drunken white woman's testimony of being ####.Where's the outrage there?
The bottomline these guys did not serve any jail time,the case is done and the world knows they are innocent(or had enough of the right people behind them).
Nifong should be pursued,I think he botched the case on purpose.I believe he played to the minds of the black community to get votes knowing he would botch this case so one(or three in this case)of his own would get off.
Also if they go after the girl then they have to go after the countless white women that screamed #### and fingered the wrong guy and that guy since being exonerated of the charges.
Of course,we don't want to see a bunch of middle age Martha Stewarts going to jail.
I agree,every black man in prison is innocent.They were all framed by white racist jurors and judges.Also,I think these 3 white punks should be put in jail anyway just to make up for all of the innocent black men in prison now.
bing - thanks again for your continued interest. i definately agree with many things you're saying. while i disagree that kobe and these three young men were/are guilty, i respect your opinion regarding the matter. i tend to trust our legal system more than most to come up with the right and just thing to do. i do appreciate your statement that you don't wish things were different, because the objective evidence wasn't there.
i absolutely agree about the latter portion of your comments as well. i do think nifong constructed this charade in his quest for re-election, and i also think that the analysts have been unfair and many of their comments racially-based. i also think the girl should be prosecuted to the fullest extent, but i want to point out that nifong made several comments during his public appearances that are grounds for removal and prosecution.
lyrikell - i agree with very little of what you said in your comments. 1) nifong did pursue this case irresponsibly in order to gain favor with voters (especially african americans); and 2) there exist african american men in jail whom were wrongfully accused of rape. that is precisely where the similarities between our views end.
the fact that you think these three young men are guilty is acceptable, as long as you do not treat them differently because of it. all charges were dropped, meaning they are officially innocent in all ways. you also say that the case is over, and people will forget about it. the point of my post is to remind people not to forget about it. instead, i want those who came to their opinion quickly and without due diligence to feel remorse and be held accountable for their words and deeds. also, these young men will be paying for this for the rest of their lives through discrimination. the case is not over in their minds or hearts. finally, they should not be held accountable for the racial disparity in our country with regards to crime. whether the disparity is warranted (african americans really do commit more crimes) or not (the judicial system is biased) is irrelevant to their situation. they should not be punished to "even out the racial score." thanks for the comments.
mikers - thanks for the comment and laughs. i try to be as objective as i can in both posts and comments, but you said exactly what i was thinking after i read lykiell's comments.
bbing, comparing the Duke and Kobe items is a stretch. DNA is an issue.
The Duke accuser had DNA samples taken the next day(?), yet it didn't match to the accused. Nifong hid the exculpatory evidence.
Kobes accuser waited a couple days and it boiled down to he said/she said.
My stupid people with money comment was a reference to the idiocy of the media ####, following whatever hot story they choose to promote, like ANicole-rip. Real news is ignored.
slshusker - agreed that dna evidence was present in one case and not the other. nifong pushed this case through hastily, ignoring the consequences, in order to get re-elected. he took this story, knowing that it is the convergence of a "perfect storm," and civil rights activists, media outlets, etc. jumped on board to criticize these young men while there was no hard evidence to support what they were saying. it furthered their careers, made them look good, and now that what they were saying proved false, they just fall back into the shadows and think of a new topic? that's precisely what can't happen. thanks for the comment.
mikers - understood. its unfathomable that people still think that way, but that's one of the interesting aspects of having a blog - to try and communicate rationally with them. thanks again.
I again still think they are guilty and Nifong help get them off the hook by not doing his job properly.
His inability to do his job did not IMO harm these boys but it did the victim.
No I don't think they should pay the price for brothers that were unjustly locked up behind white woman but the selective outrage by some people is ridiculous and no they didn't receive any jail time.
The point being with you and all the others crying how wrong they were done(when their are countless brothers who have and still are spending 20 years of their life in jail)I don't think they will have too much problem moving on.
They will be hire by a crybaby that thinks their life was ruined and half the closet racist that applied pressure and a excellent legal team will make sure these boys are okay.
Bottomline as long as there are brothers still waiting on DNA evidence to clear their names I don't and will not feel sorry for the 3 Lax players who I happen to still think is guilty.
Just like most(if not all)white folks think OJ was guilty and treat him as such and with that said if I saw the defendant and wanted to address them as criminals as whites have with OJ,that would be my right.
lyrikell - you really need to use proper grammar in your comments to fully form a congruent argument. the run-on sentences and improper punctuation hinder the content.
you are correct that you have the ability to maintain an opinion that these young men are guilty. however, you do not have the right to subject them to criticism and scrutiny as if they were guilty. the public has a right to treat o.j. as if he is innocent, which he was proven in a court of law. likewise, you have an obligation to treat these men as such, should you ever meet them.
also, i would like to know why it is you believe they committed these crimes. there is no dna evidence, no witnesses beyond the accuser, and time-sensitive items that declare their innocence. that is a sidenote however, and only respond in kind if you wish.
the fact remains that you are comparing this case with "countless" others involving african-american men and caucasian women. do not use this venue and topic as a soapbox for proclaiming their innocence. while many of them may in fact be innocent, that is a problem with other aspects of our society, and does not involve these young men. while i agree that attention needs paid to this topic, i do not think that "everything will be ok" for these duke lacrosse players in the near future. thanks for the comments.
Lyrikell, you sure do talk like Conspiracy Brother!
You say you still believe the Duke players were guilty with no evidence.
You refer to the white guys as 'boys', and the black guys as 'brothers'.
Nice bigotry there.
From your blabbering, you believe three wrongs make a right. Your other posts say the same things. Now you say Nifong is involved and blew up the case. You are definitely a confused soul.
imstill .......... What was so bewildering with this case from the outset was the complete ineptitude of the DA in the case. As for what took place and what was supposedly said by the alleged assailants. Nothing was done because no one thought it was relevant to the case. Nifong and his staff are about incompetent as you can get and that's counting the ####s that unsuccesfully tried the OJ case. What's with our legal system where we've supposedly got individuals who've spent years studying the law only to graduate and not being able to bring a case to trial. And as for AG at the head of the Fed's Justice Dept. Where's the fu*k*n' brains that God gave him. His answer for everything seems to be ' I don't recall that conversation ......or that's beyond my scope'. What the #### is that all about ?As they say with regard to voter apathy you pay what you ask for ?
rampant/tophatal /justan' ........
Last edited by rampantfanatic on April 22nd at 4:12 AM.
Husker,please with that BS.First off I called the duke boys"boys" because that is exactly what they are;young boys.I refer to black men as brothers because that what they are to me.If I were white I would be referring to white men as brothers but I'm not.
As far as your whole OJ comments that exactly the double standard that white people have somehow claimed we get thinking we are too stupid to realize any double standard is in the white man's favor.
You claim that OJ was convicted in civil court;well has anyone taken Robert Blake's #### too civil court?probably not;because that BS only works when you are going after prominent black figures.
The bottomline for you and stillmatic is if OJ and Kobe didn't happen you wouldn't have had every white peron in general,news outlet(mostly white)and talk show(mostly white)jumping 2 these young men defense the moment the allegation were brought to the table.
With all of this in play and dealing with a powerful WHITE university and a WHITE defense attorney who really only cared about the black vote and nothing else;you have an unfair trial for the defendant.That's whether you guys want to admit that or not.
Also just because there was insufficient evidence doesn't mean a crime didn't happen.White people are just better at covering up their dirt than anyone else.Money and power will give you that ability.
Lastly these boys may be innocent,but as long as there are 10 times more brothers that are the victim of the same thing and these boys haven't seen any jail time;I don't feel that sorry for them.
Last edited by lyrikell on April 22nd at 10:30 AM.
rampantfanatic - i agree with what you said, but i believe in the duke lax case that nifong wasn't simply incompetant. in addition to his underpreparedness, he was also maliciously gaining the minority vote in the area before his run at re-election. this combination of ineptitute and deceit represents a much more serious and egregious offense to all the people he serves in the public forum. i pledged in my original post to not make recommendations as to what should happen to him, but these are the facts, and i would say something needs to be done. thanks for the comment.
lyrikell - i have many concerns with your ongoing comments.
1) you can refer to african americans as "brothers" if you wish, but refer to the duke lax players as "young men" instead of "boys" since they are at the age of adulthood in this country. to try them as adults, but refer to them as children, is irresponsible.
2) i didn't make any o.j. comments, but since you responded to husker, i will comment upon them. you claim that all the "white media" jumped on o.j. and kobe, while defending these young men from duke. i defy you to find me when this happened as the allegations came out. everyone criticized these three to no end, regardless of their color. likewise, everyone apoligized for it following their acquittal, regardless of color. there is no court and media racist conspiracy. these three are innocent, so they were proven and so it should remain. kobe and o.j. are innocent as well, and those issues should be put to rest.
3) the fact that you don't feel sorry for these three young men, and continue to stand by their supposed guilt is beyond me. they have nothing to do with your perceived racist divide in courts, and they should not be punished by you or anyone else for their innocence.
i sincerely hope your views end with you, and you do not pass along these destructive thoughts to anyone around you, including your children.
i am an avid steelers, timberwolves, and tarheels fan, as well as KG, Griffey, Tiger, and Hines Ward fanatic. i am a recent college grad who has entered the real world, but who has not completely forgotten my dream of being an owner, superagent, or sports beat writer. although my life path will most probably not lead me to one of these destinations, i do have the undying itch to write about and debate both past and current sports topics. this arena affords me the ability to scratch.
