Crystal Mangum Admits She Falsely Accused Duke Lacrosse Players of Rape

More than 18 years after the Duke lacrosse allegations, Crystal Mangum admits that she made it all up.
"I testified falsely against [the lacrosse players] by saying that they raped me when they didn't...I made up a story that wasn't true...I hope that they can forgive me." pic.twitter.com/3yMjbQTQXH

— KC Johnson (@kcjohnson9) December 12, 2024

Former stripper, murder convict Crystal Mangum confesses to lying about being raped by Duke lacrosse players in 2006 https://t.co/bZHaDVFLPN pic.twitter.com/FW9DOjDXbn

— New York Post (@nypost) December 13, 2024

Eighteen years.

Crystal Mangum develops a conscience after 18 years?

Better late than never, I guess. Mangum is responsible for inflicting so much damage on innocent people.

Apologies from more than Mangum are in order.

Organizer of Duke Walkout Against Seinfeld

Organizer Of Walkout Against Jerry Seinfeld Revealed https://t.co/lMLCO8C1OG pic.twitter.com/OkD06vlo97

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 12, 2024

Newman!

Jerry Seinfeld - Full Duke Commencement Address

This is the problem with the media. The focus on a small handful of students walking out on Jerry Seinfeld’s speech has completely obscured any coverage of the actual speech, which is excellent, completely apolitical, and full of gems all young people need to hear.

Here it is in… pic.twitter.com/sgag2aQEHJ

— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) May 12, 2024

Pro-Hamas Protesters Disrupt College Graduations Throughout Country - Video

NEW: Pro-Palestine protesters are disrupting college graduation ceremonies throughout the country.

Duke University: Students walk out in protest of commencement speaker Jerry Seinfeld.

University of Texas: Graduate pulls out a Palestine flag and taunts the crowd as he refuses… pic.twitter.com/DcNTohHsmI

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 12, 2024

Jerry Seinfeld, Duke's Commencement Speaker - Pro-Hamas Students Walk Out

Duke invited a Jewish speaker to graduation and Pro-H@mas graduates walked out. The speaker? Jerry Seinfeld.
pic.twitter.com/5p3YWl1b2V

— @amuse (@amuse) May 12, 2024

These pro-Hamas graduates are doing nothing to promote their cause by staging this ridiculous protest.

They come off as whiny, intolerant, hateful, anti-Semitic brats. They are Jew-haters. They expose themselves as "From the river to the sea" pro-genocide radicals.

Jerry Seinfeld is not a hate-monger.

Jerry Seinfeld says he couldn’t understand why the Harvard grads on his staff were so embarrassed about it:

“I’m not talking about Harvard now. I’m talking about the way it used to be. You’re never going to believe this, but Harvard used to be a great place to go to school.” pic.twitter.com/GL4ku3zUKA

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) May 12, 2024

Nifong Needs to Heal

Mike Nifong is really slimy.

He apologized today, admitting that there was no crime in the Duke lacrosse case.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong acknowledged Thursday there is "no credible evidence" that three Duke lacrosse players committed any of the crimes he accused them of more than a year ago, offering for the first time a complete and unqualified apology.

"We all need to heal," Nifong said. "It is my hope we can start this process today."

Nifong's apology came as a judge began considering whether to hold the former Durham County district attorney in criminal contempt of court for his handling of the case.

Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III has already concluded there is probable cause to believe Nifong "willfully and intentionally made false statements of material fact" to the court during a hearing in the case last fall. If he finds Nifong in contempt after an Aug. 30 hearing, the now-disbarred former prosecutor could face up to 30 days in jail.

It's my experience that apologies suddenly get very sincere when the offender is facing punishment.

Such is the case with Nifong.

"We all need to heal."

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Here's the text of Nifong's "heartfelt" apology:

"With the court's permission, I would have a brief statement:

The last 16 months have proven to be a difficult and painful journey for my family and for myself. I know this has also been a difficult and painful journey for Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, for their families, for Durham and for the state of North Carolina.

We all need to heal. I believe, however, that this healing process cannot truly begin until all proceedings involving this matter are concluded and everyone is able to go forward. I have resigned my position as Durham's district attorney as a part of this process.

I have read the report released by the attorney general, including his recitation of evidence I did not have — evidence that he obtained from his own investigation.

I agree with the attorney general's statement that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty or Mr. Evans committed any of the crimes for which they were indicted — or any other crimes against (the accuser) — during the party that occurred on March 13th and 14th, 2006, at North Buchanan Boulevard in Durham.

Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty and Mr. Evans were entitled to the presumption of innocence when the were under indictment. Surely they are entitled to more than that now as they go forward for the rest of their lives, and that is what the attorney general tried to give them in his declaration that they are innocent.

I have admitted on more than one occasion that I have made mistakes in the prosecution of these cases. For that, I sincerely apologize to Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty, Mr. Evans and to their families.

It is my hope that all of us can learn from the mistakes in this case, that all of us can begin to move forward. It is my hope that we can start this process today.

Thank you, your honor."

This guy makes me sick.

Nifong Born Again

This is as stunning as Paris Hilton finding God after a few days in prison.

Mike Nifong has seen the light, too.

Hilton and Nifong both claim to have undergone a metamorphosis.

Through their tears, they threw themselves on the mercy of the court and the court of public opinion.

They changed. They understand now. They want forgiveness.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Facing the loss of his law license, a tearful Mike Nifong said Friday he will resign as district attorney, more than a year after he obtained rape indictments against three Duke University lacrosse players who were later declared innocent by state prosecutors.

"My community has suffered enough," Nifong said from the witness stand at his ethics trial on allegations that he violated rules of professional conduct in his handling of the case.

..."It has become increasingly apparent, during the course of this week, in some ways that it might not have been before, that my presence as the district attorney in Durham is not furthering the cause of justice," Nifong said.

..."It is not fair for the people of my community to be represented by someone who is not held in high esteem by either the members of the community or the members of the profession," Nifong said. "I will go to my grave being associated with this case. And that's OK. I don't have a problem with that."

His soft-spoken statements were barely audible in the courtroom, where observers leaned forward in their chairs as they struggled to hear Nifong through his tears. But the families of cleared players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans watched with little emotion, and Evans' attorney rejected Nifong's attempt to take responsibility.

"It was an obvious cynical ploy to save his law license, and his apology to these people is far too little and comes far too late," defense lawyer Joseph Cheshire said.

I'm very skeptical of Nifong's remorse.

I think he knew he had to match the tears of Reade Seligmann with his own.

I don't pity him for having to carry this case to his grave. This was all of his own making.

I pity the three young men that he exploited.

Nifong isn't a victim.

His tears don't wash away what he did to Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans.

Nifong's act reminds of Clinton's numerous attempts at apologizing for his seven months of lies to his wife, his daughter, his friends, members of his administration, and the people of his country for lying under oath.

Even if Nifong isn't faking sincerity and he really is sorry for his actions, it would be a travesty to allow him to keep his law license.

I wonder if Nifong has contacted Barbara Walters about an interview yet?

District Attorney Michael Nifong

The injustice that was done in the Duke lacrosse rape case is really jaw-dropping.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- District Attorney Mike Nifong acknowledged Friday that he "maybe got carried away a little bit" in talking about the three Duke University lacrosse players who were once charged with raping a stripper, and he said he expected to be punished by the state bar.

"I think clearly some of the statements I made were improper," Nifong testified Friday at his own ethics trial.

The lacrosse players were cleared of all charges after the state attorney general took over the case earlier this year. And the North Carolina State Bar charged Nifong with violating the rules of professional conduct, alleging he withheld the DNA test results from the defense, lied to the court and bar investigators, and made inflammatory comments about the athletes during his investigation.

Nifong had calling the players a "bunch of hooligans" and had confidently proclaimed last year that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl."

What Nifong did to Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and David Evans and their families is absolutely unconscionable.

I think it's important to remember that rich, white guys aren't immune from the abuses of a prosecutor run amok.

Not only the poor and minorities are victimized.

Did anyone spot Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson in the courtroom? Liberty and justice FOR ALL.

60 Minutes: Innocent Duke Lacrosse Players

INNOCENT.
That's what North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said of Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and David Evans. They were falsely accused of gang-raping stripper Crystal Gail Mangum. They were mercilessly abused by prosecutor Mike Nifong.

On tonight's 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl interviewed Cooper.

She also interviewed Finnerty, Seligmann, and Evans. She questioned them one on one. It wasn't a panel. They didn't appear in the interview together.

The three young men discussed what they've experienced since being accused of rape over a year ago. They talked about the intense anxiety. They talked about what it was like to have protesters outside their homes. They talked about their fears of being convicted, their helplessness, their hopelessness.

They went through hell. So did their families.

"To hear people saying, 'You’re a dead man walking,' and you can’t turn around and protect yourself. The anxiety of this entire case was there every day. The chest – you know, you feel it in your chest. You feel your heart beating. You're always breathing heavy. It's just constant. And that's why it's so emotionally draining. Because you're always on the lookout. You're always, you know, waiting to see what's going to happen," Seligmann tells Stahl.

"To have people banging pots in front of your house … carrying signs that say, 'Castrate,' 'Real men tell the truth.' 'Sunday morning, time to confess' and going out there and saying all these things before any piece of evidence had been presented is just mind-boggling," Evans adds.

Stahl interviewed the parents of the accused back in January.

At the time, none of the parents expressed anger toward Mangum, though they certainly have good reason to be critical of her. She lied. She lied early. She lied often.

Rae Evans said, "When I'm trying to get over the rage I am thinking about, so deeply, this young woman who has been abused by men all her life. And nobody has abused her more than Mike Nifong."

There's no question that Nifong intentionally put a lot of innocent people through hell.

Cooper called Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong a "rouge prosecutor."

In my opinion, that's being kind. He's not only a disgrace as a prosecutor; he's a disgrace as a human being. He knew what he was doing. He made a choice to exploit the alleged rape case for his personal political gain.

The three Duke lacrosse players said that on a number of different occasions they had believed the case against them would be dropped. They all thought it would be over in a matter of days. In spite of irrefutable evidence, Mike Nifong went forward.

When Stahl interviewed Cooper, he went through the many, many inconsistencies in Mangum's various accounts. He detailed how implausible her stories were.

Stahl said she felt Cooper had a real sense of sadness over the way the case was handled.

He said it was disappointing and outrageous that it was not stopped sooner.

Like Stahl, I felt that same sense of sadness on his part, too. Cooper wasn't gloating. He didn't seem bitter. He seemed troubled that such a disgusting injustice was done.

During the segment, tape was shown of Nifong, inciting crowds to lynch Finnerty, Seligmann, and Evans. The extent of his abusiveness really was astonishing.

In addition to the tape of Nifong, clips of the accuser, Crystal Gail Mangum, were shown.

At least twice, a still photo identifying her was briefly seen on the screen.

A small snip of what looked like police video was shown as well. Mangum also was heard speaking on the tape.

There was a photo of her getting into a car, a photo that shot holes in one version of one of her many accounts of what happened that night.

There was also a photo of her that was taken moments after the attack. She was smiling.

I think it was completely appropriate for 60 Minutes to show her. In my opinion, she's lucky that she won't be punished for what she did.

Stahl asked the young men, "What are your thoughts about her?"

All three said that it was OK with them that Cooper didn't plan to pursue charges against Mangum.

I hope that they are lauded with as much praise for being forgiving as the Rutgers women's basketball team received in reaction to Don Imus' racist, sexist remark.

Will people comment on how courageous and classy they are?

Probably not.

Will Finnerty, Seligmann, and Evans appear on Oprah and be held up as brave, remarkable human beings?

Don't hold your breath.

When asked about Nifong, the players weren't willing to cut him the slack that they were offering Mangum. They believe that he should face the music for knowingly exploiting them.

Finnerty said Nifong's apology was too little, too late.

Stahl asked Finnerty what he would say to Nifong if he could look him in the eye and talk to him.

Finnerty said he would say, "Why? Why?"

I got the feeling that he was still sort of in shock, a state of disbelief about what he'd been through.

I suppose he was operating under the notion that life is fair and just, and that a person in Nifong's position would behave appropriately.

The others also expressed how surreal the last year had been.

Evans said that he appreciated Cooper using the word "innocent," but he noted that it won't change anything.

"Innocent might be a part of that, but that's just an adjective….When I die, they'll say, ‘One of the three Duke lacrosse rape suspects died today. He led a life and did this, but he was one of the three Duke lacrosse rape suspects,’"

I hope Nifong pays dearly for what he's done. It's about justice being served. No prosecutor should be allowed to do what he did with impunity.

In a perfect world, every single person who disparaged the players, sent them death threats, and rushed to judgment would apologize to them.

Obviously, it's far from a perfect world.

The Duke Lacrosse Case: NEVERMIND

Crystal Gail Mangum (Photo/Drudge)

I am so glad that Drudge slapped this photo on his site. For over a year, we've seen the faces of the alleged rapists. Now, it's time to see the face of the accuser.

I want Al Sharpton to get Mike Nifong and Crystal Gail Mangum to come on his radio program. I want Sharpton to browbeat Nifong and Mangum, insist that they issue apologies. After he does, I want Sharpton to insist that apologies aren't enough.

I want Jesse Jackson to stage a protest.

I want Matt Lauer to grill Nifong and Mangum on the Today show.

I want Julian Bond to demand that Nifong never practice law again and that charges be brought against Mangum.

Yesterday, from ABC News:

The office of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper will announce that he is dismissing all charges against three Duke Lacrosse players, ABC News has learned from sources close to the case.

The three players, Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty, were facing charges of first degree kidnapping and first degree forcible sexual offense. The charges stem from an off-campus party on the night of March 13, 2006.

...Special prosecutors from the Attorney General's office took over the case after Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong recused himself in January, citing charges of unethical conduct filed against him by the North Carolina Bar. Since then, Jim Coman and Mary Winstead have examined the case from scratch, interviewing key witnesses and working through reams of evidence.

The reasons that will be cited for the dismissal are not yet known, though the case has been riddled with criticism and colored by controversy since its early months.

...On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General confirmed to ABC News that his office had completed its investigation into the Duke lacrosse case. A press conference on the outcome of their inquiry is widely expected sometime this week, though members of that office have not yet revealed a date and time.

The press conference was this afternoon.

Read details.

Do you think that Reade Seligmann, David Evans, and Collin Finnerty deserve an apology?

I do.

A lot of people need to apologize to them and their families.

Mike Nifong, Duke University, the "88" Duke University professors, and all the race-baiting idiots that convicted these young men and declared them guilty before their cases went to trial should apologize.

Oh, yes. And Crystal Gail Mangum, the woman who accused them of RAPE. She should apologize.

Think of what Seligmann, Evans, and Finnerty have been through.

Think of how Nifong exploited them, dragging their good names through the mud, for personal political gain.

Think of how Mangum lied.

It's truly sickening.

Let's get some perspective.

The nation has obsessed over the Imus thing and the horror that the Rutgers team endured. The outrage over Imus' remarks has reached a boiling point.

What about the horror that the Duke lacrosse team endured?

Will similar media attention be given to the Duke case and the travesty of justice?

Nifong didn't just blurt out a racial slur. He made a conscious calculation to bring rape charges against Seligmann, Evans, and Finnerty. RAPE!

And Mangum chose to lie and cry "RAPE." Thankfully, she's not a good liar.

Now what?

I don't think "sorry" is going to cut it.

An apology is inadequate in this case.

This makes the magnitude of the Imus uproar seem a bit silly, particularly since Imus has been spewing garbage with impunity FOR YEARS and he's been propped up by lib media personalities and lib politicians FOR YEARS.

If you're looking for something to be outraged about, get outraged over the abuse of the legal system by a prosecutor run amok, a woman with a warped conscience, and the exploitation of innocent citizens.
_____________________________

VINDICATED

"There were many points in the case where caution would have served justice better than bravado," North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a blistering assessment of Durham County District Mike Nifong's handling of the case.

North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all charges Wednesday against the three former Duke lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party, saying the athletes were innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse" by an overreaching district attorney.

"There were many points in the case where caution would have served justice better than bravado," North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a damning assessment of Durham County District Mike Nifong's handling of the sensational, racially charged case. "In the rush to condemn, a community and a state lost the ability to see clearly."

Cooper, who took over the case in January after Nifong was charged with ethics violations that could get him disbarred, said his own investigation "led us to the conclusion that no attack occurred."

"I think a lot of people owe a lot of apologies to a lot of people," Cooper said in a news conference held before dozens of reporters in the press room at the arena where Raleigh's NHL team plays.

This kills me:

At an often-bitter, I-told-you-so news conference with the three young men and their families, defense attorney Joe Cheshire accused the media of portraying the athletes as criminals, and said: "We're angry, very angry. But we're very relieved."

OF COURSE THEY'RE BITTER AND ANGRY.

WHO WOULDN'T BE?

It's pretty slimy of the reporter, Aaron Beard, to take that jab at the victims.

I guess Beard can't handle the fact that "I-told-you-so" remarks were in order. He apparently has problems with the realities of false accusations of RAPE and prosecutorial abuse.

88, 87...

Eighty-seven Duke professors are ticked off over the alleged misinterpretation of the "88" ad, published months and months ago.

Professors don't like to admit to being wrong. Did you ever notice that?

Rather than posting a letter of apology for capitalizing on lies, a miscarriage of justice, and prosecutorial abuse to promote their agenda, the Duke professors posted a letter refusing to apologize.

From The News and Observer:

Dozens of Duke professors have posted "an open letter to the Duke community" on the Web, explaining an ad last spring that has been widely criticized as a condemnation of lacrosse players.
The new letter, signed by 87 faculty and posted at www.concerneddukefaculty.org, refuses to apologize for the ad and reiterates concerns about issues of race and sexual violence on the Duke campus. It says the so-called "Group of 88" ad published in the Chronicle last April has been grossly misinterpreted. That ad has been a subject of heated debate on blogs, and its signers have received angry and sometimes racist e-mail messages.

"The ad has been read as a comment on the alleged rape, the team party, or the specific students accused," the letter said. "Worse, it has been read as rendering a judgment in the case. ... We reject all attempts to try the case outside the courts, and stand firmly by the principle of the presumption of innocence."

The letter was signed by "concerned faculty," many of whom endorsed the original ad. The ad, entitled, "What Does a Social Disaster Sound Like?", included anonymous statements by students talking about racism and sexism on the campus. The ad also thanked "protesters making collective noise."

The letter this week has backed off that a bit, saying, "We do not endorse every demonstration that took place at the time."

William Chafe, a history professor who signed both the ad and the letter, said the bloggers' interpretation of the ad has become the version people accepted. And that's wrong, he said. "We're trying to simply set the record straight and clarify we never claimed the lacrosse players were guilty," Chafe said.

Blah, blah, blah.

The "88" ad ran in April 2006.

Now, mid-January 2007, the professors find it necessary to "set the record straight"?

Why the delay?

Could it have something to do with the fact that Crystal Gail Mangum, Brian Meehan, and Mike Nifong has made them look like fools?

The case has completely unraveled.

...In the online letter, concerned faculty say they won't apologize despite the fury.

"There have been public calls to the authors to retract the ad or apologize for it, as well as calls for action against them and attacks on their character," the letter said. "We reject all of these. We think the ad's authors were right to give voice to the students quoted, whose suffering is real. We also acknowledge the pain that has been generated by what we believe is a misperception that the authors of the ad prejudged the rape case."

I understand that the ad spoke to the problem of REAL racism and sexism; but it was prompted by an incident built on lies.

If not for the lawsuits and the disgraced, abusive D.A. Mike Nifong, I doubt the Duke professors would feel the need to clarify the "88" ad.

I have a suggestion for the 88 signatories:

Post a letter expressing outrage over the media lynching of David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty.

Mike Nifong and the Duke Case

I must admit that I was taken aback by some of the comments left on CBS' website regarding Sunday's 60 Minutes segment on the Duke case.

Lesley Stahl interviewed the parents of the three Duke lacrosse players -- David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty -- that Crystal Gail Mangum accused of rape.

Some had no sympathy for the parents, posting that they were disgusted by the parents' smugness, arrogance, and vengeful attitude.

One complained, "And to watch those parents ignore that behavior and blame the girl, the school, the media, the prosecutor, the roach, the leaf and every other damned thing you can think of with only a hint of responsibility falling on their own children's actions, shows an extreme amount of arrogance and a huge sense of entitlement."

A comment from the interview that received a great deal of criticism was made by David Evans' mom.

"Last question. If Mr. Nifong walked in the room, right now, what would you like to say to him?" Stahl asks.

"I guess I'd say, with a smile on my face, 'Mister Nifong, you've picked on the wrong families. You've picked on the wrong families that you've indicted; you've picked on the wrong family of the Duke lacrosse team. You've picked on the wrong family of Duke University, and you will pay every day for the rest of your life,'" says Rae Evans.

Rae Evans' remarks were taken by one poster to indicate, "WE ARE SO SUPERIOR TO YOU THAT WE WILL TAKE THE LAW INTO OUR OWN HANDS."

With all due respect, that's ridiculous.

The parents aren't taking the law into their own hands at all. They are using legal channels to right the wrong. They're doing what they should do in a nation of laws.

Are they stalking him? Are they harassing him? Have they hired a hitman?

No.

It is undeniable that they and their sons have been victimized by a prosecutor run amok.

They didn't blame Mangum, though they certainly have good reason to be critical of her. She lied. She lied early. She lied often.

Rae Evans said, "When I'm trying to get over the rage I am thinking about, so deeply, this young woman who has been abused by men all her life. And nobody has abused her more than Mike Nifong."

If anything, Evans is being incredibly understanding and forgiving toward Mangum.

The fact is Nifong DID mess with the wrong people.

The parents and their sons are entitled to what every American citizen is entitled to -- justice under the law.

They SHOULD see to it that Nifong is held accountable for the way he abused their sons. And he did abuse them. Nifong knew there was absolutely no DNA evidence, NONE, yet he went ahead with the rape charges.

I'm not saying that their sons are angels. There was underage drinking at the party. They had strippers there. These aren't exactly altar boys.

Still, it's a huge leap to be slapped with a rape charge.

I didn't get the feeling that the parents were excusing their sons' behavior. I didn't perceive that "boys will be boys" attitude from them.

I saw angry parents.

I can imagine how they must feel because I'm mad that an elected official would be so brazen in his misconduct, showing no regard for the truth.

A D.A. does not have the right to abuse the law for personal political gain.

He used Evans, Seligmann, and Finnerty as pawns in his game. They certainly must be counted among the victims in this case.

Without question, the parents are completely justified in doing all they legally can to see to it that Nifong pays for what he did.

It's the right thing to do.

The Revenge of the Duke Lacrosse Players

This case is probably just the beginning of a series of lawsuits against Duke University.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A former Duke University lacrosse player sued the university Thursday, alleging that one of his professors unfairly gave him a failing grade because he was a member of the team.

Kyle Dowd, 22, graduated in 2006, after the rape allegations set off a tumultuous few weeks in Durham, with almost daily protests by people who criticized lacrosse team members for a pattern of rowdy behavior.

...Dowd, who was not charged in the case, claims in his lawsuit that visiting professor Kim Curtis engaged in "outrageous and unethical conduct" when she gave him an F in a politics and literature class. The lawsuit claims he had earned C's on his assignments until that point.

The university later changed Dowd's grade to a D, citing a calculation error. But Dowd claims the incident nearly kept him from graduating.

Dowd and his parents are asking for the grade to be changed to a "P" for passing, and want $60,000 in damages.

"Kyle Dowd and his family feel very strongly that he was given a grade not based upon his performance, but rather upon the political agenda of the professor," said Dowd's lawyer, Joseph Zeszotarski Jr.

I don't know that I would award Dowd $60,000 in punitive and compensatory damages for the unfair grade.

But I'm glad that Dowd and his parents are suing Curtis and Duke University.

They should pay for their wrongdoing.

There should be a high price paid by Duke for rushing to judgment and harassing members of the Lacrosse team.

...Curtis was among 88 faculty members who signed their names in April to a full-page advertisement in Duke's student newspaper titled "What Does a Social Disaster Sound Like?"

"Regardless of the results of the police investigation, what is apparent everyday now is the anger and fear of many students who know themselves to be objects of racism and sexism," the ad read, in part.

The accuser is black. All but one member of last season's lacrosse team was white.

Why would Curtis and other faculty members do something so stupid?

There's nothing wrong with speaking out against racism and sexism, but it was wrong to connect their outrage to the alleged rape case.

It's shocking that the Duke faculty felt compelled to take out the ad and condemn the Lacrosse players as racist, sexual predators.

Given her opinions, could Curtis treat Dowd fairly? Would she allow her views to influence how she treated Dowd as a student?

I don't see how. It certainly wouldn't be very professional of her if she penalized Dowd by downgrading him just for being on the Lacrosse team.

It looks like that's exactly what Curtis did. She appears to have abused her position of authority to punish Dowd.

That's how it seems anyway, but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions about her.

That wouldn't be right.

Yes, Curtis should be considered innocent until the judicial system determines her to be guilty.

I'm sure Curtis would like her day in court before she's branded unethical.

Oh, why wait? Let's just assume that she's guilty and forget allowing her to defend herself against Dowd's charges.

Jesse Jackson should speak out against Curtis and act as an advocate for Dowd.

Lacrosse players Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and Dave Evans still face charges of sexual offense and kidnapping in the case. Rape charges were dropped last month after the accuser wavered in her account of key details.

Duke said Wednesday it had extended an invitation to Finnerty and Seligmann to return to class and the lacrosse team, but that they could still be punished if they are ultimately convicted. They have not said if they plan to return.

What kind of invitation has Duke extended to Finnerty and Seligmann?

Whatever it is, I'd consider it way too little, way too late.

An "Oops! Never mind! You can come back now" doesn't cut it.

I wouldn't accept the "invitation" to return. No way.

Is being allowed to return to class supposed to undo all the damage that was done to Finnerty and Seligmann, as if that's enough?

That's nuts.

Duke needs to take responsibility for its role in royally screwing up the lives of these young men.

And so does Crystal Gail Mangum -- the accuser, the liar, the mother of three.

What a disgusting episode!

Duke University, Mike Nifong, Crystal Gail Mangum -- disgusting.


Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of - for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

--Socrates

Duke DNA

Mike Nifong should just give it up.

His credibility is on a par with the accuser that now suddenly is uncertain as to the details of her alleged rape by Duke lacrosse players, even the most important detail -- whether or not she was raped.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The district attorney dropped rape charges Friday against the three Duke University lacrosse players after the stripper who accused them changed her story again. But the men still face kidnapping and sex charges that could bring more than 30 years in prison.

A lawyer for one of the athletes bitterly demanded that District Attorney Mike Nifong drop the remaining counts, accusing him of offering shifting theories of the crime in an attempt to win the case at any cost.

"It's now the shifting sands again, the shifting factual theory," defense attorney Joseph Cheshire said. He added: "It is the ethical duty of a district attorney not to win a case, not to prosecute all cases, but to see that justice is done."

In dropping the rape charges, Nifong filed court papers that said the accuser told an investigator Thursday that she is no longer certain whether she was penetrated vaginally with the men's penises, as she had claimed earlier. Nifong previously said he could rely on the woman's account because of a lack of DNA evidence against the players.

Lacking any "scientific or other evidence independent of the victim's testimony" to corroborate that aspect of the case, the district attorney said in court papers, "the state is unable to meet its burden of proof with respect to this offense."

Nifong is a disgrace.

He dragged three men through the mud. Their pictures and their names are public.

Now he pulls a "never mind."

What a loser!

A sign on posted on Nifong's office door read, "No media, please!" But as he left his office, he said, "All the documents have been filed and they speak for themselves."

"No media."

What a joke!

Tell that to the three Duke lacrosse players that have been accused of rape.

Nifong helped to set them up for a trial by the media.

Will they be able to restore their reputations?

If there's justice, Nifong will be the one remembered as an abusive thug.

In an interview Thursday with The New York Times, published late Friday on the newspaper's Web site, Nifong said the "case will go away" if the accuser ever says one of the players she identifed did not attack her.

"I've said I'm not interested in prosecuting somebody that's innocent," Nifong told The Times. "But until she tells me that, until she tells me these are not the right guys, we're prosecuting this case."

Why did Nifong do an interview with The Times on Thursday?

Why did that interview not appear on its website until late on Friday?

This guy was laying the groundwork for damage control.

The Times, of course, obliged.

Nifong and The Times and the accuser are in the same league when it comes to credibility.

...The accuser, a 28-year-old student at North Carolina Central University, has said three men raped her — vaginally, anally and orally — while holding her against her will in a bathroom at a March 13 Duke lacrosse team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper.

The indicted players — Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann — all say they are innocent. Their attorneys have consistently said no sex occurred at the party.

Are these three individuals the real victims here?

If all of this turns out to be a pack of lies, will the accuser have her name and face splashed by the media?

She should be named.

In this case, if her accusations are false, identifying her might serve as a deterrent to keep other liars from crying rape.

I don't think rape victims should be named in the press. I do think that people who falsely accuse others of crimes should be.

The men are still charged with kidnapping, for allegedly holding the woman against her will, and sexual offense. Under state law, a rape charge requires vaginal intercourse, while sexual offense covers any sexual act. In dropping the rape charges, Nifong did not specify what sex acts prosecutors now believe occurred.

No surprise there.

Why would Nifong be specific?

Who knows what the accuser will magically claim to recall or forget?

...The defense has complained that the stripper has given authorities at least a dozen different versions of her story. Among other things, she has given conflicting accounts of the number of attackers — anywhere from three to 20 — and the ways in which she was supposedly assaulted. At least one time after the party, she told police she had not been assaulted.

Last week, it was learned that DNA testing arranged by the prosecution at a private laboratory found genetic material from several men on the stripper's underwear and body, but that none of it came from the players.

"The reality is, what else could the DA do?" said Stan Goldman, who teaches criminal law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "Once the DNA evidence came out last week, I can't imagine how they could sustain a rape charge."

Just think of where this case would be if not for DNA testing.

It really is a breakthrough in seeing that justice is done.

For instance, Bill Clinton was able to keep lying until the mess on the big blue dress did him in.

Indeed, DNA is powerful stuff.

I don't understand why the accuser would lie about being raped, knowing that there would be no physical evidence to back up her charge.

Apparently, she didn't think it through.

Kim Roberts Grabs Opportunity

(October 30, 2006 -- Scroll down for update.)
It's the American way.

When an opportunity presents itself, you make the most of it.

So, the "2nd stripper"(AKA Kim Roberts) of the Duke lacrosse team scandal decided to contact a PR firm.She wrote:

Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 2:21 PM

To: Ronn Torossian

Subject: duke lacrosse scandal

Hi!

My name is Kim and I am involved in the Duke Lacrosse scandal. Although I am no celebrity and just an average citizen, I've found myself in the center of one of the biggest stories in the country. I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage. I am determined not to let any negative publicity about my life overtake me. I'm so confused as to who to talk to for relevant advice and I hope that you can return my e-mail. If you cannot help, do you know of any names and numbers I can call?

Thanks for your time,

The 2nd Dancer...

5W Public Relations released this statement to the press, regarding Roberts' e-mail.

"We understand now that we were contacted because of our experience in crisis communications with high profile individuals, particularly our representation of Lil' Kim of whom this woman is a huge fan. We have been in discussions with her and are currently evaluating our position on this matter. I have been asked why she contacted us — My response: Anyone who is in the firing line of the media should contact a PR firm — The media swarms are very intimidating and scary and people should always contact media experts before speaking with the media," said Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5W Public Relations.

There is SO much about this Duke lacrosse team mess that is unseemly.

This can be added to the pile.

"I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage," Roberts explains.

Someone may have been raped and Roberts is eager to make the "best of it."

That's disgusting.
From AP, more on Roberts and her plans to capitalize on her lucky break.

Roberts, like the accuser a divorced single mother who is black, took umbrage at the notion that she should not try to make something out of her experience. She's worried that once her name and criminal record are public, no one will want to hire her.

"Why shouldn't I profit from it?" she asked. "I didn't ask to be in this position … I would like to feed my daughter."

Roberts said she knows what it's like to sit in jail, and that she would never wrongly accuse an innocent person.

"If the boys are innocent, sorry fellas," she said. "Sorry you had to go through this."

But unlike her and the other dancer, she said, they have money to hire the best attorneys.

"If they're innocent, they will not go to jail," she said. But, she added, "If the truth is on their side, why are they supporting it with so many lies?"

Roberts is bracing for an all-out attack, but said she's almost past caring.

"Don't forget that they called me a damn nigger," she said. "She (the accuser) was passed out in the car. She doesn't know what she was called. I was called that. I can never forget that."

Roberts makes the case that since the alleged victim was "just passed-out drunk," according to a police officer's description, her suffering was worse in a sense.

The victim was too drunk to be aware of any racial slurs being thrown at her. Roberts, on the other hand, was able to take it all in.

Whatever really happened that night, I don't doubt that it wasn't a pleasant experience for Roberts. However, her e-mail to 5W Public Relations makes it very difficult to view her as a victim in the matter.

She wants to the seize the opportunity, take the lemons and make lemonade. Is that wrong?

I think so. She shouldn't be trying to join the ranks of America's notorious royalty -- Tonya Harding, John Wayne Bobbitt, Joey Buttafuoco types.

Rather than contacting a PR firm to "spin this to [her] advantage," she should contact an employment agency and use her new found fame to find someone to offer her a decent job, one that doesn't require her to disrobe for drooling strangers.

________________________________

UPDATE:

Kim Roberts is getting some more press.
Newsweek is obliging.

When you read about Roberts' latest accusations, keep this in mind, from the Associated Press:

The [defense] attorneys claim Roberts at first told a member of the defense team that she did not believe the accuser's allegations. They say she has changed her story to gain favorable treatment in a criminal case against her...

"We believe ... her story has been motivated by her own self-interest," said attorney Bill Thomas, who represents one of the uncharged players. "I think that a jury will ultimately have to decide the question of her credibility."

Roberts, 31, was arrested on March 22 - eight days after the party - on a probation violation from a 2001 conviction for embezzling $25,000 from a photofinishing company in Durham where she was a payroll specialist, according to documents obtained by the AP.

On Monday, the same day a grand jury indicted lacrosse players Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, a judge agreed to a change so that Roberts would no longer have to pay a 15 percent fee to a bonding agent. District Attorney Mike Nifong signed a document saying he would not oppose the change.

"It seems she is receiving very favorable financial treatment for what she is now saying," Thomas said.

Mark Simeon, Roberts' attorney, said the bond conditions were changed because Roberts is not considered a flight risk. Nifong, who hasn't spoken with reporters about the case in weeks, didn't return a call seeking comment.

That embezzlement charge, coupled with her active solicitation of PR specialists to help her "spin" the scandal to her advantage, significantly diminishes Roberts' claim to victim status.

She's a victimizer. She is an exploiter.

A question:

Will Jesse Jackson offer to pay for a college education for Roberts?

He's offered the alleged rape victim a scholarship, because he has "compassion and pity" for her.

Jackson said, "Don't strip. Scholarship."

What about Roberts? She needs help, too.

Does Jackson have a rhyme for her?
_______________________________

UPDATE: "Go Ahead, Put Marks on Me"

Oct. 30, 2006 — The second dancer in the Duke rape case has said for the first time that the accuser told her to "go ahead, put marks on me" after the alleged attack.

Dancer Kim Roberts made the new allegation — which she has not shared with authorities — in an interview with Chris Cuomo that aired today on "Good Morning America."

Roberts' allegation comes after Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's admission in court last week that he has not yet interviewed the accuser "about the facts of that night."

As she drove the accuser from the March 2006 Duke lacrosse party, Roberts told ABC News the woman was clearly impaired and "talking crazy."

Roberts said she tried several different times to get the accuser out of her car.

"The trip in that car from the house … went from happy to crazy," Roberts told Cuomo. "I tried all different ways to get through to her."

"I tried to be funny and nice," she said. "Then I tried to, you know, be stern with her. … We're kind of circling around, and as we're doing that, my last-ditch attempt to get her out of the car, I start to kind of, you know, push and prod her, you know."

Roberts said she told the woman, "Get out of my car. Get out of my car."

"I … push on her leg. I kind of push on her arm," Roberts said. "And clear as a bell, it's the only thing I heard clear as a bell out of her was, she said — she pretty much had her head down, but she said plain as day — 'Go ahead, put marks on me. That's what I want. Go ahead.'"

Roberts said the comments "chilled me to the bone, and I decided right then and there to go to the authorities."

...Three Duke lacrosse players — Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann — were charged last spring with rape and kidnapping for the alleged attack on the exotic dancer, who had been hired by the men to perform at the off-campus party.

All three men have vigorously declared their innocence, inside and outside of court.

Defense attorneys for the players declined to comment on Roberts' remarks.

Back in April when I first wrote about Roberts, the infamous "second stripper," the very unfair assumption was that the "first stripper" had been raped.

Clearly, Roberts is a liar. But it appears that she finally has come clean. Now, she's willing to take a lie detector test to verify her newest version of the events.

The defamation that the Duke lacrosse players have suffered cannot be undone.

No apology will suffice.

The National Obsession

It's been over a decade since the O.J. Simpson trial transformed the definition of "news."

Although the ability of certain stories to grip the public's fascination is not a recent development by any means, the 24-7 coverage by cable channels heightens the emphasis such cases receive.

Now, there always seems to be some "news" story that the media latch on to with all their might, as if it is the most critical matter in the world as we know it.

Yes, the Duke lacrosse team/ stripper/ rape/ race/ privileged rich kids case is newsworthy; but is it deserving of so much attention?

Darfur? What's Darfur?

The latest:

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- A cab driver who picked up a Duke University lacrosse player the night he's accused of raping a stripper appears to reinforce a timeline the defense says supports his innocence, but also casts doubt on claims that nothing happened at a team party.

When he returned to the off-campus party to pick up a second fare after dropping off Reade Seligmann, Moez Mostafa said he saw a woman leaving the party in anger, and overheard someone say, "She just a stripper. She's going to call the police."

Seligmann, of Essex Fells, N.J., and fellow sophomore lacrosse player Collin Finnerty, of Garden City, N.Y., are charged with first-degree rape, sexual assault and kidnapping.

...A member of the defense team, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the defense is working with players who could still be indicted, said time-stamped photos show the women dancing around midnight.

Mostafa's logs show a call for a cab at 12:14 a.m. A person close to the case told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that cell phone records show Seligmann called for a taxi at that time.

The defense argues that if the dancers were performing around midnight, Seligmann would not have had enough time to have participated in the assault.

I don't mean to diminish the significance of the charges, nor do I want to be flippant about how this is impacting the lives of those involved.

I just don't see why this case should be front page, lead story type of stuff all over the country.

It's a local story, not a national concern.

Are Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton really needed to add to the circus?

Let the case play out. Let the evidence be presented. Let the next slew of DNA be analyzed. Hopefully, let justice be done.

I'm sick of these cases being tried in the media, and becoming more like reality shows than criminal matters.

Will Reade Seligmann show up late for court, wearing pajamas?

Will Collin Finnerty lead authorities on a low-speed chase in a white Bronco?

Stay tuned for the next installment of the latest national soap opera.