Lacrosse team forfeits games

A Duke official says the players deny sexual assault but admit they hired women to dance

Duke University officials decided Saturday to forfeit two men's lacrosse games because of the team's conduct at a party earlier this month at which a woman says she was raped.

The action allayed some criticism of the university for allowing the team to continue to play, despite a police investigation into whether three teammates raped and sodomized an exotic dancer at the party, held in a house rented by three of the team's captains.

Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said he was "dismayed" by the party, held March 13 at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., next to the Duke campus.

Alleva said that although players deny the woman was sexually assaulted, several have acknowledged hiring women from an escort service to dance at the party and that alcohol was served to underage team members.

"The judgment of the team members to host and participate in this event is inconsistent with the values of Duke Athletics and Duke University and is unacceptable," Alleva said in the statement, posted on the university's Web site.

Late Saturday, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead promised "very serious penalties" if the charges are verified and added that "the facts are not yet established.

"Physical coercion and sexual assault are unacceptable in any setting and have no place at Duke," Brodhead said in a statement.

Durham police have not filed charges in the case.

The woman says she was pulled into a bathroom by three men at the team party and beaten and sexually assaulted for 30 minutes, according to court documents filed by police.

Duke officials said earlier in the week that the university's athletics department is not conducting an internal investigation. On Thursday, 46 members of the team submitted DNA samples for the police investigation. Brodhead said some of those tested did not attend the party.

The announcement to forfeit home games Saturday against Georgetown University and Tuesday against Mount St. Mary's University came just before fans gathered at Koskinen Stadium on the Duke campus. A stack of news releases greeted spectators who braved chilly wind and rain to watch the game.

Nearby, residents from the neighborhood where the party took place held up signs in protest of the team.

"Don't be a fan of rapists," read one of the signs, made by Jo Darby, whose house in the Trinity Park neighborhood shares an alley with 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. She urged others to hold signs.

Ian Grady, a 17-year-old from Cary, plays lacrosse for his high school and has met many members of the Duke team through various lacrosse events, calling them "a bunch of great guys.

"I can only dream to play at the level they do," Grady, a junior, said of the team, runners-up in the NCAA Division I national championship last year.

If the allegations are true, he said, "It's not going to change my opinion of them as players. Just as [people]."

A change in plans

Some boycotted the game altogether. Andy Cummins of Raleigh did not allow his son to attend the Duke game, as previously planned. He said it would be inappropriate to show support after police have said team members who know what happened are not coming forward.

"People get accused of things," Cummins said. "What really upset me is that the team ... decided not to do an internal investigation and that everyone's being quiet about it. These are young men at a prestigious university, and they should speak up."

Later Saturday, more than 200 protesters lined up along Buchanan Boulevard. Candles shined tiny spots of light along the sidewalk, stretching from Dacian Avenue to Markham Avenue.

Resident Janene Tompkins said the vigil was to support the woman who reported being raped and to acknowledge the courage it takes to come forward.

"This is to let her know that we're with her," Tompkins said. "If anyone could come and take a piece of her grief, we would."

Religious groups, neighborhood associations, and students and faculty from the university sang "Amazing Grace" and prayed.

Allyson Van Wyk challenged parents of the lacrosse players to talk to their children.

"The parents need to make them stand up and be men," she shouted.

One by one, protesters blew out their candles and placed them on the steps of 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. to send a message -- they are watching.

A group of Durham residents announced a "Wake-Up Call Against Sexual Assault" to be held in front of the house at 9 a.m. today. They planned to stand on the sidewalk, which is public property, and bang pots and pans to protest the incident. They said they would disperse quietly if asked by police.

(Staff writer Meiling Arounnarath contributed to this report.)