The Virginia men's lacrosse team is the undisputed No. 1 squad in the country, and is off to its best start in school history during a season when college lacrosse is getting national attention for the first time. Network news broadcasts, primetime cable news, talk shows and even the front page of The New York Times have given the sport coverage.
Not that anybody is paying attention to the Cavaliers' historic season. There are no stories about the 2006 Virginia squad being arguably the most dominant Division I men's team in years. All the media focus has been on Durham, where an alleged rape at an off-campus house party by Duke athletes has led the university to cancel the remainder of the season.
Having to sit out the rest of the season is the least of the Blue Devils' worries, though. Forty-six of the team's 47 players have given DNA samples after they refused to initially cooperate with the police investigation. A woman hired as an exotic dancer for a party at a house leased by the three men's lacrosse captains claims she was gang-raped, sodomized and strangled in the bathroom of the house. She said the assault lasted half an hour.
Not many details of the incident have emerged over the last few weeks, despite the fact that the alleged assault occurred March 16. For one reason or another, the entire Duke lacrosse team has chosen to remain silent on the issue. It is this silence that may be the most unsettling part of this story.
If no sexual assault occurred, it seems odd the Duke players would refuse to initially cooperate with the police. Something inappropriate -- and probably illegal -- clearly happened at this house three weeks ago. It is certainly possible that some of those attending the party may have been unaware of the incident, but considering the number of people at the party (one witness said the house was so crowded that people spilled out onto the front yard) there are clearly several individuals, most likely lacrosse players, who are withholding information from the police.
Maybe the players believe they won't suffer any consequences for their actions. Fifteen of the team's players have been charged over the past few months with misdemeanors following drunken and disorderly behavior and all avoided criminal convictions, so these men are accustomed to not facing the consequences of criminal behavior.
Or maybe these players are acting out of some twisted sense of loyalty, believing they need to stand up for their teammates at all costs, even when such heinous acts are committed.
Either way, the silence is inexcusable and Duke has an obligation to make these players answer for their despicable behavior.
University officials have said they will wait until the criminal investigation is complete before taking any disciplinary action. There is nothing wrong with this approach as long as the players at this party face real consequences for remaining silent.
By letting eyewitnesses escape without penalty or with just a slap on the wrist, Duke will be tacitly acknowledging that it is acceptable to stay quiet when such a terrible event has taken place, even in the midst of a police investigation.
If anything positive comes of this, it may be the increased awareness of issues surrounding sexual assault. Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Week at Duke culminated in more than 750 students coming together for a Take Back the Night march on March 30. Virginia's Take Back the Night march takes place tonight, when participants will walk from the downtown area to central Grounds to march against sexual violence.
Yesterday Duke coach Mike Pressler announced that he was resigning from his position. When the dust settles in this case, Pressler should not be the only one that leaves the team. The silence of these players is serious and deserves to be treated as such.
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