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News Nuggets, 10.17.06
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NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

ACC, Miami announce additional suspensions

The Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Miami have announced that 13 football players have been suspended as a result of the fighting incidents that occurred during the Florida International-Miami football game played on October 14. The players will be suspended for the Hurricanes' next game at Duke on Saturday, Oct. 21, according to the ACC website.

Following a thorough review of available video footage, the ACC and Miami have issued one-game suspensions to Carlos Armour, Chris Barney, James Bryant, Tyrone Byrd, DajLeon Farr, Ryan Hill, Bruce Johnson, Charlie Jones, Brandon Meriweather, Brian Monroe, Derrick Morse, Randy Phillips and Anthony Reddick.

"What took place in last night's Florida International-Miami game has no place in college football," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "The Conference and the University of Miami are taking this action because of the nature and seriousness of the situation. Officials at the University of Miami have been very cooperative in addressing this issue with the Conference Office. These suspensions send a clear and definitive message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated."

Miami director of athletics Paul Dee said, "We regret that this incident occurred. We have worked throughout the day to review the material and came to the appropriate conclusions. We thank the Commissioner and his staff for their cooperation."

More suspensions also on Sun Belt's agenda

The Sun Belt Conference and Florida International University announced Monday that 18 players from FIU have been suspended for their actions in Saturday night's game against Miami (FL). Because FIU has a bye this weekend, the players will be suspended for the Golden Panthers next game, Oct. 28 at Alabama. Any additional measures will be determined by the school.

Following a thorough review of available video footage, the Sun Belt Conference and Florida International University have issued one-game suspensions to: Michael Alls, Scott Bryant, Roland Clark, Michael Dominquez, John Ellis, Cory Fleming, Reginald Jones, Marshall McDuffie, Jr., Robert Mitchell, Quintin Newman, Luis Pena, Jarvis Penerton, Julian Reams, Lionell Singleton, Chris Smith, Samuel Smith, Mannie Wellington and Chandler Williams.

"There is no place in higher education for the type of conduct exhibited in Saturday night's game between Florida International and Miami," Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters said. "We are taking this action to emphasize that the ideals of amateurism and proper sportsmanship must be exhibited at all times. Officials at Florida International University and ... the Atlantic Coast Conference have been very cooperative in addressing this issue with us, and it sends a clear signal we will not tolerate this type of behavior."

Duke lacrosse under "60 Minutes" scrutiny

CBS News has reported that when three members of the Duke men's lacrosse team were indicted for rape last spring, the case put one of the country’s most prominent colleges under intense scrutiny, and it pushed onto a national stage divisive issues of race, gender, politics and privilege.

The three players are white, and come from wealthy families; the accuser is black, a local dancer hired to perform at a team party. Over the past six months, the CBS program "60 Minutes" has examined nearly the entire case file, more than 2,000 documents, including police reports, witness statements and medical records. The program's investigation uncovered what it characterized as disturbing facts about the conduct of the police and the district attorney that raise serious concerns about whether or not a rape even occurred.

Ed Bradley of CBS spoke to some of the key figures in the case, including Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans, who had never been interviewed.

"This woman has destroyed everything I worked for in my life," Evans said. "She's put it on hold. She's destroyed two other families and she's brought shame on a great university. And, worst of all she's split apart a community and a nation on facts that just didn't happen and a lie that should have never been told."

Evans was a co-captain of the lacrosse team and an honors student. He graduated from Duke in May and was headed for a job on Wall Street. Today, at age 23, he is contemplating a future much darker than he ever imagined.

Asked if he ever thinks about the possibility of a conviction and a long prison sentence, Evans tells Bradley, "Thirty years. I could go to jail for something that never happens."

Collin Finnerty, 20, a sophomore and one of most talented young players on the team, is under suspension from Duke pending the outcome of the trial. He says he still can’t fathom why he has been accused of rape.

"I never expected anything even close to that happening. I never expected anyone to get indicted, let alone myself," Finnerty says.

The accuser had picked Finnerty out of a line-up. "It's unbelievable," he said. "Don't know how, why that happened. But, try to figure that out, I really have no idea how that happened."

His teammate, 20-year-old Reade Seligmann could have played lacrosse at any university of his choosing. He was recruited by Harvard and Princeton, but chose to go to Duke. Today, facing felony charges, he is not allowed to set on foot on campus unless he obtains permission from the university.

"Your whole life you try to, you know, stay on the right path, and to do the right things. And someone can come along and take it all away. Just by going like that. Just by pointing their finger. That’s all it takes," Seligmann says.

Police released affidavits stating the accuser’s claim that she was pulled into a bathroom by three men and raped “anally, vaginally, and orally” while they “hit, kicked, and strangled” her over a “30 minute” period.

The district attorney, Mike Nifong, took to the airwaves giving dozens of interviews, expressing with absolute certainty that Duke lacrosse players had committed a horrific crime. His comments fueled explosive news coverage and fed public suspicion of the team, before much of the evidence was gathered.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that she was raped and assaulted at this location," he said on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor."

D.A. Nifong referred to the lacrosse players as “a bunch of hooligans” whose “daddies could buy them expensive lawyers.” He played up the racial aspects of the case, but insisted that his public comments had nothing to do with the hotly contested election campaign he was waging in a city with a large black population.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:52 PM