Pushback

Wow. Don't feel too sorry for some guys who wrongly accused of rape?

Hope you're never in their shoes.

I don't feel sorry for the Duke LaCrosse players. When you look at the number of African-American men who have been charged and found guilty in a rush for judgement, they just received a "little taste" of what African-Americans have experienced for decades.

There are men who have served decades in prison only to be found innocent after spending 10-20 years of their life behind bars.

Nonsense! Evans has already lost a job offer. Nifong should be made to repay ALL legal fees for all three players, and pay Evans annually an amount equivalent to the salary he lost by losing the job offer (with annual percent increases = typical career path increases for next 40 years [typical career length]). I doubt any of the three players will ever be able to hold a corporate white-collar job with their reputations ruined. Saying they deserve no sympathy because they made a mistake by having the party is a bit extreme. I made a silly mistake at a bridge tournament last week (I drew one too many rounds of trump) but didn't lose a job, pay roughly $1,000,000 in legal fees, or suffer anything more than a transiently bruised ego. EW

Their conduct was unbecoming to be sure but no worse than most college age men. No matter how unbecoming and rude they may have been they did not deserve to be accused of something so horrible.
Nifong should be tried for this crime against these young men, loose his license to practice law, be barred from ever teaching or assisting a law firm in any way shape or form and serve time.
He targeted these young men for political gain. If it had not been an election year this story would not have made print media.
These young men are rather amazing in that they are choosing not to go after the accuser. I don't know if I'd have that much compassion for this troubled soul but clearly they do.
Stop inciting class warfare. This was WRONG and it makes no difference who it happened to. It was WRONG.

One must feel some sympathy for these guys, but we must also remember that these are not upstanding individuals. They are priveleged rich men who finally had a year of adversity in their lives as a side effect of their reckless partying...boo hoo. The public will soon forget these men, and the tarnish will wear off their names soon after. Hmmm...I wonder what the after-party from their press conference was like.

Let's be serious everyone. These guys are going to be alright. They had a rough year. But they come from rich and connected families. In a week, this will all pass and they will move on to be wealthy and powerful like they would have in the first place. They may have been exonerated of all charges. But I think it is naive to think that no improper behavior occurred that evening.

Taking issue with the treatment of these young men because their behavior on the night in question was not admirable is like saying we should not have been outraged by the assasination of John Kennedy because of his moral misconduct as President. Anytime a public officer of the court misuses is authority to prosecute someone he knows to be innocent, or even suspects might be innocent, he is jeopordizing the freedom of all of us. Further, don't underestimate the part the news services played in this disaster. How much do you think the attention of the national news broadcasters had in pushing this matter forward and inspiring Mr. Knifong to use the prosecution to put himself in a better light before the voters in order to get reelected. You are not innocent in this matter and should look very closely at how much the stories you choose to magnify for the sake of ratings deserve the attention you give and whether you have verified the facts before you take them public. Where would we be today if someone had asked for real proof of WMDs before supporting a war in Iraq?

So, Terry, by your logic, if there are some people who get unjustly accused or convicted of crimes, then that means there's no sympathy for anyone else? What a load! Two wrongs do not make a right, in ANY circumstance! Sure, they are "rich kids"; sure, they got high-priced attorneys; but remember that it was their names that got spalshed across America for a year. How about this, Terry - let someone accuse you of plaigiarism, splash your name across every media outlet in the country for a year, and then retract that accusation. How WOULD YOU FEEL?

The article states:
"MOST IMPORTANT, there are many, many cases of prosecutorial misconduct across our country every year. The media covers few, if any, of these cases."

Yes, and that's exactly why these young men deserve restitution. In other, lower-profile cases, the court does what the court does, and, hopefully, justice finally prevails. In the case of these young men, their names were tied to their alledged misdeeds in headlines all across the country. They were not merely falsely accused and indicted on little or no evidence, they were publicly slimed, on a regular basis, for a year or more.

Nifong, whose personal vendetta apparently was not swayed by a total lack of corroborating evidence, should do hard time after paying full restitution.

E. Williams, do you really believe that it makes no difference who it happened to? Consider this hypothetical...a prostitute accuses someone of rape...a Beverly Hills housewife accuses someone of rape. Who gets more media coverage? Who is more believable? Who gets better legal representation? Who gets more sympathy from the public? Although my example exaggerates the situation, this kind of influence is pervasive. The argument that there is no class (or race) influence in this case is at best flimsy and potentially dangerous.

Who cares about feeling sorry for the accused - sympathy is a nice sentiment, but that's not what this is about. These young men were wrongfully accused of disgusting crimes that they did not commit, and they were exploited by leaders in their community, national figureheads (Sharpton, Jackson), and their own teachers. Everyone who threw mud at these boys had an agenda to push, publicity to gain, and they've all faded quietly into the background. To suggest that these wrongs should be dismissed in the eyes of the public because the victims were well-connected, rich, white men is simply despicable. You do all wrongfully accused persons a disservice by suggesting the Duke students' plight is worth less because of their social & economic status. The system is broken - people of all class & color suffer at the hands of power-hungry politicians and lawmakers every day, and this case has brought it to light. So no, don't feel sorry for the men, but acknowledge that
they experienced an undeniable injustice that should be neither ignored nor rationalized.

I am proud to say that I was a college athlete. As a member of a Division 1 team in the same conference as Duke University, I understood that I was representing my University, therefore expected to behave accordingly. To say, "Their conduct was unbecoming to be sure but no worse than most college age men" implies that this behavior was acceptable. I can assure you that as a college athlete, it was not "acceptable". Athletes are given opportunity and financial assistance that is not available to all students. An athlete needs to appreciate this, respect the honor, and behave accordingly.
Having a party with kids consuming alcohol underage, hiring strippers, and using racial epithets, should not be condoned when representing an institution such as Duke University. Yes, it is sad that these students were falsely accused... but back in the days when parents actually gave constructive advice instead of "fixing" their children's mistakes... my parents gave me this advice: "If you play with fire, you will get burned." I don't know, seems like a pretty simple concept for most people. I would think that a student with the academic potential of a Duke University athlete, should be able to understand that logic.
As one of these students has previously been charged with assault, I can only say this... "You have made your bed, now you must sleep in it."
Good luck to these boys, and let us all hope that after this experience, they take this as a lesson learned. In most cases, Trouble is an invited guest... it does not often come to find you.

Who are you and what rock did you crawl out from under?

Racial epithets? First amendment to the constitution.

Paid $800 for strippers? Supply and Demand

Previous offenses? No bearing.

Resources for attorneys? What if it was your kid?

You're kind of journalism is troublesome BUT I won't hold it against YOU!

Either they did something illegal or they didn't.

People of all classes and colours are not suffering prosecutorial injustice equally in America. The USA has a world-record shattering number of people in prison, almost half of whom are black men. Not bad considering black men are around 7% of the US population.

WOW! Look at the commentary -theme running through out most of the comments, one that is imploding our country every darn day, the old rich vs. poor perception.

First, IF these kids do indeed hail from 'rich' families, what does that say about their families? I'll tell you what it says, it means they busted their humps to get where they are today despite a majority in this country who push more and more to take from them (because just they are 'RICH') and give it to those who are basically lazy and undisciplined!

Bottom line...who cares if they kids are 'privileged,' poor or purple in color! In my opinion, these kids were done dirty by a pompous lawyer and then excoriated by the media, as usual, race baiters and whacked out Duke professors.

If this had happened to my kid, Mr. Moran, I’d have your colleagues, Mr. Nifong and the race baiter’s heads served up a silver platter! And when finished, my son would indeed be one rich dude!

I'm at a loss for words, but not really surprised by the reaction to Mr. Moran's post on the Duke Lacrosse team scandal. So many here have shown a harsh reaction to the post. And the reactions have shown a willingness to IGNORE the true point of this post. I don't think these young men need any further defense. If you want to express outrage, then be outraged about the many others who've been victimized by a prosecutor who was "reckless and deceitful in the discharge of his duties". I'd bet you wouldn't have to look past your own backyards!!!

Articles written by idiots like this author are the real problem. Instead of focusing on the illegal and immoral behavior of a power hungry DA, he's focusing on something that's more media-friendly, like the race and social classes of the falsely accused. Saying they shouldn't receive sympathy, I hope this author loses jobs and friends because someone falsely accuses him a crime and he has no outlet to defend himself because other people want to believe the "good story" rather than the truth.
Comparing their plight to the Rutgers basketball game was by far the most short-sighted and ignorant comment in the article. These guys were possibly going to prison for 30 years based on a lie. They were going to lose their lives. The Rutgers basketball team had a comment made about them by some old white bigot on the radio, and will recover within a week. Plus, the comments aren't even as bad as the things you hear on a hip-hop/rap radio station.

Their conduct was unbecoming to be sure but no worse than most college age men. tom

To use that as some kind of justification for being boorish certainly lowers the bar for those who have never engaged in such low quality behavior. They may not have deserved the charges and ensuing controversy, but we are all locked into the consequences of our choices.

Usually I respect Terry Moran, but this is the most ridiculous thing I've read about the case. Good heavens, man! You really need to rethink this.

So you will not use your connections to get your child to a better school? Sure!! I hope your children never have to live go through a national media frenzy which your kind of journalism created. They should get the same kind of coverage for their innocence

Terry,

You are weird man. Colleged aged men drinking before they are 21 and going to party with strippers. Wow, that is crazy. I would put those kids right behind Hitler and Stalin on my morally reprehensible spectrum. As for the racial epithets, not acceptable, but who is to say any of the 3 ever used them. It appears Seligman was not even at the party when most of the shannigans were going on. I do not think the kids are heroes, but no matter how you stack it or ratinolize it on an individual level these kids got royally screwed.

Terry's comments and opinions are right on the money. From the start, I was suspicious of the accusations, but the style of life that caught the Dukies in this mess was very clear. When you play in the gutter, you get dirty, and these guys have been in that gutter for a very long time. As the republicans are fond of chanting, "the system works". It may have been twisted, but a collection of pampered and privileged bums got the type of exposure they deserve. So when people want to protect them, they should be asking themselves if these are the kinds of males they want their daughters to date.

Terry:
I totally agree with you - its not the first time that well-to-do preppies have gotten off because of their background. Those that think demeaning women in any way, shape or form is what men are put on this earth for, and whether the woman is good, bad or indifferent is the least of their worries. Had they had Ken Starr on their case, innocent or not, he would have not given up until he found something to make them guilty. At least Bill Clinton never demeaned, or made Monica look bad - she did that by telling her good friend who told the world. Try living under the circumstances Bill Clinton did and see if these three preppies can become the exemplary person he has. Its unfortunate their first disappointment in life had to be this severe - and of course we can't compare them to the thousands of others who have been unjustly incarcerated, some for long periods of time or life, because they don't have the resources. And when I hear - "they're doing what ever other college guy has done," it just galls me. That's the most assinine answer so overused. If these preppies think they went through a year of hell, how about the young girls who attend a frat party and end up being raped, maybe pregnant, and can't prove who was responsible because she had been drinking. I don't think her time in hell is one year and forgotten. Especially if she's not rich, whethr nnocent or guilty.

Bottom line is - life is not fair, and justice is not fair. If the lawyer knew, as the preppies say, that they were not guilty - then he's the guilty one. If he knew he was dealing with a sick person, it should never have gone on. If the preppies lawyers were the best in the country - obviously they weren't smart - they didn't stop it early on. They obviously made quite a bundle off these preppies' families. Money doesn't always buy the best.

I'm sick of hearing that because these boys are not underprivileged kids, then they deserve no pity.... people are so spiteful and envious. The constant comments of how bad the boys were for hiring strippers is also funny - they are college aged boys... I believe it is probably very common. But, what of the girls who come over to a party of men to dance naked..... no one wants to address their responsibility in this situation. Because the women were black people tend to make this a racial issue.... that's just plain krap!

Whoa, Terry,
Not feeling sorry for the "Dukies" does not compute. Of course there are many other poor or minority members of our society who are jailed because they couldn't afford the high priced defense these 3 young men had. But these people and the "Dukies" were equally injured by what happened. The fact that their parents were able (and willing) to put up the dollars to go after that arrogant nutcase Nifong helped the rich and poor alike. He will no longer be around to invent dramatic causes to advance his political career. And it might serve as a warning to a few others like him out there. I hope those boys do sue him and strip him of every penny he has. The shame of this whole mess is that no one seems to intend to go after that lying piece of human garbage who started the whole mess. She was blatantly caught in her lies. Scooter Libby is headed to jail for his lies. Martha Stewart went to jail for hers. And neither of the things they did were considered sufficient enough to prosecute them for a crime. Making a false accusation is. She should be prosecuted for that, as well as lying. Apparently when it comes to lying all the discrimination is aimed at the white "haves". That is not OK with me. Justice should be color blind and money blind. As far as I've read this AM, only Fox News has decided to publish an expose on her whole sordid existence. How many more men is she going to be able to bring charges against before she's stopped? As a woman, it makes me furious. Women ARE raped. Women ARE victims of domestic abuse. But because of her, and a few others like her, women with real injuries are viewed with scepticism when they report it. And because of that, real abusers go free. As far as I could see from the blogs I've been reading, she never got much sympathy from the females of America from day one. That's because we saw the inconsistancies in her story from day one. We didn't believe her. And because we knew the real crime here is what she's done to women as a group. Now women with legitamate injuries will have to think a little harder about bringing charges out of fear of being disbelieved. While she goes scot free to continue with her tawdry lifestyle. Oh, and BTW, Terry... I remember being shocked way back in the 70's when it became OK to hire a sripper to come into a home or workplace to spice up some guy's birthday party. Guess it must have been legal, since it's still openly going on. How can I blame these guys for hiring strippers to spice up their party, when it was my generation that taught them it was a cool thing to do??? Whew! I feel better for having gotten that off my chest. Have a great day, y'all!! Scarlett