Call me hyper-sensitive and call me nit-picky but I am frustrated by the small details, either incorrect or misleading, that have continued to plague coverage of the Duke lacrosse case (aftermath). This is just another example.
1. It wasn’t a fraternity house. Duke lacrosse isn’t a fraternity in the typical college/Greek scene sense. Plus it wasn’t the Duke lacrosse house. It was a home rented by three players. The moniker was invented by the media.
2. The NCAA gave every non-senior member of the 2005-2006 Duke mens’ lacrosse team another year of eligibility. This is not “some of the players”; it’s all but a very specific group who are beyond college athletics.
3. Now even I will call this quibbling…but the charges weren’t just dropped. That could happen on a technicality. What made the Attorney General’s decision so important was that the charges were dropped and the players were declared wholly innocent. It’s a subtle distinction, but it makes a big difference.
4. Duke lacrosse case =/= Michael Vick case =/= Barry Bonds case. Rape is a crime second only to murder. As happy as I am to see the country learn the case’s lessons, don’t trivialize what happened. Michael Vick and Barry Bonds could lose their careers or their fame. David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty could have lost their lives–in all but the most literal sense.
