Rape Charges Against Duke Lacrosse Players Dropped--Now What?

So the rape charges have been dropped against David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, now what? I had my suspicions from the beginning that they were even guilty in the first place, but the public tried and found them guilty without even considering the possibility that they were innocent.

If you think that the rape charges being dropped makes all of their problems go away, think again. These young men will always have people that think they are guilty, no matter how much evidence points to the contrary. They lost an entire season of lacrosse, and their coach even lost his job-all before a trial. David Evans graduated yet had to put a career on hold while he waited for the outcome of this case. Collin Finnerty was suspended and Reade Seligmann couldn't even go on campus. All of this without proof of any wrong-doing. Is anyone else outraged?? There was a tremendous outcry by university officials, professors and students, not to mention the surrounding community and the nation, condemning these men without any proof. They received death threats and essentially lost a school year because of one person's finger pointing in a fictitious account of what really happened that night. It was a good old-fashioned witch hunt.

So what really happened? We may never know. All we know is that the exotic dancer identified only as "Precious," claimed to have been raped and pointed to these three players' photos as her attackers. Never mind that they had ATM video, taxi and other paper trails that proved that they could not have been where she claimed when the alleged attack occurred. Never mind that the other dancer "Nikki," who was there with "Precious" that night told authorities that "Precious" seemed intoxicated in some way, and that she never got the impression that anything bad had happened. Never mind that the DA, Mike Nilfong is accused of ignoring evidence that could have exonerated the men and is now accused of blowing the case out of proportion to appeal to the black voters in an upcoming election. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Here is what really concerns me about this whole thing. These guys are essentially tainted for the rest of their lives, especially if they are convicted on the kidnapping and lesser charges still pending. They are nationally known now for the horrible case that, in my opinion never happened, and could possibly lose out on future employment. How can they get back what they lost? Can they bring charges against their accuser for defamation of character? Can they sue the DA for grossly mishandling the case? Will the coach be compensated for losing his job? Personally, I think that every member of the Duke Staff that spoke out against these men owes them a handwritten apology. They stirred up the hornet's nest and should also be held responsible. And I certainly would not be sending my children to Duke if the teachers and staff so quickly and publicly vilify the students there without proof.

I also think that in cases like this where the charges are dropped, the accusers should be identified. Why should "Precious" be protected? She put these men through hell for no reason. Maybe if the press started identifying these people, then the false accusations would stop. Why should these boys' names and pictures be smeared all over the media and she is only known as "Precious"? I want to see her face, and I want to know her name. Why does she deserve the protection being afforded to her?

In the USA Today article, In Sexual Assault Cases, Athletes Usually Walk, by Tom Weir and Erik Bradley they researched 168 cases. Out of those, only 22 went to trial, resulting in only 6 convictions. They also found that in about two-thirds of those cases, the athlete was never charged, the charges were dropped or the accused was acquitted. Is this just because they can afford good lawyers or are the athletes really the victims here? It is sad to say, but my knee-jerk reaction anymore is that it's just a money-making attempt. Look at the recent case against Kobe Bryant, Marcus Vick and his underage accuser (one of his many problems), or Jerome Bettis-where evidence was found that it was an extortion attempt. I hate to go against my gender here, but it gets harder and harder to believe the victim in these athlete cases.

Which brings me to my greatest fear about this case: The next time, the rape will be real, and people will be less likely to believe. People like "Precious" devalue the seriousness of sex crimes. Crying wolf and wasting time and money on cases like this takes time and money away from legitimate victims...and it makes people like me think that all these women are liars that had consensual relations with an athlete and now want compensation. I think that there should be harsh punishments for these people, and maybe if they know that their picture will be plastered all over CNN they will be a little less likely to try and cash in on a sexual encounter with an athlete.