I am disappointed in Professor Emeritus Ole Holsti's letter to the editor, "More apologies necessary in lacrosse case," in Thursday's edition of The Chronicle suggesting that the Duke lacrosse players should apologize for their actions in March of 2006. The fact is the lacrosse players were the first to apologize and have done so on many occasions, both publicly and privately. On March 28, 2006, the following statement was released by the team captains:
"The captains of the team met this morning with President [Richard] Brodhead, and expressed sincere regret over the lapse in judgment in having the party on March 13 which has caused so much anguish for the Duke community and shame to our families and ourselves."
"We also stated unequivocally that any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false..." the statement continues, "The team has cooperated with the police in their investigation. We have provided authorities with DNA samples. The understanding is that the results of the DNA testing will be available sometime next week. The DNA results will demonstrate that these allegations are absolutely false.... Because of the intense emotions surrounding these allegations, we feel it is in the best interest of the University, the community and our families that the team should not play competitively until the DNA results verify our unequivocal denial of these allegations."
The statement proved to be entirely prophetic.
Perhaps Holsti, along with many others deceived by the "Wall of Silence" propaganda being put forth by the former district attorney, missed the many sincere apologies by the players at the time. It is a shame that there are still those who believe the young men and their families have not been through enough.
Jon Jackson
Associate Director of Athletics for Communication
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.