Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski declined to comment on sexual assault allegations levied against former Duke basketball player Rasheed Sulaimon Monday.
The Chronicle published an article March 2 regarding sexual assault allegations that had been circling around Sulaimon since the 2013-14 school year. Sulaimon was dismissed from the team Jan. 29 after “[he] repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations,” according to Krzyzewski in the initial press release. The junior’s dismissal was the result of multiple actions that took place throughout Sulaimon’s Blue Devil career, team sources told The Chronicle.
Following the publication of the article at 7 a.m., Krzyzewski was participating in the an ACC coaches’ conference call Monday at 11:30 a.m. when he was asked whether he was aware of the sexual assault allegations levied against Rasheed Sulaimon.
“I don’t have any comment about that,” Krzyzewski said. “Thanks for asking.”
Krzyzewski would deny comment four times in total by the end of the conference call, including one final exchange with a reporter asking why he continued to remain silent despite the matter beginning to command national attention.
“I have no comment. Why would I change? I have no comment,” Krzyzewski said.
Although Krzyzewski nor the reporters on the conference call addressed it, FERPA prevents all University employees from commenting on specific matters regarding Student Conduct cases prior to the completion of a disciplinary proceeding.
Per the FERPA website, postsecondary institutions may disclose the final results of disciplinary proceedings if the institution has found that the student has violated the institution’s rules or policies in regards to a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense. Furthermore, the institution may not disclose the name of any other student, including a victim or witness, without the prior written consent of that student.
The University backed this sentiment up Monday when it issued the following statement from Mike Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, to all inquiring media, citing student confidentiality law.
“Duke is prohibited by law from disclosing publicly any particular student’s confidential education records,” the statement said. “The university takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code, which includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office for review in a timely manner as required by law. Duke also takes every possible action internally to ensure anyone who raises a complaint of sexual misconduct is supported and the campus community is safe.”
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