As details of an alleged rape at a March 13 men's lacrosse team party continue to unfold, the University announced Tuesday that it has suspended the team's games until a clearer resolution of the legal situation has been reached.
"It would be inappropriate to resume the normal schedule of play," Duke President Richard Brodhead said Tuesday night. "Sports have their time and place, but when an issue of this gravity is in question, it is not the time to be playing games."
As he was leaving the press conference, Brodhead was met by a group of about 100 protesting students demanding answers and a stronger response from the school's administration. Brodhead said he would address students' concerns Wednesday morning at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. A group of students and community members convened there in the middle of the night to formulate their thoughts in anticipation of Brodhead's discussion.
The lacrosse team's captains met with Brodhead Tuesday morning and requested that the University "suspend competitive play until the DNA results come back."
In a statement from the captains, they said the allegations of sexual assault and rape are "totally and transparently false" and "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."
Brodhead, however, said it is important not just to suspend games until the results of the DNA evidence are disclosed next week but also to suspend all games until the "major legal issues are resolved." He also would not speculate about when or if the team will resume its season.
"At a certain point, we'll know that the uncertainty has been reduced in some way or another such that it seems appropriate to resume play, or it won't be, and we'll continue with the suspension of play," Brodhead said.
The team, which dropped from second to ninth in the latest poll, was supposed to travel to Columbus, Ohio, Saturday to play Ohio State University. Director of Athletics Joe Alleva had already cancelled the team's previously scheduled games against Georgetown University March 25 and Mount St. Mary's College March 28. The two contests were called off to penalize the team for its party, at which underage drinking and the hiring of private dancers occurred. Members of the team admitted to this behavior, which Alleva said is inconsistent with the values of the University and the Athletic Department.
Before the cancellation of the March 25 contest, community members had organized a silent protest that was scheduled to take place at Koskinen Stadium during the game. Acknowledging that such demonstrations could negatively affect the team, Alleva said the University took into account the safety of the student-athletes when it made the decisions to suspend future contests and to remove the team's roster from the athletics website.
Brodhead echoed the sentiments of the athletic director, stressing that the cancellations were not been made to punish any members of the team.
"We have done this in view of the situation we are now in," Brodhead said. "There are questions so grave that are in the air that for us to continue to play would be inappropriate. We have not prejudged the guilt of the team."
Tuesday night's protest after the press conference was the fifth demonstration in four days that members of the community have organized to express their outrage about the rape allegations and the racial remarks reportedly made the night of the party.
Several enraged students raised questions about their safety on campus and asked why the administration has not communicated with the student body about the accusation.
"I promise you, you will see this University respond with great and appropriate seriousness once the truth is established," Brodhead said to the group assembled outside the West Union Building. "I want this to be resolved as quickly as you do."
Still, several students expressed discontent and said the administration should be making a better effort to communicate with the University community about the allegations.
"[The administration] is making us agitated, nervous and upset," sophomore Simone Randolph said. "Since they've taken such a quiet stance on it, we're not confident that they're going to do the right thing."
Alleva admitted that the situation is the most difficult one he has ever dealt with in his 28 years with the Athletic Department. The repercussions of the allegations have been felt not just by the team but by other coaches and the rest of the his department, he said.
Men's lacrosse head coach Mike Pressler has been cooperative throughout the investigation of the allegations and has not tried to conceal any information, Alleva added.
"Coach Pressler has handled this with an understanding of the seriousness," he said. "Like every one of my coaches, he will be evaluated at the end of the year, and we'll go from there."
The Blue Devils, who will continue to hold practices, would have had five regular-season games and the ACC Championships remaining this season, which was supposed to run through early May.
The two games that Duke has already cancelled and all subsequent contests will not count against the team's record because of a clause in the NCAA Division I manual that states, "no forfeit is charged unless the referee or other appropriate contest official has assumed jurisdiction of the contest." The team's record will remain at 6-2.
Iza Wojciechowska contributed to this story
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