Mike Pressler, the former head coach of Duke University's lacrosse team, was the only person who lost his job as the result of the trumped up charges of rape against members of his team. It was an outrageously unjust action, but one which wasn't the fault of the overly ambitious district attorney Mike Nifong who is the primary villain in the case.No, Coach Pressler's unwarranted firing was due to the blind cowardice of Duke officials, including their athletic director, Joe Alleva.
On April 5, 2006, about 3 weeks after the alleged rape of a woman at a lacrosse team party, Duke's athletic director, Joe Alleva, called Pressler into his office. The story was gaining momentum in the national media, and pressure was mounting on the university to do something, anything.
"We're thinking about canceling the rest of the season," Alleva informed him.
"Let's wait for the truth to come out," Pressler responded. The players' DNA test results were imminent.
"It's not about the truth anymore, Mike," Alleva said.
Later that day, Pressler was called to Alleva's office a second time. "Mike, we have to ask you to resign," he said, "and we are canceling the season."
A dream job lost. A reputation smeared.
Well, we all know what eventually happened. The rush to judgment. The outlandish political correctness that sought to ruin the lives of innocent people. The stripper who was proven to have had sexual relations with multiple sex partners but none of whom were the lacrosse players whose faces and reputations had been dragged through the mud. The running for cover of the Duke University powers that be. And finally, the unraveling of the vaunted ambitions of Mike Nifong.
But just what happened to Coach Pressler?
Peter Yang tells us in this uplifting story from Men's Health Magazine.
