The Chronicle

Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: News
Last update: 4/12/07 at 6:09 AM EST

Media Credit: SARA GUERRERO David Evans (left), Collin Finnerty (center) and Reade Seligmann (right) sit at a press conference Wednesday with their parents looking on.

RALEIGH - Flanked by the men's and women's lacrosse teams, a horde of local and national media gathered to hear David Evans, Trinity '06, Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and their attorneys respond to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper's announcement Wednesday that all charges against the three former men's lacrosse players would be dropped.

Amid laughter, applause and tears at the downtown Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh, Joe Cheshire, the de facto spokesperson for the defense, was quick to caution the intense emotions of the crowd.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is not a great day of celebration," he said. "This is a great day for justice.... It is a great day of relief."

As the three players took the stage, the audience gave them a standing ovation. "It has been a very long, emotional year for me," Finnerty said. "At points it was very tough to see the light and even imagine a day without this weight on my shoulders. Knowing I had the truth on my side was really the most comforting thing of all throughout the past year."

Cheshire-who also was met with a standing ovation-began the press conference by extolling the virtues of the players and their families, whom he said handled their nightmarish year with grace.

He also praised Cooper and special prosecutors James Coman and Mary Winstead for their professionalism and dedication in resolving the case.

"They didn't leave a stone unturned," Finnerty's lead attorney Wade Smith said of Coman and Winstead.

After Cheshire gave an introduction, the three players gave individual statements.

"Today marks the end of a year that has been a destructive force in so many people's lives," Seligmann said. "The dark cloud of injustice that hung above our heads has finally cleared, and we can now all look forward to continuing the life that has been taken from us."

But the press conference was not limited to celebration and reflection.

A number of the players' attorneys blasted Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, whom Cheshire described as a "man who had not a care in the world about justice-only about himself and his agenda."

Although attorneys did not respond specifically to suggestions that the players may pursue legal action against Nifong, they said it was not out of the question.

Cheshire also said he would not rule out legal action against other parties.

"All of those options are things that we are considering. All options are on the table as it relates to that," he said.

The media itself was also slammed by a number of the players and lawyers for rushing to judgment and exacerbating community tensions in their presentation of the allegations. Jim Cooney, attorney for Seligmann, had similar criticisms for local professors who condemned the players early on.

"One wonders if the newspapers had stood up for proper processes and the teachers had stood up for proper processes, whether this would have slowed down the last coward," he said.

In particular, Cooney said The Durham Herald-Sun acted cowardly by refusing to second-guess the district attorney's decisions.

Seligmann and Finnerty said they expect to return to college and the lacrosse field soon, but they were also highly skeptical of returning to Duke. The players' attorneys addressed national universities in their speeches, asking them to consider the two for admission. "The problem is, for Phil and Kathy Seligmann, to send their son back to Durham County, while Mike Nifong is still the elected district attorney-who in their right mind would send their child back into that atmosphere?," Cooney said.

Throughout the press conference, the lawyers and players expressed mixed emotions about the initial response to the case by the Duke community and administration.

Although Cooney condemned the statements of some professors, he also praised Duke law professor Jim Coleman for his early criticisms of Nifong. Smith also noted the courage of Provost Peter Lange, who confronted the protesters and pot-bangers outside 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., where students were accused last March of raping an exotic dancer, Crystal Gail Mangum.

Despite the damage the case had done to their own lives, players said they were devoted to using the experience to prevent future injustice in the legal system.

"I hope that something good can come from this-in this past year that was robbed from our lives," Evans said. "All of the members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team have gone to hell and back. I sincerely hope that it was not in vain."

Evans called for a re-evaluation of the grand jury procedures in North Carolina in order to increase oversight in the process.

"The grand jury procedures... are a check on the power of the prosecutor, and in this case, there are no records of what was used to secure indictments against the three of us," he said. "We have no idea."

Cheshire concluded the press conference by asking the media to learn from the story of the lacrosse case. "I do not believe that we would have avoided the trial if you all in the media had not been courageous enough to... re-examine your positions and realize that you were wrong and start telling the truth about this case," he said. "I know it's hard to say you're wrong... [but] you helped justice-you helped save lives."

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