The Chronicle

Issue date: 7/25/07 Section: News
Last update: 7/25/07 at 7:12 PM EST

Media Credit: Chronicle file photo Don Yaeger and Mike Pressler co-authored "It's Not About The Truth," about the lacrosse case.

Media Credit: SARA GUERRERO Mike Pressler paces the sidelines during his days as head coach of the men's lacrosse team.

Standing in the low-ceilinged basement of the Regulator Bookstore, Mike Pressler is an imposing figure.

Dressed to the nines in a pristine black suit that looks more suited to New York's financial district than an independent bookstore in the heart of Durham, Pressler stands on stage, his first public appearance in the Bull City since rape allegations against members of the 2005-2006 men's lacrosse team forced him out as head coach last year.

This time, however, he was not followed by a team, but by co-author Don Yaeger, a former Sports Illustrated associate editor and New York Times best-selling author.

Audience members rose to their feet, giving the pair a deafening standing ovation.

A copy of their recently released book, "It's Not about the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives it Shattered" could be seen in the hands of every audience member.

Addressing a group of students, team members, alumni and University neighbors, including City Council member Eugene Brown, Pressler's tone was serious and his message clear.

"Nobody wanted to believe the truth," he said, his coaching voice booming in the small room. "Fifty of us believed one truth, and 50 million believed another. I swore on my children that [the players] didn't do it."

Pressler recalled some of the most emotional moments of the one-year ordeal, from a night spent waiting hopelessly for an indictment to be served to his final departure, family in tow, with an unclear career future.

Asked about what he would say to former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong if given the opportunity, Pressler laughed, his head shaking.

"Why?" he asked. "Was it worth it? Was your pension worth it?"

Still, the disbarred prosecutor was not the only target of criticism at the gathering.

"I'm not going to miss Duke," Pressler said, explaining that it was his friends at Duke he would truly miss and criticizing University administrators. "When you're wrong, admit you're wrong. What is the message you're sending to these guys, to America's youth?"

Contrary to the title of his book, Pressler said for him and his team, it was all about the truth.

"If you stand by the truth, no matter what, it will pay off," he said, adding that he preached the same message to his players.

As for the players with whom he struggled for more than one year, Pressler said he was confident in their futures.

"The players moved on," he said. "These guys made a mistake of judgement; how many times do they have to pay for the same offense?"

The players' growth during the trial was immense, he added, noting his pride in seeing them handle themselves with composure and maturity while the justice system ran its course.

Pressler said he has joined his former players and moved on from the events of the past year. Now head coach at Division II Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., he said he filled with pride in remembering his team.

"They became the teachers," he said. "And that's one of my greatest joys in this."

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