Duke lacrosse rape scandal

“The only reason we don’t have what we want in life is the reasons we create why we can’t have them.” ~Tony Robbins

Lacrosse is a game of skill, power, agility and ambition. Lacrosse players have all these distinctions and more to be a true athlete. Athletes are not rapists, nor are lacrosse players. But for now, the stereotype has ridden into the community we call the lax bros. But this pattern of accusations throughout all sports is wrong and becoming ridiculous. 

It all started when an exotic dancer was hired by the Duke Lacrosse coach to dance at an off campus party. After a few hours of harmless entertainment, the night led into the refusal to leave by the stripper, Ms. Crystal Gail Mangum. The cops had to be called for her to leave. She later accused three lacrosse players of rape and prosecuted the three students even though the evidence did not suffice. 

The DNA samples showed that this woman lied about the rape accusation, was intoxicated and under the influence of drugs at the time*.  Moreover, her inconsistent stories and failed DNA tests sent her to jail. Though the truth was set free, this appalling experience completely shifted many lives of these lacrosse players. One lacrosse player, David Evans said "This woman has destroyed everything I worked for in my life. She's put it on hold. She's destroyed two other families and she's brought shame on a great university. And, worst of all she's split apart a community and a nation on facts that just didn't happen and a lie that should have never been told." It's not fair that these hard-working athletes are mentally damaged and taken advantage of by dishonest, careless and deceitful people that don't have nearly the heart and soul a true athlete strives for. 

          This is not the first time an envious soul has tried to take advantage of a well-deserving, successful athlete. Year after year, season after season we hear about the sad stories on marriages being broken, families being pulled apart, all because of scandals that start out just as this one did. Cases like these put a bad image on the way society looks at lacrosse players and other athletes in general. It's not fair and should not be tolerated any longer.