Crystal Mangum, the former outfielder who accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006, setting the nation ablaze, now says she lied about the encounter.
“I gave them false evidence saying they raped me when they didn’t, which was not true. And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me,” Mangum said on the web show “Let’s Talk to Kat,” hosted by Katerena DePasquale.
The interview took place at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where Mangum is serving time for the 2013 second-degree murder of her boyfriend.
“I made up a false story because I wanted validation from people and not from God,” Mangum said.
David Evans, left, Collin Finnerty, center, and Reade Seligmann, right, at a news conference after the charges against them were dismissed in 2007. – Chuck Burton/AP
On the podcast, he said he hopes the three men will forgive him.
“I want them to know that I love them, and they didn’t deserve that, and I hope they can forgive me,” he said.
Mangum’s admission comes nearly 20 years after she said she was sexually assaulted by former players David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann.
According to the Duke student newspaper, Duke Athletics declined to comment. The university, and the school’s president and men’s lacrosse coach at the time, did not respond to the student newspaper’s request for comment. There is no word from the players.
Party prosecution and dissolution
The three were arrested following the woman’s accusation of molestation at another game.
The allegations brought media attention, forced the cancellation of the team’s 2006 season, and cost coach Mike Pressler his job. The district attorney in this case was held in contempt and dismissed.
In April 2007, the state attorney at the time, Roy Cooper, who is the governor, investigated the case and acquitted the three men, saying that these charges should never have been brought against them.
Duke University and the three players reached an undisclosed settlement shortly after the charges were dismissed.
The city of Durham settled the charges against the three men in 2014. As part of the settlement, Durham agreed to pay $50,000 to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission.
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