Teammates' Families Relieved, Worried

Sons' Reputations Harmed, Some Fear

Glued to the television in his Potomac living room yesterday, Jeff Clute heard North Carolina's attorney general utter the one word he and other parents of Duke University's lacrosse team had been waiting more than a year to hear: "innocent."

Not just that kidnapping and sexual assault charges were being dropped. Not just that there was insufficient evidence to prove a case. But the three former players accused of brutally attacking a woman during a team party last spring, the attorney general had declared, were innocent.

Finally, Clute said he thought to himself, the public would realize what he and the other Duke lacrosse parents had known all along -- that their sons had told the truth.

"I want the media and the administration at Duke University to believe what our children were telling us," said Clute, whose son, Tom, is a sophomore team member. "Nothing happened. I want people to think about that when they think of the Duke lacrosse team. Nothing happened."

News that three young men were no longer considered suspects hit close to home for many Washington area families, particularly in the Maryland suburbs, where lacrosse is especially popular. One of the three former Duke players facing charges, David Evans, grew up in Bethesda and was a standout at the private Landon School. At least nine Washington area families' sons were on the team when the rape allegations surfaced.

Evans, 24, joined his two former co-defendants -- Reade Seligmann, 21, of Essex Fells, N.J., and Collin Finnerty, 20, of Garden City, N.Y. -- at a hotel in downtown Raleigh yesterday for their own news conference.

"I'm excited to get on with my life," said Evans, wearing a dark blazer and surrounded by family, friends and lawyers. "It's been a long year, like nothing you can imagine. I hope these allegations don't define me. I'd like to be remembered for sticking up for my name, my family and my team."

But some local Duke lacrosse parents said they worry that Evans and, to some degree, all team members will have a tough time clearing their names, even with the proclamation of innocence. They worry that, because prospective employers can simply type a name into Google, the 14 months of sensational news stories about the rape allegations will surface first, rather than the one-day news that the athletes were possible victims of an over-aggressive prosecutor.

John Walsh of Bethesda said he is angry because, he thinks, the prosecutor went "unchecked" and is disgusted by the media attention. His son, Johnny, 22, is a senior Duke lacrosse player and attended Landon with Evans. Mainly, Walsh said, he is sad that it seemed their sons were not believed for so long.

"I think the public thought -- and the press was feeding it -- that these kids had a party and violently raped a girl in front of each other," Walsh said. "As a parent, it's horrifying to think people believed our children would behave that way just because they're athletes."

He said he worries about how long it will take to restore the team's reputation: Just a month ago, when Duke took the field against the University of Maryland, he saw a sign on the Terps' side that read "No means no."

There is also the matter of money. Legal fees for the three indicted players indicted total about $5 million, several team parents said. Even those whose children were never charged say they have spent up to $30,000 each for lawyers to guide them through the investigation.

Chevy Chase resident Sally Fogarty, whose son, Gibbs Fogarty, 20, is a sophomore lacrosse player at Duke and counts Evans as a close family friend, said she never doubted that Evans and the other two indicted players would be cleared. Still, she said, their exoneration has come at an enormous cost.

"I've been asked if I'm happy, but how could I be happy?" Fogarty said. "I can be happy it's over, but it's just so sad this ever happened and caused so much emotional and financial destruction."

Special correspondent Sylvia Adcock and staff researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report.