Duke Defends Actions in Player’s Dismissal

One day after a report suggested that Duke’s athletic department knew of two sexual assault allegations against the junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon for as long as 10 months before his dismissal from the team, the program’s athletic director attempted to tamp down speculation that Coach Mike Krzyzewski, or any other athletic official, had mishandled the case.

“Coach Krzyzewski and his staff understand and have fulfilled their responsibilities to the university, its students and the community,” Athletic Director Kevin White said in a statement. {snip}

On Monday, the student newspaper, The Duke Chronicle, reported that allegations against Sulaimon by two female students became known to members of the athletic department as early as March 2014. Sulaimon was dismissed Jan. 29, becoming the first player to be discharged in Krzyzewski’s 35-year tenure.

During a conference call with Atlantic Coast Conference coaches Monday, Krzyzewski declined to comment. The university, citing student confidentiality in a statement Monday, said it “takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code.”

According to The Chronicle, an anonymous “former affiliate” of Duke basketball conveyed the allegations, which were lodged separately by the two students, at two Duke diversity retreats, to the team psychologist. Subsequently, the affiliate told The Chronicle, Krzyzewski, three assistant coaches and other athletics officials, including White, were told of the allegations.

Citing “sources close to the women,” The Chronicle reported that the immense popularity of Duke basketball had played a role in their decision not to file complaints with law enforcement or the Office of Student Conduct.

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