Accused lacrosse players suspended from Duke

Posted: April 20, 2006

Two lacrosse players arrested on rape and kidnapping charges have been suspended by Duke University, ESPN.com reported yesterday.

Reade Seligmann, a sophomore from Essex Fells, N.J., and Collin Finnerty, a sophomore from Garden City, N.Y., will be suspended until the case is resolved, the Web site reported.

Attorney Bill Cotter, who represents Finnerty, said his client has left Durham, N.C. Attorney Kirk Osborn, representing Seligmann, declined to answer questions.

Meanwhile, Cotter said he strongly rejected any sort of deal with prosecutors, proclaiming again his client's innocence.

"I don't think there is any chance in hell that there will be a guilty plea," Cotter said. "I can't tell you about [everybody], but my client's case is either going to be dismissed by the D.A. or go to trial."

The players each posted $400,000 bond after their predawn arrests early Tuesday, and both were released within hours.

District Attorney Mike Nifong, who has not granted interviews in weeks, did not return calls about police searches of Seligmann's and Finnerty's dorm rooms on Tuesday night.

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Seimone Augustus, who led LSU to the Final Four for the third straight season, has won the Honda Award as the nation's top female college basketball player for the second consecutive year.

Elsewhere: Pitt assistant Joe Lombardi was named men's basketball coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is being investigated by the NCAA. He was an assistant at La Salle. . . . Tom Kovic, the Penn women's gymnastics coach, announced he would resign effective June 30. . . . Michael New will resign as the wrestling coach at Princeton at the end of the academic year. . . . Felisha Legette-Jack, 39, was named women's basketball coach at Indiana after four years at Hofstra. . . . West Chester's Katelyn Martin set the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record for career points in women's lacrosse with 320. Martin scored six times and added one assist in a 21-14 win over Bloomsburg.

Soccer

The United States rose to an all-time-high fourth in the FIFA world rankings, trailing only Brazil, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Spain is fifth, Mexico sixth and France seventh. Argentina dropped four spots into a tie for eighth with Portugal, and England is 10th.

The Americans open World Cup play against the Czechs on June 12 in Germany.

Elsewhere: The MISL said the expansion Detroit Ignition will begin play in the fall.

Golf

Larry Nelson, overlooked as a Ryder Cup captain and often forgotten despite his remarkable journey from Vietnam War veteran to three-time major champion, was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Nelson was elected on the PGA Tour ballot. He will be inducted Oct. 30 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., along with the late Henry Picard, selected through the veterans category, and Vijay Singh, who deferred his induction after being elected last year.

Elsewhere: Tiger Woods arrived in New Zealand to attend caddie Steve Williams' wedding, New Zealand's Radio Sports network reported.

Noteworthy

Top-ranked Roger Federer and defending champion Rafael Nadal cruised into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament.

Federer beat Alberto Martin of Spain, 6-0, 6-1, while Nadal beat Jean-Rene Lisnard of Monaco, 6-4, 6-1, to extend his winning streak on clay to 38 matches.

Former Indianapolis 500 winner Pat Flaherty and former car owner Al Dean will be inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month.

An internal investigation by the Austrian ski federation found no evidence that banned Olympic coach Walter Mayer was behind any coordinated doping effort at the Turin Games, Austrian media reported.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong plans to compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.

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