UNC Players React to Duke Lacrosse Scandal
By Jessica Pruette

The Duke Men’s lacrosse team was once a national title contender. Now, the team has been suspended from play by the Duke University’s president following accusations of rape at a March 13 party. Charges have not been brought, but the effects of the controversy can be felt at UNC and across the collegiate sports world.

The UNC men’s lacrosse players agreed that the alleged incident was unfortunate, but they weren’t worried about how it would affect their own team’s credibility.

Senior captain Stephen McElduff said he is confident about his team’s conduct at all times because they are a completely different team. He is confident that his team follows the UNC Honor Code and the athletics department standards. He said he believes somthing like what happened at Duke would never happen here.

His twin brother and midfielder Andrew hopes fans, the campus and the community can look past the allegations on one campus and not associate them with the Carolina team.

The players said they understand their personal responsibility as Division I athletes, and Andrew hopes the alleged incident at Duke doesn’t portray the sport in a negative light. He also said he knows that as an athlete, you are in the public eye. He hopes that in the long run, it won’t be a black mark on the sport because it’s a single incident.

The UNC team will continue regular season play despite the controversy going on eight miles north of here. They’ll be at Fetzer Field to take on ACC rival Virginia on Saturday.