A little too little, a little to late. Nifong made this statement today
"I sincerely apologize to Mr. (Reade) Seligmann, Mr. (Collin) Finnerty, Mr. (David) Evans and to their families," Nifong said. "It is my hope that all of us can learn from the mistakes of this case, and that all of us can begin to move forward. It is my hope that we can start this process today."
Say what? The apology is nice, but, this is a "mistake" that HE made. People can yammer on about strippers at college parties, but, guess what? Nothing happened. As one blogger (sorry, forget which one) wrote, where do the players go to get their reputations back? This will follow them their whole lives, even thought they have been vindicated. Listening to the radio locally, you can still hear folks saying that "something must have happened," coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories, and refusing to believe that the 3 lacrosse players are completely innocent.
You can watch the whole thing at WRAL.
Now, while it is certainly the right of the players to accept his apology, as they are the primary people, as a resident of NC, and the area that was the focus of that national media, I say, forget it. Maybe I am just not as big a person Dave Evans, but, Nifong embarrassed this whole area, putting it under a microscope, and, could end up costing North Carolina millions, if the players (rightly) sue. Especially since
"I agree with the attorney general’s statement that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty and Mr. Evans committed any crimes for which they were indicted – or any other crimes against Ms. Mangum – during the party."
"They were entitled to the presumption of innocence when they were under indictment," Nifong continued. "Surely, they are entitled to more than that now as they go forward with the rest of their lives."
To little, too late. They were entitled to the presumption of innocence from the moment the charges were leveled, and, Mike? It is part of your job to protect the rights of those accused of a crime. Railroading people, hiding evidence, and deeming people guilty without evidence, among others, is actually not only not part of your job description, but against the rules and the law.
I hope Mike learned something, but, call me unsympathetic, everything that has occured to him, and everything to come, is of his own making, and he must bear the responsibility and penalties.
