Duke President Richard Brodhead, meanwhile, suspended the accused, accepted the resignation of lacrosse coach Mike Pressler and canceled the rest of the 2006 lacrosse season. It was not a pretty day for due process.
But the man behind the curtain orchestrating this travesty of justice was Nifong. In the rap vernacular that brought down Imus, he pimped the accuser, using an apparently troubled young woman for his own political gain in his re-election bid, instead of sending her home where she belonged.
Despite the obvious double standard among those who purport to work for racial harmony, the convergence of these two events may be the tipping point in our national debate about race, sex and speech. Let's do cut close to the bone, but, lest we become enamored of our virtue, we should acknowledge a couple of facts:
First, despite protestations to the contrary, it's hard to believe NBC and CBS dropped Imus only because of his remarks. The two networks fired him, at least in part, because the show's advertisers pulled out. Does anyone really doubt that Imus would be on air today if the cash were still flowing?
Second, Duke administrators and trustees, who are now demanding a complete investigation into Nifong's behavior, are a year late and a conscience short. With notable exceptions, administrators and faculty behaved abominably and should be considering an investigation into their own hearts. What a contrast to the support Rutgers University gave its students.
Those who have performed most honorably throughout this disgraceful season of sexual spin and racial one-upmanship are the athletes from both teams. Mature and dignified during their respective news conferences, they've put the grown-ups to shame and offer reason to hope that the rising generation of young Americans will put this corrupt house in order.
Meanwhile, as Attorney General Cooper said: ``A lot of people owe a lot of apologies to a lot of people.''