As I understand it, privacy laws here run counter to being able to have a sensible discussion. The university, at most, can perhaps reveal their own timeline for events, but can't discuss anything about the events. No facts, no statements, nothing. This is obviously for the protection of the accuser and the accused, but then it also leaves it up to people's imaginations to draw whatever conclusions.
I can only hope that (a) the accusations are false, as I would rather live in a world where less people have been raped, but also (b) that everyone acted responsibly and timely in investigating these reports to whatever degree would be possible. I'd like to believe that the coaching staff and the university would not harbor someone they believe to be guilty of sexual assault.
If these allegations are true, then it is reasonable and prudent to have a conversation about why these women did not feel comfortable about reporting the crimes to law enforcement. We know that victims of sexual assault do not always report the crime, but if there was any fear of institutional reprisal, this is something we have to continually work to address. Sadly, humans are pathetic when it comes to treating one another with respect and compassion, and rooting interests (sports or otherwise) too often trump civility.
As it stands right now, we have reports that came to light during retreats, not from cases being opened with law enforcement agencies. We are led to believe the athletics department was made aware several months ago. We know that Sulaimon was dismissed from the team last month, and we know that he is still a student at Duke University. Somewhere, he did something that lost him the privilege of playing basketball for the school. As of now, he has not been found guilty of anything that would lose him the privilege of attending the university at all. One can only hope that whatever the facts are, we will know what we can of them as soon as possible.
