Welcome to another edition of Time Sucks Short Sucks.

I'm Dan Cummins, and today I will be sharing the story of the Duke lacrosse scandal.

In March of 2006, the Duke University men's lacrosse team was in the middle of another very successful season

when three other players were accused of rape, throwing both the team and the university into a massive scandal

that was heavily covered by the media, and most

journalists and pundits and people at home listening quickly rushed to judgment. I remember

it very well. The scandal was very much framed from the very beginning as three rich and titled

white college kids violently gang raped and impoverished black stripper. I was outraged. I 100% rushed to judgment myself.

I shook my head and thought, fuck those guys. They thought they were above the law. They're about to

find out they're not. How dare they think they can use and abuse some woman they probably didn't

even see as an equal human being? Hope they throw the book at them, hope they never get out of prison,

hope someone rapes them in prison. I thought all kinds of horrible shit about those guys.

And so did most of the public, it seemed. Students, staff, the surrounding community, people all

across the country were outraged. But then, as the weeks and months passed, more and more people began to doubt

the accuser's story as the evidence just wasn't adding up and as she changed her statement.

So what really happened? And why? And what can we learn from it all?

Words and ideas can change the world.

I hated her, but I wanted to love my mother.

I have a dream.

I'll plead not guilty right now.

Your only chance is to leave with us.

Before we jump into the particulars of this case, let's refresh ourselves on just how serious and common, sadly, cases of rape are in the United States.

...