Innocent until proven guilty

Duke University cancelled its men's lacrosse season and accepted the resignation of the team's coach.

Let's hope the administrators at Duke know what they are doing. Because on the surface, it sure looks like they overreacted.

In case you missed it, the Duke lacrosse team held an off-campus party on March 13, and hired two women to, um, entertain them. OK, the ladies were exotic dancers. And they were black.

One of the women alleged that she was raped by three white players. And all hell broke loose.

Police took DNA samples from all 46 white members of the team. Then someone leaked an e-mail from one of the Duke players that was filled with despicable, revolting comments about women. At the same time the community erupted with demonstrations and debates over class, race, power and privilege.

In light of the uproar, the Duke administration pulled the plug on the whole lacrosse season.

Never mind that no one has been charged with a crime. Never mind that only three of the 47 team members has even been implicated with a crime.

Many in the Durham, N.C. community have castigated the entire lacrosse team as being crass, crude and vile. Last time I checked, none of those are a crime.

Let's face the facts:

-- Most young men will always be attracted to scantily clad dancers.
-- Most young men will always be attracted to beer.
-- When fueled by alcohol and a mob mentality, many of those same young men will lose their inhibitions and do and say things that are not accepted in polite circles

That might make them sleazy, immoral and disgraceful. But that doesn't make them crooks.

Duke should have let the justice system run its course before acting.