2004 La Salle University men's basketball scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2004 La Salle University men's basketball scandal was an incident that began in June 2004, in which three members of the La Salle University
men's basketball team (Gary Neal
, Michael Cleaves, and Dzaflo Larkaithree) were accused of rape
in two separate incidents.
One allegation related to an encounter in April 2003 where one men's basketball player was accused of raping a women's basketball player. These charges were dismissed in December 2005 after the accuser decided not to proceed. The other allegation related to an incident in June 2004 where two other members of the basketball team were accusing of raping a visiting female basketball player. These two players were acquitted
on the 4 November 2005 after a trial.
It later emerged that men's basketball coach Billy Hahn
and women's basketball coach John Miller had known about allegations surrounding the rape of the women's basketball player, but hadn't told school officials about it. However, Hahn and Miller were required by school policy to report the incident to a counselor. This was to ensure La Salle's compliance with the Clery Act
, which requires colleges to report information about crime on campus. As a result, La Salle forced Hahn and Miller to resign on July 23, 2004.
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
men's basketball team (Gary Neal
Gary Neal
Gary Neal is an American professional basketball guard for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . Neal attended Aberdeen High School and Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland then played college basketball at La Salle University before tranfserring to Towson University...
, Michael Cleaves, and Dzaflo Larkaithree) were accused of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
in two separate incidents.
One allegation related to an encounter in April 2003 where one men's basketball player was accused of raping a women's basketball player. These charges were dismissed in December 2005 after the accuser decided not to proceed. The other allegation related to an incident in June 2004 where two other members of the basketball team were accusing of raping a visiting female basketball player. These two players were acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
on the 4 November 2005 after a trial.
It later emerged that men's basketball coach Billy Hahn
Billy Hahn
Billy Hahn is a basketball assistant coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers under head coach Bob Huggins. During his head coaching and assistant coaching career, Hahn has coached and recruited 19 future NBA players and set various school records at Maryland with numerous NCAA Tournament...
and women's basketball coach John Miller had known about allegations surrounding the rape of the women's basketball player, but hadn't told school officials about it. However, Hahn and Miller were required by school policy to report the incident to a counselor. This was to ensure La Salle's compliance with the Clery Act
Clery Act
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act is a federal statute codified at , with implementing regulations in the U.S...
, which requires colleges to report information about crime on campus. As a result, La Salle forced Hahn and Miller to resign on July 23, 2004.