The Duke Lacrosse rape scandal got even uglier when police made public an e-mail sent to the entire team in which one player expresses a desire to hire and murder female strippers. “I plan on killing the bitches as soon as the[y] walk in and proceding to cut their skin off,” the letter states.
As more damaging details from an ongoing rape investigation are released, the university is trying to keep its head above water. Today Duke’s athletic department cancelled the rest of the squad’s season and accepted the resignation of its head coach.
While it remains unclear whether this email was intended to be taken seriously, its contents point to a prevailing culture of depravity and possible racism among the players that is quite disturbing, although not necessarily incriminating. Either way, today’s developments will undoubtedly exacerbate the racial and socio-economic tensions that have consumed Durham, North Carolina since the alleged rape.