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Mike Krzyzewski declines comment about Rasheed Sulaimon situation

Just hours after revelations of alleged sexual assaults by one of his former players were published by the Duke student newspaper, basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski stiffly and repeatedly declined comment on the issue Monday morning on the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball teleconference.

In response to four inquiries about the story regarding former guard Rasheed Sulaimon – including one from Yahoo Sports – Krzyzewski responded, “I don’t have any comment about that.”

Earlier Monday, Duke vice president for public affairs and government relations Michael Schoenfeld put out the following statement: “Duke is prohibited by law from disclosing publicly any particular student’s confidential education records. The university takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code, which includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office for review in a timely manner as required by law. Duke also takes every possible action internally to ensure anyone who raises a complaint of sexual misconduct is supported and the campus community is safe.”

Rasheed Sulaimon (14) was dismissed Jan. 29, 2015. (USAT)
Rasheed Sulaimon (14) was dismissed Jan. 29, 2015. (USAT)

At particular issue is the nine-month gap The Chronicle reported between when Krzyzewski and the Duke athletic administration was allegedly informed of the claims against Sulaimon and the player’s dismissal from the team.

Sulaimon was dismissed Jan. 29, 2015. In a release from the athletic department at the time, Krzyzewski was quoted saying Sulaimon “has been unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.” The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper, published a story Monday morning saying that two female students alleged during separate student retreats in 2013-14 that they were sexually assaulted by Sulaimon. The two women did not file police charges or a formal complaint with the school. According to the Chronicle story, the claims against Sulaimon were brought to the attention of Duke’s coaching staff and athletic administration in March 2014.

Sulaimon played in 34 of 35 games in the 2013-14 season and played in every game this season prior to his dismissal.

The Chronicle quoted an anonymous source saying that fear of backlash from the Duke fan base played a part in the women not reporting their allegations to the school or police. But once their stories were aired in the retreat sessions, word eventually began to circulate on campus.

The Chronicle said a former student secretary in the basketball office, Lincoln Wensley, learned of the claims against Sulaimon from a fellow student on Jan. 21, 2015. The next day he quit his job within the basketball office, which he had held for three years, The Chronicle said, citing the information he was told about Sulaimon.

Duke deputy director of athletics Mike Cragg then requested a meeting with Wensley, The Chronicle said. Six days after Wensley met with Cragg, Sulaimon was dismissed from the team.

The Chronicle story was the latest revelation to rock the ACC. Last week, dismissed Louisville guard Chris Jones was charged with rape and sodomy – he entered a not guilty plea to those charges Friday. Last month, Syracuse self-imposed a postseason ban on its basketball team for violations of NCAA rules. And North Carolina remains under NCAA investigation pertaining to widespread academic fraud.