An unpopular apology

Don't look for anyone to step forward, particularly in these days when apologies have been so thoroughly cheapened (re: Cynthia McKinney, Jim McGreevey, the sexy pedophile teacher from Florida ...). But it's becoming apparent that the Duke lacrosse team deserves a national mea culpa.

Mine is slight, since I only referenced the controversy once, although I kinda, sorta inferred their guilt by mention of Tom Wolfe's literary slapdown: "Lacrosse," one character says, "is one of the only two sports where white boys are the ones with the machismo." (The other is ice hockey.)

It's not easy apologizing to a bunch of privileged jocks, but they are well-deserving (their resumes will be forever tainted, at the very least). With virtually everyone ready to hand down indictments, it turns out there's no DNA evidence linking them to a crime. Can't we at least wait a couple of weeks before rendering judgment?

Of course, maybe i'm leaping to conclusions again. Either way, it's a sad story.