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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1997)
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Now you can read the Emerald from anywhere in the world. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ode Irvin’s lawyer: Protect names ■ COWBOYS: Lawyer Royce West said the names of suspects in rape cases should not be released The Associated Press DALLAS — The names of sus pects in rape cases should be pro tected like those who lodge such complaints, the lawyer for Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin said Sunday. Royce West’s remarks came two days after police cleared his client, saying a woman's rape allegations involving Irvin and teammate Erik Williams were unfounded. "1 believe that just like the vic tim of a sexual assault's name should not be released, 1 don’t be lieve that the suspect’s name should be released until such time as that person has been formally charged,” West said during an ap pearance on "Good Morning America Sunday.” ■ Nina Shahravan, a former top less dancer, filed a police report Dec. 30, accusing Irvin of holding a gun to her head while Williams and a third man who was never identified raped her in Williams’ home the night before. Irvin and Williams denied the allegations and were never charged. A police source told The Asso ciated Press that Shahravan signed a confession recanting the allegations. A woman who answered the telephone at Shahravan’s parents’ house Sunday hung up after de clining to identify herself. Police said they were consider ing charges of filing a false police report against Shahravan, but no action had been taken by Sunday afternoon. If convicted, she could face up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. West called Shahravan a "pathological liar” whose accusa tions could have a chilling enect on other women who may allege rape by a celebrity. "I think the first thing that peo ple will say is that 'Uh oh, here we go again, here’s another rush to judgment, and the credibility of the victim, who may very well have been the victim of the as sault, will very well be ques tioned, and very well scruti nized,” he said. Lawyers for the players have criticized police handling of the investigation, taking particular aim at an impromptu news confer ence Dec. 31 that police said was necessitated by an onslaught of media requests. Before going to police, Shahra van told her story to a local televi sion reporter, who sent her to the police, then confirmed the allega tions and aired them. Police spokesman Ed Spencer said Sunday the department is comfortable with how it handled the case, including releasing the suspect names on the police report — a decades-old policy. "Our intention from the first day was to do it as we would any other investigation,” Spencer said. "We also made every effort to fol low our policies in terms of being accountable to the public in terms of the press by providing the infor mation that we could on this, that includes both our comments and the public record documents that we provided.” But Williams’ attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said police took too long to publicly announce that there were doubts about Ms. Shahra van’s story. "Within the first day or two of the investigation, the police had the opportunity to analyze the evi dence which had been seized and to talk with people who both knew that Michael Irvin had not come to tiriK s nouse ana was eisewnere, he said by telephone from his home in Washington, D.C. Ginsberg said investigators also had analyzed evidence that “ir refutably showed that there had been no drug use” within days of the complaint’s fding. He said a civil rights lawsuit against the police department was among the actions Williams is considering. “We have closed off no op tions,” he said. Police chief Ben Click declined an interview request from the AP, But he told The Dallas Morning News, "The issue of the com plainant originally going to a member of the media made it more difficult for us to try to man age the information.” West said Sunday on NBC’s “Today” program that police ini tially “jumped the gun.” “Thanks to chief Ben Click here, they were able to right that course and the investigation did, in fact, have integrity built back into it,” he added. West also criticized the media for “a rush to judgment.” Irvin has urged the press to use the same aggressiveness in report ing the outcome as it did in report ing the allegations. “Rerun it, rewrite it, reprint it,” he said. “Just like you did, with the same intensity that you did — the same intensity. Don’t lose the intensity. Don’t lose the intensi ty-” West said he hoped the story would be carried on a day when il receives more widespread atten tion. Police announced the find ings of their investigation late Fri day. “I would hope that this is the lead story next week on some ol the major newscasts such as your self and in some of the major me dia in terms of newspapers and ra dios next week,” West said. Bowl alliance setup to be reviewed ■ NCAA FOOTBALL: New Board of Directors will take close look at bowl system The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NCAA’s Board of Directors has its first mission — take a closer look at the bowl system. With a new governing system set for approval Monday at the NCAA Convention, the newly created 15-member board will re view the bowl alliance setup and recommend any changes. For now, a playoff is not a top priori ty “There’s a lot of concern about the bowl alliance and whether or not it was fair to some teams,’’ Maryland president William Kir wan said Sunday after the Presi dent's Commission was briefed on the NCAA’s role in Division I A postseason play. “I think there is an idea there that should work for us. Maybe we need to make some refine ments in the selection process. But I feel the alliance concept is one that respects the existing structure, yet still gives the likely possibility of providing a contest between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams to determine the na tional championship.” The biggest concern this season was the exclusion of WAC cham pion Brigham Young from a top tier alliance game and the absence of Wyoming from the bowl scene altogether. WAC commissioner Karl Benson, with approval from his council of presidents, last week asked the board to look for a more equitable method of con ducting the postseason, including a playoff. And the board listened. "If the board can exert influ ence on the alliance, that would be a start,” said Benson, who last week rejected an alliance propos al to make four conferences signa tory members and include them in limited revenue-sharing. Buzz Shaw, chancellor of Syra cuse and chairman of the Board oi Directors, said if the WAC hadn’1 come forward and stated its case during the weekend, the subjecl probably would not have been dealt with so quickly. The board hasn’t totally reject ed a playoff, but Sam Smith chairman of the President’s Com mittee and president of Washing ton State, said, "I do not see it was one of the leading options.” c off all Puma, Airwalk, Simple & Bring in this coupon for $5.00 off any Puma, Airwalk, Simple, Skechers, Converse, Etnies, Vans & Dr. Martens shoes. 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