Reade Seligmann '09 had been looking forward to yesterday's men's lacrosse game for nearly two years.
He hadn't played since March 2006, when he and two Duke teammates were accused of raping an exotic dancer at a team party. Since transferring to Brown in the fall, the since-exonerated Seligmann has been eager to put the case behind him and become just another college lacrosse player again.
But when he put on a Brown uniform for the first time yesterday and stepped onto Brown's Meister-Kavan Field, there were two reminders of his Duke life watching him.
On the opposing sideline was Kevin Cassese, Seligmann's former assistant coach at Duke who now heads the Lehigh squad. In the stands was Mike Pressler, the former Duke head coach who resigned during the case. He now coaches at Bryant University, 10 miles away in Smithfield.
The three former Blue Devils are now each on smaller, fledgling teams after leaving Duke, a perennial national title contender. Seligmann is hoping to lead his team, which finished 7-7 last year, to the NCAA Tournament. Cassese, who became Duke's interim head coach during the case, is looking to rebuild the Lehigh program as a 26-year-old head coach, one of the youngest in the NCAA. Pressler has settled in Rhode Island, leading a Division II team to its most successful season ever last year.
But the spotlight was on Seligmann yesterday, which was clear from the starting lineup announcements, when the crowd gave him its loudest ovation. During the game's early goings, fans cheered Seligmann every time he got the ball.
They finally got their chance to roar early in the second period, when Seligmann took the ball up the right side of the field, cut toward the net to avoid two defenders and, as he was falling, slung a left-handed shot that beat the goaltender.
His celebration was low-key; there was no sense that he was releasing any frustration. He later said that he was still concerned about the score, which was 3-1 after his goal. But Seligmann allowed himself a vigorous fist-pump and a scream after recording an assist in the fourth period. Brown beat Lehigh, 10-4.
Seligmann wore No. 45 on his jersey, the same as he did at Duke. He said he decided to keep his number because he had become synonymous with it; supporters of the accused players made bumper stickers featuring his number during the case. Besides, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Seligmann said, "45 looks better on a wider frame."
On Saturday, Seligmann only briefly thought about what he went through over the past two years when the national anthem was played on loudspeakers, he said. But he said he focused on the game once it started. Memories of Duke, surfaced only after the game, when he chatted with Cassese and Pressler.
Pressler would have missed Seligmann's game had it been held on Saturday, as scheduled, since Bryant had its own game that day. But he was able to attend after Brown's game was postponed from Saturday afternoon because of weather.
Seligmann realized Pressler was in the stands only after the game. After he saw the coach, the two of them walked to the field to see Cassese.
The three took a photo and then talked - but only about lacrosse.
"It was about the moment," Pressler said. "We talked about the game and about lacrosse. That's why we're here."
Cassese said he always expected such a reunion, since "the lacrosse world is small." Seligmann said he found the situation a little bizarre.
"Coach Pressler (and I) looked at one another and said, 'It's kind of funny how things work out, isn't it?'" Seligmann said.
It wasn't the first time Seligmann met Pressler at Brown. Bryant scrimmaged here last fall, and the two spoke after the game.
But yesterday's meeting was especially significant because Cassese is one of the main reasons Seligmann transferred to Brown. Cassese tried to find universities Seligmann could transferred to when it became clear that the player couldn't resume his education at Duke.
So Cassese started calling Division I coaches, and Brown Head Coach Lars Tiffany '90 was one of the first. The two are friends, as Cassese coached under Tiffany at Stony Brook in 2005.
Cassese said that he was thrilled to see Seligmann "running around, just being a kid again." He said he didn't feel bad at all about his former player scoring against his team.
"I guess there's always going to be reminders of what was the Duke case," Seligmann said. "But it just felt good to see all three of us - me, Coach Pressler, Coach Cassese - everybody who went to their respective schools now are seeing success."
Seligmann said last week that he couldn't comment on a new lawsuit against Duke. Last week, 38 players - not including Seligmann and the other accused teammates - and nine family members sued the university and the city of Durham, N.C., for their handling of the case. The three accused players reached a settlement with Duke last year.
- Jason Harris contributed reporting to this article.
