Father of accused Duke player says his son's actions prove innocence

Numerous witnesses can account for every minute of Duke University lacrosse player Collin Finnerty's actions and could testify that he did not assault an exotic dancer at an off-campus party, his father said in a Newsday interview Friday.

"He was with, at a minimum, four other people every step of the way, all night. He was never alone," said Kevin Finnerty, of Garden City, who did not specify who was with his son.

He said his son and other players were present during the March 13 performance by the accuser and a second stripper.

Finnerty and two other Duke lacrosse players, Reade Seligmann and David Evans, are accused of holding the dancer against her will in a bathroom of an off-campus house and raping her. A grand jury has indicted all three on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense, and defense attorneys have proclaimed their innocence.

The judge has ordered both sides not to discuss the case.

Finnerty's father said his son, Seligmann and Evans were "never with this woman. They were all going in different directions. Reade was with some people, Dave with other people."

As he awaits trial, Collin Finnerty, who just turned 20, is working full time at a charitable organization on Long Island, taking guitar lessons and attending night classes twice a week at Hofstra University in hopes of transferring the credits to Duke, Kevin Finnerty said.

"He's got a girlfriend, he's got a lot of friends," he said. "He's a vital part of our family. He's very engaged in the whole process around this case."

His son keeps in shape in hopes of playing for Duke this spring, the father said. "He works out every day, he is in constant contact with his friends, and he talks occasionally with the coaches who call."

The first extended interview with Collin Finnerty - along with Seligmann, of Essex Fells, N.J.; and Evans, of Bethesda, Md. - is set to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes."

According to a news release from "60 Minutes," Collin Finnerty says, "I never expected anyone to get indicted, let alone myself. It's changed my life, no matter what happens from here on out. It's probably going to be something that defines me my whole life."

Kevin Finnerty said his son decided to speak "because he's unjustly accused of something that didn't happen, that he didn't do, and people need to know the truth."

The "60 Minutes" report includes an interview with Kim Roberts, the second dancer hired to perform at the party. According to the excerpts released by CBS, Roberts contradicts the accuser's statement to police that the two women were holding onto each other when three men separated them and pulled the accuser into the bathroom.

That version of events is one of several the accuser has told police, defense lawyers have said. Durham County prosecutors and police declined to comment Friday.

John Bennett, pastor at the Church of the Apostolic Revival in Durham, N.C., said Friday that he was "very disappointed" that "60 Minutes" plans to broadcast an interview with the second dancer because she has gone back and forth on whether she believes the accuser was raped.

"Hopefully, justice is blind when it is time to carry out the proper punishment for what has been committed, and perhaps what has not been committed," Bennett said.

Staff writer John Moreno Gonzales contributed to this report, which was supplemented by The Associated Press.