Durham, NC - In response to Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's decision Friday to drop rape charges in the lacrosse case, Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead issued the following statement:

 "I am greatly relieved for the students and their families that the most serious of the charges has been dropped. Given the certainty with which the district attorney made his many public statements regarding the rape allegation, his decision today to drop that charge must call into question the validity of the remaining charges.

 "The district attorney should now put this case in the hands of an independent party, who can restore confidence in the fairness of the process. Further, Mr. Nifong has an obligation to explain to all of us his conduct in this matter."