NCAA grants waiver to Duke men's lacrosse team

Joe Alleva, Director of Athletics "We're gratified by this decision from the NCAA, and feel it is a fair resolution to our situation," said Joe Alleva, Duke's Director of Athletics. "This represents the NCAA's recognition of how extraordinary the circumstances surrounding our team were last spring." John Danowski, Head coach "The opportunity for the young men in our program to continue their education is of great benefit," said Duke head coach John Danowski. "The guys will take an individual look at their options, and we'll certainly help them in that decision-making process." Tony McDevitt, Senior defenseman “When we think back to our junior season and losing that year and not having the opportunity to go and compete for a national championship and not being able to play the sport that we love, that hurt just as much as us losing the national championship game this Monday. It is well deserved and we’re happy that the NCAA made the right decision. Now, it’s just about weighing our options and seeing what’s out there. “Any time you can get a chance to enhance your educational resume, especially at a school like Duke, you have to think about it. Everybody in the locker room comes to Duke because it is Duke, where you can get an unbelievable education. Then, you’re going to play lacrosse at a wonderful institution. For me, it’s still about education and if I have the chance to get a master’s degree from Duke University, that’s a tough thing to turn down. “It’s going to be a unique situation but with everything we’ve been through, we’ve adapted to adjusting on the fly. We had a motto for the last year and a half and it was, adjust, adapt and overcome. Whatever comes our way, we’re going to continue to adjust, adapt and overcome.”