There is a new twist in the Duke Lacrosse case: Duke University has been sued by a lacrosse player over a failing grade.

At times, the rhetoric coming out of Duke’s spokesman has sounded like they were overly concerned with not being as violating the standards of ‘political correctness.’ But Duke’s major responsibility during the scandal has been to the parents with children at their University, and it has taken prudent steps to fulfill that obligation. When the scandal broke it suspended the three students accused of rape and parted company with the lacrosse coach. Some alumni have criticized it for that but given the seriousness of the allegations it’s hard to see what else Duke could have done.

Now, a former lacrosse player, Kyle Dowd, has sued the University and a professor “charging the professor unfairly gave him a failing grade” because of the scandal. The Professor, Kim Curtis, specializes in “political and feminist theory” and Dowd’s attorney says, “Kyle Dowd and his family feel very strongly that he was given a grade not based on his performance, but rather upon the political agenda of the professor.” (News and Observer; 1-5-07).

So on top of everything else, Duke must cope with a lawsuit over a failing grade because of the lacrosse scandal. There must be days when Duke’s new president wishes he had never left Yale.