The Duke men’s lacrosse program, which was suspended from play following accusations of rape, will be reinstated next week, ESPN and a Durham, N.C., television station reported Friday.
A news conference is expected Monday, both reported.
But NBC-17 in Durham reported that Duke spokesman John Burness denied an announcement would be made.
“Media reports to the contrary, President (Richard) Brodhead has not yet made a decision on the future of men’s lacrosse at Duke,” Burness said in a statement.
Brodhead had suspended future games March 28 until there was a clearer resolution of the legal situation involving team members.
On May 1, a Duke committee recommended that the lacrosse program be reinstated. Recommendations from other committees are still pending.
Three players have been charged with raping a woman hired to dance at a March 13 team party. Coach Mike Pressler resigned shortly after the accusations were first made.
In an unrelated incident, a member of the team was charged with driving while impaired and possession of marijuana last week in Chapel Hill, N.C. Matthew Peter Wilson, 21, was stopped by Chapel Hill police early on the morning of May 24 after he allegedly ran a red light, according to police documents.
Police said Wilson twice registered a blood alcohol level of 0.21 on a breath test, nearly three times the 0.08 legal standard for presumption of impairment in North Carolina.
