Collin Finnerty Named Finalist For Tewaaraton Trophy

Collin Finnerty is making the most of his second chance.

The former Chaminade High School lacrosse star, whose life was turned upside down four years ago in the Duke sex scandal, was recently named as a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the top collegiate lacrosse player in the nation. The award is equivalent to college football's Heisman Trophy.

"It's definitely an honor," says Finnerty, who hails from Garden City. "It's early in the season and those awards are kind of the last thing on my mind right now. I'm just focused on the team having a great season and getting to the playoffs."

Finnerty is trying to make an early case for the award with 13 goals and seven assists in his first six games through March 20 while leading the 14th-ranked Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds to a 4-2 mark. He stayed in shape last fall by playing with a club lacrosse team in Australia and that effort earned him co-captain status for this year's squad.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," coach Charley Toomey said of the award nomination. "The moment he stepped on campus, he was a breath of fresh air. He's a great kid in the locker room and a great mentor to our players. He's really developed as a player."

But no matter what happens, Finnerty is just happy to be back on the field after what he encountered four years ago.

In March 2006, Finnerty, along with teammates Reade Seligmann and David Evans, was accused of raping stripper Crystal Gail Mangum, a student at nearby North Carolina Central University who was one of two women hired for a party hosted by some of the other Duke players. The story gained national headlines and Finnerty was already presumed guilty by many media outlets.

Finnerty was indicted that April, but over a year later, the three were cleared of all charges when too many inconsistencies were found with Mangum's story. Then-Durham, N.C. district attorney Mike Nifong was eventually disbarred and served a day in jail for prosecutorial misconduct after it was determined he withheld evidence during the case and lied to bar and court officials.

After being exonerated and with his reputation in tatters, Finnerty took a year off and returned to Chaminade as an assistant under his former coach Jack Moran.

"(Coach Moran) has always been great," Finnerty said. "It's the same coaching staff that was there when I played and it was great to help out any way I could. It was a way to stay in lacrosse and to give back. The people at Chaminade have always been there for me."

But Finnerty still had a desire to return to the field and soon began to build a rapport with Toomey.

"Colin reached out to us," Toomey recalled. "We were on the bus to San Diego ironically to play Duke. There was an interest, but we had to do our due diligence on our own front first, talking to the administrative staff about having a comfort level. But we knew within the first five minutes that we were getting a great kid."

Finnerty said a few schools had an interest in him, but preferred to wait until the case was over. Loyola was the lone exception.

"I really liked Coach Toomey," he said. "He was so outgoing and was not afraid to talk to me during the case. Some other schools were standoffish and waiting for the case to end. Coach Toomey treated me as a regular student athlete."

Any further concern Finnerty may have had about his past was immediately put to rest the first time he walked into the Loyola locker room prior to the 2008 season.

"The process was easier than I expected," Finnerty said "I've been through the college transition before so I knew about that. It was good that they welcomed me with open arms and I felt like a part of the team right away. Some of them are my best friends now."

In his return season, Finnerty finished third on the team with 16 goals and fourth with 17 points. But he finally regained his old form last year with 24 goals and 13 assists, good for second on the team in both categories. He scored in 11 of the Greyhounds' 14 games that season, including four hat tricks and three four-goal outbursts. His 1.71 goals-per-game average placed him ninth in the entire East Coast Athletic Conference.

Finnerty's leadership skills also began to grow as he became more accustomed to his new surroundings.

"When he first got here he was trying to find his niche, now he's been very comfortable the last two years," Toomey said. "When we're having a tough practice, Collin is one of the first guys to step up and bite into his teammates."

The only mention of Duke on Finnerty's Loyola profile page was that he played four games on attack in 2006. He has faced the Blue Devils four times while playing for Loyola and scored at least once in each of them, including a three-goal effort in the Greyhounds' 8-5 loss on March 13.

Finnerty's first trip back to Durham, during the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, proved to be a memorable one. He had three goals in the 12-7 defeat and received a warm ovation from the crowd.

"The fans were cheering, which was a tribune to how great they are and how they supported me during the case," Finnerty remembered.

He still hears the occasional heckling from the opposing crowds when the Greyhounds are on the road, but has learned to take it in stride.

"There were a few (hecklers)," Finnerty said. "But I've been used to people talking about me and saying stuff and for those fans, it doesn't really effect me at all."

Despite all that, Finnerty is enjoying life again and is expected to graduate with a degree in business. He isn't sure what he wants to do as a career, but does plan to build on his foundation that provides resources to people who have been falsely accused of a crime.

"It's in the process," Finnerty said. "I'm going to do it with Reade and we're going to wait until we graduate from college to really start it."

Toomey already believes that Finnerty will succeed at anything he chooses to do.

"He's a kid that's going to be successful at life," Toomey said. "He's a well-rounded kid who comes from a great family. He's made Loyola a better place and our program a better program. He will be successful at any endeavor because of his experiences at life."