Disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong has (finally) apologized for his handling of the Duke LaCrosse case, saying there was "no credible evidence" against the three young men who were falsely accused of rape.

Now if only these poor guys could get an apology from Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Chris Matthews, Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, and the hundreds of other press types who effectively proclaimed them guilty before any actual evidence was released.  They accepted the complaining witness' account without ever giving the accused a legitimate chance to defend themselves in this de facto trial by media.  

The concept of "innocent until proven guilty by a jury of one's peers" is the single most fundamental and important concept of American jurisprudence, and these innocent young men were denied this right because of Nifong's behavior and that of a race-baiting media that played judge, jury, and executioner based on, in Nifong's words, "no credible evidence."

And it's happening again.  The dogfighting indictment against Michael Vick and gambling allegations against NBA ref Tim Donaghy have not yet been proven in a court of law, and thus both men are and should be considered innocent of them.  Sure they're disgusting, but so far they're just disgusting allegations.  I'm as ticked as you are that dogs could be abused so horrifically and the sanctity of the game of basketball could be destroyed so thoroughly, but please, let's not Nifong these guys just yet.