Crystal Mangum, the former exotic dancer who accused three Duke men’s lacrosse players of rape in 2006, setting off a national firestorm, now says she lied about the encounter.

“I testified falsely against them by saying that they had raped me when they had not, and that was false. And I betrayed the trust of many other people who believed in me,” Mangum said on the web show “Let’s Talk with Kat,” hosted by Katerena DePasquale.

The interview took place at the North Carolina Correctional Facility for Women, where Mangum is serving a sentence for second-degree murder in the 2013 stabbing of her boyfriend.

“I made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people, not God,” Mangum said.

On the podcast, she said she hoped the three men would forgive her.

“I want them to know that I love them and they don’t deserve this and I hope they can forgive me,” she said.

Mangum’s confession comes nearly two decades after she said she was raped by former players David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann.

According to the Duke student newspaper, Duke Athletics declined to comment. The university and the school’s then-president and head lacrosse coach did not respond to the student newspaper’s request for comment. No comment was reported from players.

Party accusations and the consequences

The three were arrested after the woman was accused of sexual assault at a party.

The allegations generated widespread media coverage, forced the cancellation of the team’s 2006 season and cost coach Mike Pressler his job. The district attorney in charge of the case was convicted of criminal contempt and disbarred.

In April 2007, the state’s then-attorney general, Roy Cooper, now governor, reviewed the case, exonerated the three men and stated that the charges should never have been brought against them.

Duke University and the three players agreed to an undisclosed settlement shortly after the charges were dropped.

The city of Durham settled a lawsuit filed by the three men in 2014. As part of the settlement, Durham agreed to pay $50,000 to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission.

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