HBO acquires rights to Duke lacrosse book

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 16 (UPI) -- HBO has acquired the film rights to the book "It's Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Case and the Lives It Shattered."

The book was penned by Don Yaeger, a former Sports Illustrated associate editor, and Mike Pressler former Duke lacrosse coach.

Based in part on a journal kept by Pressler during the weeks after the national scandal made headlines, the book chronicles what happened when three Duke University lacrosse players were falsely accused of gang-raping a stripper at a March 2006 team party.

The players were cleared of all charges a year later, but the ramifications of the accusation nearly destroyed the lives of those involved, 180 Communications said.

"At the time this book was written, we filled in many blanks for people who thought they knew the whole story," Pressler said in a statement. "In the year since this book was published, even more of the truth has unfolded. This movie will be able to capture that truth."

"What made this a great book -- and what will make this a great movie -- is that at the end of the day you realize that this could have happened to any one of us," Yaeger added.