The St. John's lacrosse case was a 1990 criminal case in which some members of the St. John's University men's lacrosse team were accused of raping an African American female. The St. John's Lacrosse rape case was a sports scandal that caused significant controversy within the school, amongst feminists, New York City, and the lacrosse community. This case was a predecessor to the Duke lacrosse case. The case was the basis of a Law & Order episode called "Out of Control".