Houston A. Baker was, at the time of the Duke lacrosse case, a professor of English at Duke University. In the context of the case, he is most notable for having published a March 29, 2006 strongly-worded open letter to the Duke University Administration (found here) in which he called for "immediate dismissals of those principally responsible for the horrors of this spring moment at Duke ... Coaches of the lacrosse team, the team itself and its players, and any other agents who silenced or lied about the real nature of events at 610 Buchanan on the evening of March 13, 2006."