The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her — making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes — has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story.

Crystal Mangum says she lied about being raped and sexually assaulted by three former Duke University lacrosse players in 2006.

Crystal Mangum, the woman who accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape, now says she lied about the encounter

"I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't," Crystal Mangum said of Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans

Eighteen years after she lied about Duke LaCrosse players raping her, Crystal Mangum admitted she lied and asked the men to forgive her. Mangum is serving time in prison for murdering her then-boyfriend in 2013.

Crystal Mangum, the woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her, has for the first time publicly admitted she made up the story.

The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her back in 2006 is admitting for the first time that she lied. NBC’s Liz Kreutz reports for TODAY.