PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. April 9— The three New York Mets players who were accused of raping a woman here last year will not face criminal charges, a state prosecutor said today, because the case lacks corroborating evidence and comes down "to the word of a victim against that of three individuals."
Bruce H. Colton, the state attorney of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida, said the case against the players, Dwight Gooden, Daryl Boston and Vince Coleman, was not strong enough to bring before a jury with much likelihood of success.
Officials in Colton's office called the case "vulnerable" after a monthlong investigation by the police.
"After painstaking analysis and receiving input from the victim and the Port St. Lucie Police Department, we have concluded that our duty in this case is to decline prosecution," said David C. Morgan, assistant state attorney in charge of the St. Lucie County office.
He said the decision was "not easy," but that it would have been hard to prove that any sexual relations the woman may have had with the players was not consensual.
After learning of the prosecutors' decision, the three players offered muted statements of relief, but suggested there was little that could undo the damage the case had had on their reputations.
"We've all been hurt, especially me," said Mr. Gooden after the Mets played the Cardinals today in St. Louis. "I'm happy it's over. But I was confident throughout." [ Page B16. ]
Mr. Colton said the woman was informed of his decision on Tuesday. Her lawyer, Bernard Dempsey of Orlando, called her "deeply disappointed" and said she understood that the state had "a difficult task."
"On the other hand, my client is comfortable in the knowledge that she told the authorities the absolute truth," Mr. Dempsey said. He said that he and the woman would discuss "what other relief is available to her," a suggestion, possibly, that she was considering a civil suit.
