NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Duke University pulled the plug on its men's lacrosse team due to allegations of sexual assault by some of the team members. But Duke hasn't removed the team's t-shirts from its campus stores.

In fact, sales of the shirts, which say "Duke Lacrosse," have been particularly strong in the face of the controversy surrounding the charges that some players raped an exotic dancer who was appearing at a party they attended last month. The two players indicted so far in the case have denied any wrongdoing.

The school store's Web site doesn't have shirts available in extra-large and XXL sizes. So some buyers have decided to pay a hefty-mark up for shirts on eBay (Research)...even for used shirts.

Keith Lawrence, a spokesman for Duke, said the school decided to sell the shirts it already had left in campus stores rather than pull them because it felt that was the best way to stay neutral in the controversy. But he added that Duke has not placed new orders for more shirts.

"We're not doing anything special to market them. We're trying to go ahead with business as usual in pretty unusual circumstances," Lawrence said. He pointed out that Duke still has a women's lacrosse team and that the T-shirts are meant to represent both programs. In fact, the women's team is ranked No. 1 nationally.

But while the university continues to sell the goods, retailer Dick's Sporting Goods (Research) pulled the Duke lacrosse apparel out of its five stores in the Raleigh-Durham area. Jeff Hennion, chief marketing officer for the chain, said that the lacrosse apparel represented "well less than 1 percent" of its sales, and that the Duke lacrosse shirts had generated some customer complaints.

"The decision was very straightforward for us," he said. "It's such a controversial issue."

One of the buyers of a Duke lacrosse shirt on eBay said he did it to support the team. He said that based on the reports he's read about the case against the players, he has doubts about their guilt.

"I'd be surprised if there's a conviction based on what we know," said Zach Capetola, a Philadelphia resident who said he has been admitted to attend business school at Duke in 2007. He won a shirt for $41 in an eBay auction Friday. "Even if there are (convictions) I think the other players should be supported."

Of course while the issue may be too hot for companies like Dick's Sporting Goods, the controversy is drawing some who do hope to profit from the attention it is getting.

There were 195 items listed for auction on eBay Friday afternoon that included the words "Duke lacrosse"

Mike Prell of Appleton, Wisc., opened up an online T-shirt business this week with one of his shirts displaying the letter "D" from the Duke logo, with the silhouette of a stripper imposed over it, and the words "Property of Lacrosse Team" surrounding the artwork.

"The response has been great. We've sold close to 100 t-shirts and we've got people bidding on our eBay listing," said Prell.

The demand for the shirts is one more sign that many sports fans are willing to support their favorite athletes despite allegations, or even proof, of misdeeds by athletes.

Sure, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant lost his title of having the best selling uniform at the NBA Store and Web site after he was charged with sexual assault in the summer of 2003. But it was still the seventh most popular the year after the charges were made and sales have crept back up every year since. This year, his jersey is the fourth most popular.

Bryant eventually apologized to his accuser and settled out of court with her after she decided not to testify in a criminal case against him. But that probably didn't do as much to rehabilitate his sales as did his on-court performance and the Lakers' return to the playoffs this season.

To look at Bryant's endorsement potential, click here

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