17 Ex-NC State Athletes File Lawsuit Claiming Abuse by Former Trainer

Seventeen additional former N.C. State male athletes have joined a state lawsuit alleging sexual abuse disguised as treatment and harassment by the Wolfpack’s former director of sports medicine. This brings the total number of plaintiffs to 31 in a case that originated from a federal lawsuit filed by a single athlete over three years ago.

The recent complaint, filed in Wake County Superior Court, expands upon allegations of years of misconduct by Robert L. Murphy Jr. These allegations include inappropriate touching during massages and intrusive observation during urine sample collections for drug testing.

Of the 31 athletes involved, all but two are identified as “John Doe” plaintiffs to maintain their anonymity. The two named individuals include Benjamin Locke, who initiated the original complaint in August 2022, and another former men’s soccer player who filed separate federal lawsuits in February and April 2023. The Associated Press typically refrains from identifying individuals who claim to have been sexually assaulted unless they have publicly shared their experiences, as Locke has done.

Durham-based attorney Kerry Sutton, representing the plaintiffs in each lawsuit, previously filed to dismiss pending Title IX lawsuits before transitioning the case to state-level jurisdiction in September. This transition added 11 new athletes, increasing the total to 14, and the latest filing has now more than doubled that number.

Locke expressed his mixed feelings about the situation, stating, “While it is never good news to hear there are other men that have been suffering in silence due to what they experienced, I am encouraged by the bravery, vulnerability, and willingness of these men to come forward against injustice.”

Sutton also commented, “I hate to say it, but I expect to hear from more men in coming days who were sexually harassed or assaulted by Mr. Murphy.”

Seth Blum, an attorney representing Murphy, did not respond immediately to an email from The Associated Press. He has previously defended Murphy vigorously, asserting that he has been falsely accused and that there is “not one scrap of credible evidence” supporting the allegations against him. “Put simply, Robert Murphy did not do this,” Blum stated following the September lawsuit.

Murphy, who was with N.C. State from 2012 to 2022, is one of nine defendants named individually in the lawsuits. Other defendants include school officials accused of negligence in their oversight roles.

The lawsuits detail similar allegations regarding Murphy’s conduct and the school’s failure to act, even when concerns were raised at senior levels of the athletic department. The latest filing describes the 31 former athletes as “victims of sexual assaults, sexual exploitation, and sexual harassment,” asserting that Murphy “violated his position of trust to abuse rather than treat.”

The allegations from the 17 new plaintiffs primarily focus on Murphy’s management and observation during drug testing. Athletes reported being instructed to raise their shirts and lower their shorts or pants while Murphy observed from a few feet away or even from within the same bathroom stall.

One athlete recounted feeling “uncomfortable and vulnerable,” while another described feeling “humiliated.” In another instance, an athlete was so distressed that he was unable to urinate, even after consuming three Diet Cokes, and had to return the next day to undergo the same invasive process.

Additionally, several of the 17 athletes alleged that Murphy improperly touched their genitals during massages or rehabilitation treatments. One athlete, who was receiving treatment for an Achilles tendon injury, claimed that Murphy’s massage gradually moved higher until it reached the athlete’s groin. After requesting Murphy to stop, the athlete refused further treatment from him, according to the complaint.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Topics
Lawsuits
North Carolina

Seventeen additional former N.C. State male athletes have joined a state lawsuit alleging sexual abuse disguised as treatment and harassment by the Wolfpack’s former director of sports medicine. This brings the total number of plaintiffs to 31 in a case that originated from a federal lawsuit filed by a single athlete over three years ago.

The recent complaint, filed in Wake County Superior Court, expands upon allegations of years of misconduct by Robert L. Murphy Jr. These allegations include inappropriate touching during massages and intrusive observation during urine sample collections for drug testing.

Of the 31 athletes involved, all but two are identified as “John Doe” plaintiffs to maintain their anonymity. The two named individuals include Benjamin Locke, who initiated the original complaint in August 2022, and another former men’s soccer player who filed separate federal lawsuits in February and April 2023. The Associated Press typically refrains from identifying individuals who claim to have been sexually assaulted unless they have publicly shared their experiences, as Locke has done.

Durham-based attorney Kerry Sutton, representing the plaintiffs in each lawsuit, previously filed to dismiss pending Title IX lawsuits before transitioning the case to state-level jurisdiction in September. This transition added 11 new athletes, increasing the total to 14, and the latest filing has now more than doubled that number.

Locke expressed his mixed feelings about the situation, stating, “While it is never good news to hear there are other men that have been suffering in silence due to what they experienced, I am encouraged by the bravery, vulnerability, and willingness of these men to come forward against injustice.”

Sutton also commented, “I hate to say it, but I expect to hear from more men in coming days who were sexually harassed or assaulted by Mr. Murphy.”

Seth Blum, an attorney representing Murphy, did not respond immediately to an email from The Associated Press. He has previously defended Murphy vigorously, asserting that he has been falsely accused and that there is “not one scrap of credible evidence” supporting the allegations against him. “Put simply, Robert Murphy did not do this,” Blum stated following the September lawsuit.

Murphy, who was with N.C. State from 2012 to 2022, is one of nine defendants named individually in the lawsuits. Other defendants include school officials accused of negligence in their oversight roles.

The lawsuits detail similar allegations regarding Murphy’s conduct and the school’s failure to act, even when concerns were raised at senior levels of the athletic department. The latest filing describes the 31 former athletes as “victims of sexual assaults, sexual exploitation, and sexual harassment,” asserting that Murphy “violated his position of trust to abuse rather than treat.”

The allegations from the 17 new plaintiffs primarily focus on Murphy’s management and observation during drug testing. Athletes reported being instructed to raise their shirts and lower their shorts or pants while Murphy observed from a few feet away or even from within the same bathroom stall.

One athlete recounted feeling “uncomfortable and vulnerable,” while another described feeling “humiliated.” In another instance, an athlete was so distressed that he was unable to urinate, even after consuming three Diet Cokes, and had to return the next day to undergo the same invasive process.

Additionally, several of the 17 athletes alleged that Murphy improperly touched their genitals during massages or rehabilitation treatments. One athlete, who was receiving treatment for an Achilles tendon injury, claimed that Murphy’s massage gradually moved higher until it reached the athlete’s groin. After requesting Murphy to stop, the athlete refused further treatment from him, according to the complaint.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Topics
Lawsuits
North Carolina