NC State Athletes Lawsuit Alleges Years of Abuse and University Negligence
Fourteen former male athletes at North Carolina State University have filed a civil lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court, accusing former Director of Sports Medicine Robert Murphy Jr. of sexually abusing them under the guise of medical treatment.
The allegations include inappropriate genital touching during massages and invasive behavior during drug testing.
According to the lawsuit, Murphy would observe athletes while they urinated, often standing uncomfortably close, including in the same stall, with his eyes reportedly scanning from their calves to their chest.
The plaintiffs argue that Murphy’s behavior was a pattern, not isolated incidents, and that NC State officials were made aware of concerns for years yet failed to take meaningful action. While Murphy worked at the university from 2012 until 2022, internal requests to restrict his contact with male athletes reportedly began as early as 2013.
One senior official reassigned Murphy away from a men’s team after complaints in 2013, but he returned the following year with little explanation.
From 2016 to 2021, the lawsuit claims multiple verbal and written instructions were given to Murphy to stop treating male athletes and to stay away from the men’s soccer team, but those instructions were ignored, and enforcement was minimal to nonexistent.
Two of the 14 plaintiffs have chosen to be publicly identified, including Benjamin Locke, a former men’s soccer player who first came forward with a complaint in 2022. The remaining twelve athletes are listed as “John Doe” plaintiffs to protect their identities.
The defendants in the lawsuit include Murphy and nine additional current or former NC State officials, including former Chancellor Randy Woodson, former Athletics Director Debbie Yow, and current Athletics Director Boo Corrigan. These officials are accused of negligence for allegedly ignoring reports of abuse, allowing Murphy continued access to athletes, and failing to initiate strong disciplinary action.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Robert Murphy Jr. has not faced any criminal charges. However, in 2022, he was placed on administrative leave during a university-led internal investigation and later left the university. A Title IX investigation concluded that, had Murphy still been employed, his behavior would have likely resulted in a substantiated violation under the preponderance-of-evidence standard.
The lawsuit also alleges that NC State’s athletics department had become aware that athletes were uncomfortable around Murphy, with some refusing treatment. Rumors, informal complaints, and even locker-room jokes reportedly circulated for years, yet leadership failed to act with urgency.
University officials named in the lawsuit have declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
