SAN DIEGO — A second University of San Diego football player has filed a lawsuit over sexually-charged hazing incidents by older football players.
It is the second lawsuit filed over what is described in the lawsuits as "severe and pervasive acts of hazing." The first was filed by freshman quarterback, AJ Perez.
In the latest complaint, filed on December 7 in San Diego Superior Court, freshman wide receiver, Kollen Murphy, described similar hazing incidents to those included in Murphy's lawsuit.
The first incident, according to the newly filed non-conformed complaint, occurred on August 9, 2023, and required freshman players to strip naked for the upperclassmen and watch "grotesque pornography," inside of a locked room.
A week later, according to the complaint, the freshmen players were forced to perform in what was called the "rookie show." During the so-called show, younger players were required to act out sexual acts while naked for the older players. They faced punishment by the older players if their acts were not good enough.
And while Murphy says he refused to participate in the hazing rituals, his complaint stated that he feared retribution for not doing so and was still subjected to a sexually charged locker room.
Reads the lawsuit, "The hazing and harassment became so pervasive, that [Murphy]refused to shower in the locker room, and made every effort to avoid being there. [Murphy]was humiliated, embarrassed and ashamed by the treatment he received and witnessed from his 'teammates.'"
Murphy, according to the complaint, returned to his home, leaving the team and his school.
"As such, [Murphy] has not been able to return to the University of San Diego, has not been able to return to the football or basketball team, and has feared for his safety due to retribution from other players. Due to the conduct described above, and the mental health effects resulting therefrom, [he] was forced to withdraw from the University of San Diego.
One week after former quarterback Perez filed his lawsuit, the university's athletic director, Bill McGillis announced that he was stepping down to pursue, "another professional opportunity."
In a statement to CBS 8, a spokesperson for the University of San Diego said the university "is aware of the lawsuit. As noted previously, our own internal inquiry continues but is not yet complete. The university takes reports of violations of the student code of conduct with the utmost seriousness and condemns acts of hazing and bullying of any kind. As reported previously, Coach Moore had no advance knowledge of the allegations."
Meanwhile, the newly hired football coach Brandon Moore responded to the previous lawsuit filed by the freshman quarterback Perez.
Statement from USD Football Head Coach Brandon Moore:
“It is an extremely emotional time for everyone attached to this difficult situation. I want to be clear that I had no prior knowledge at any level about these activities before they were reported to me by AJ Perez. This was not anything I’d heard before and certainly doesn't represent my vision for USD Football. The events reported to me were counter to the directive I issued to our players and coaches about hazing not being tolerated in any shape or form in my first team meeting. As soon as I heard the allegations, I immediately reported them to University leadership, and we suspended all football activities as we initiated the preliminary investigation. I never forget that this isn’t just a place of higher learning, but a faith-based institution with values that guide us in all we do. My goal is to nurture and mentor these scholar athletes on their path to becoming better human beings and men of character. I will continue to support school leadership as they conduct their inquiry and we make sure this never happens again.”
