SAN DIEGO — A freshman quarterback at the University of San Diego has filed a lawsuit claiming sexual hazing by football players inside on-campus locker rooms.
The football player said he left USD in August after the alleged incidents, according to the lawsuit.
Perez alleged the hazing first started eight days after he showed up for football practice on August 1 at the University of San Diego. It continued for days on campus until, he said, he was so humiliated he left the football team and the University on August 17.
Perez filed the lawsuit on Monday in San Diego County Superior Court seeking damages for physical injuries, hazing, and emotional distress.
In the lawsuit, Perez alleges he was forced to participate in a so-called "rookie show" inside the USD locker room where upper-class football players drank booze and used drugs, while about 30 rookies were coerced to perform graphic sexual acts and dance naked.
If the rookies did not agree to participate in the hazing, they would get hit with wooden spoons, the lawsuit alleges.
“Plaintiff also felt that if he did not perform in some way, it could jeopardize his career as his teammates would not block or catch for him,” the lawsuit claimed.
“(S)everal coaches had previously been players who had participated in similar acts of hazing,” the lawsuit continued.
USD Toreros head coach Brandon Moore is new to the University, hired in the spring.
USD issued the following statement to CBS 8:
"USD is aware of the lawsuit. Our own internal inquiry is currently underway but incomplete. It would be inappropriate to comment pending the conclusion of that inquiry. 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. Coach Moore had no advance knowledge of the alleged hazing. In fact, as previously reported, it was Coach Moore who, upon first hearing of the allegations, immediately reported them to the University, and in conjunction with leadership temporarily halted the entire program and initiated an internal inquiry, which resulted in preliminary suspensions. It was Coach Moore's alarm and quick response that prompted the entire investigation."
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.”
The lawsuit was filed using Perez’s full name. Perez first spoke publicly about the legal action, using his full name, to the San Diego Union Tribune.
Perez’s attorney, Scott Carr, emailed a statement to CBS 8 saying his client would not comment further on the lawsuit, which at this point is only filed against USD.
No players or coaches are named as defendants in the suit, though additional defendants could be added in the future.