Skip to content 
A fourth lawsuit has been filed against former North Carolina State University sports medicine director Robert Murphy Jr., raising the number of plaintiffs who have accused him of sexual abuse to 14. The new lawsuit, filed Wednesday, includes 11 additional plaintiffs beyond the three former athletes who filed separate suits in 2022 and 2023, CBS Sports reported yesterday.
According to the new complaint, Murphy is accused of years of inappropriate behavior, including improper genital touching during massages and intrusive observation while athletes were providing urine samples for drug testing. He is one of nine defendants named in the lawsuit. Other defendants include former and current NC State officials who are accused of failing to prevent the alleged misconduct.
The lawsuit claims that former NC State athletic director Debbie Yow and other university officials were aware of complaints about Murphy but failed to act. Athletes across the university were reportedly aware of Murphy’s behavior, and some even refused to be treated by him.
“These 14 athletes have come forward together hoping to encourage others abused by Rob Murphy to see it wasn’t just them, they did nothing wrong, and NCSU should have protected them,” said a plaintiff’s attorney.
The lawsuit paints a picture of a university athletic department gripped by fear and silence, where athletes were hesitant to report misconduct for fear of losing their scholarships or spots on the team. Trainers and coaches were allegedly reluctant to escalate complaints, and higher-level administrators feared reputational damage.
“A culture of fear in the NCSU athletics department led to this tragic set of circumstances. Athletes afraid of losing their scholarship or their spot on the team, trainers afraid of reporting their boss, coaches afraid of getting involved, directors afraid of harming NCSU’s reputation. Murphy took advantage of those fears to get away with abusing what we believe may turn out to be hundreds of former Wolfpack athletes,” said a plaintiff’s attorney.
The original lawsuit was filed by former men’s soccer player Benjamin Locke in August 2022. NC State placed Murphy on administrative leave that year and later terminated his employment. He worked at the university from 2012 to 2022.
The first lawsuit alleged that former men’s soccer coach Kelly Findley told a senior official in 2016 that Murphy was engaging in behavior consistent with “grooming.” The latest complaint adds that Findley raised concerns about Murphy as early as 2012 and requested that Murphy be removed as the team’s trainer. Murphy was reassigned in 2013 but returned to his role with the men’s soccer team in 2014.
Between 2016 and 2021, athletic department officials allegedly directed Murphy to stop treating male athletes and to stay away from the men’s soccer team. However, these directives were not enforced even after Murphy reportedly failed to comply. In 2018, Murphy was promoted to director of sports medicine.
If you or someone you know was sexually abused by a university staff member, you are not alone. Survivors deserve to be heard, supported, and protected. Learn about your legal rights with our Institutional Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Guide.
Take the first step toward justice by filling out the form below to receive a free case review.
