Seventeen more former male athletes have joined a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by the former director of sports medicine at North Carolina State University, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 31. The case began more than three years ago with a federal lawsuit filed by a single athlete.
The latest complaint, submitted in Wake County Superior Court, broadens allegations against Robert L. Murphy Jr., describing years of misconduct including inappropriate genital contact during massages and invasive monitoring while athletes provided urine samples for drug testing.
All but two of the 31 former athletes are listed as “John Doe” to preserve their anonymity. The two named plaintiffs are former members of the men’s soccer team, including Benjamin Locke, who filed the initial complaint in August 2022, and another who brought separate federal lawsuits in February and April 2023.
Locke said in a statement that while it is never good news to hear of others suffering in silence, he is encouraged by the bravery and willingness of these men to come forward. Attorney Kerry Sutton, representing the plaintiffs, said she expects more men to come forward in the coming days. Murphy’s attorney, Seth Blum, has denied the allegations, stating there has been no credible evidence that he assaulted anyone.
Murphy, who worked at NC State from 2012 to 2022, is one of nine defendants named individually. Others include school officials accused of negligence in their oversight roles. The case was moved from federal to state jurisdiction in September, and the number of plaintiffs has more than doubled with the latest filing.
