5 things to know about expanded lawsuit alleging NC trainer abused athletes
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lawsuit accuses NC State trainer Robert Murphy of abuse over a decade.
- Court filings claim leadership ignored misconduct warnings from coaches, staff.
- New criminal investigation is underway, Wake County DA says.
What started as one former student alleging that North Carolina State University trainer abused him on campus has now swelled to 31 accusers. In a new court filing, the former athletes say university officials knew of complaints about the lead sports trainer on campus but did too little to protect them from abuse they contend occurred over a decade.
1. The accusations
Lawsuit alleges that Robert Murphy, a former N.C. State director of sports medicine who worked at the university from 2012 to 2022, abused and harassed athletes during medically unnecessary massages and treatments and routine drug tests. Several plaintiffs say he touched their genitals during messages near their groins, in some cases when they didn’t have any injuries or pain in that area.
More former athletes have come forward recently after recognizing that they were victims of Murphy’s abuse, said Kerry Sutton, one attorney representing the men.
It’s common for people not to recognize abuse and harassment until years later, experts say. In a recently settled case involving sexual harassment and abuse at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, some former students who had inappropriate sexual relationships with teachers didn’t realize it was wrong until others shared similar experiences in a conversation on Facebook.
Murphy resigned in 2022.
2. Warning signs did not prompt needed action, lawsuit alleges
The complaint claims university leaders, including former athletic director Debbie Yow, ignored red flags. Coaches reportedly questioned Murphy’s behavior, describing “grooming” actions and inappropriate drug-testing practices, the court filing says. Staff and players even joked about Murphy’s massages. Administrators told Murphy to stay away from the players, but he didn’t, the lawsuit states. But attorneys for N.C. State argue that officials lacked enough evidence to launch an investigation and that those with authority weren’t adequately informed.
3. How the case first surfaced
The accusations became public when former soccer player Benjamin Locke filed a lawsuit in August 2022. Prior to that, Locke had reported Murphy’s conduct from 2015 to 2017 to Raleigh police. That did not result in criminal charges but triggered a Title IX review by N.C. State’s Equal Opportunity and Equity unit. Murphy resigned days before its report was finalized. A North Carolina state official later wrote that, had Murphy still been employed, the allegations would have been “substantiated,” according to documents obtained by The News & Observer.
4. No charges but a new investigation
Murphy’s attorney has said that the former sports trainer denies the allegations. Murphy has never faced criminal prosecution. No charges followed Locke’s report to police. Locke’s alleged abuse occurred before a state law passed in 2018 that made sexual contact under the guise of medical care a felony.
Sutton said at least one of the plaintiffs whose alleged abuse occurred after the law was adopted has spoken to Raleigh police about what he experienced recently. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman confirmed there is an ongoing criminal investigation related to the complaint.
Murphy’s license to practice athletic training in North Carolina was permanently revoked in 2023 based on the allegations from Locke and two others, according to the lawsuit.
5. University officials deny the allegations
University attorneys have submitted court documents vigorously challenging the allegations. The evidence isn’t “sufficient to establish that an N.C. State official with the requisite authority to address discrimination and to institute corrective measures had actual knowledge of discrimination,” university attorneys argue in court documents.
University officials also have stressed that their defense in this case is independent of the university’s stance against sexual exploitation on campus.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable, prohibited by N.C. State’s policies, and in direct opposition to the mission, culture, and standards of the university,” the university wrote in a federal court filing seeking to have a case dismissed.
Steve Wiseman, The News & Observer’s sports editor, contributed to this article.
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 9:01 AM with the headline "5 things to know about expanded lawsuit alleging NC trainer abused athletes."
