A federal lawsuit claims hazing ran wild in Seton Hall’s college baseball program.
The lawsuit alleges “coerced sexual exposure, physical assault, sexualized rituals and retaliatory ostracization” that “created a hostile and unsafe environment, causing significant physical, emotional, academic, and professional harm” to the plaintiff, who was not named, according to the Asbury Park Press.
The lawsuit seeks “compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but not less than $1,000,000.”
The suit alleges that Seton Hall baseball coach Rob Sheppard was made aware of “the abusive locker room environment’’ and failed to “discipline (the) perpetrators, or implement corrective measures, allowing the hazing to continue unabated,” according to NJ.com.
As reported by the New York Post, the player, who was 17 when the alleged incidents occurred, was forced to wrestle a larger and older player, suffering multiple injuries in the process.
“What’s going on in the locker room is some sick, sick stuff,” he said. The Post withheld his name, which was listed in the lawsuit as John Doe.
“I was spitting blood everywhere,” said the pitcher, who said he had been recruited by the school. “It was a feeling that I’m really never gonna forget.”
The former Seton Hall student said he was recruited by many colleges, but picked Seton Hall because of its offer and the fact that others had vaulted into Major League Baseball from the program.
“That’s every kid’s dream,” he said of reaching MLB. “We thought it was going to be a good fit, but obviously didn’t end up that way.”
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He said the hazing began with freshman being told to shave their heads.
Then came a ritual where new players had to show everyone their genitals.
“We’ve got to see what you’ve got down there,” the lawsuit said the victim was told by an older player.
“The locker room erupted in laughter,” the suit said
Then came the wrestling incident.
“I basically got beat up,” the player said. “I got body slammed, put in a chokehold.”
The player said that when his father heard of what happened, the coach was contacted and allegedly said the hazing would be dealt with.
The player said that public masturbation and nude wrestling were also part of the hazing. Eventually, enough was enough, and the plaintiff alleges he told Sheppard he was leaving the team.
“Sheppard expressed disappointment, but took no meaningful action to address the issues,” the lawsuit said.
The player since transferred to a Division III school. The transfer cost him a season of eligibility.
“It was a dark time for me — I was sad, depressed,” he said “I was down in the dumps every day.”
“To spend my whole life trying to get to that point, and I finally got there, and then had this all happen, and it’s just derailed my whole career,” the student athlete said.
Seton Hall representative Michael Hyland sent a statement to the Asbury Park Press.
“Seton Hall is firmly committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment,” the statement said. “Upon learning of certain allegations earlier this year, the University promptly retained a nationally respected third-party investigator to conduct an independent and thorough review. As litigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
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