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A former freshman Seton Hall University pitcher has filed a lawsuit against the school alleging that he was subject to “severe hazing, abuse and misconduct.” The lawsuit names the Seton Hall, head coach Rob Sheppard and three former teammates as defendants.
According to The Setonian, Seton Hall is being sued on the grounds of Title IX and alleges the hazing of male athletes is tolerated while female athletes are protected from it.
The 17-year-old former pitcher claims head coach Rob Sheppard and the university “created a hostile educational environment” and placed male athletes in situations with “serious risks of physical and emotional harm.”
The New York Post, who spoke to the former Seton Hall freshman pitcher, reports that teammates constructed a makeshift wrestling ring in which he was forced to fight a much larger and older player. He claims he was choked, dragged and body slammed and was “spitting blood” as a result of the fight.
The pitcher, who was recruited for his 91-mile-per-hour fastball, also claims head coach Rob Sheppard allegedly looked the other way as he was subjected to a team masturbation ritual and other hazing incidents. He also claims that he was told there would be a nude wrestling match and during his first days with the program another player told him to show everyone in the locker room his genitals, leaving him feeling “humiliated and distressed.”
When his father called head coach Rob Sheppard about the hazing incidents, the coach called the player and, he claims, “basically told me that none of this goes on here, that he would take care of this and that none of this ever happens at Seton Hall and it’s not tolerated.”
Sheppard, a Seton Hall baseball alumnus, has been the baseball coach there for 20 years. His father, Mike Sheppard Sr., was the coach there for 31 years and the baseball field is named after him.
The player ended up leaving Seton Hall barely two months into the school year. He is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $1,000,000, in his lawsuit.
“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 player told the Post. “There’s gotta be some accountability taken by the coach. He’s gotta lay his foot down and take control of that whole situation and try to make things a lot better.”
Seton Hall University declined to comment when asked about the lawsuit (which can be viewed here).