Florida authorities arrest NC State's ex-head trainer accused of sex abuse of Wolfpack male athletes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in Florida have arrested N.C. State’s former director of sports medicine, who is accused of sexually abusing former Wolfpack male athletes under the guise of treatment, which previously led to more than 30 athletes outlining allegations in civil lawsuits.
Robert M. Murphy Jr. was arrested Wednesday night and was being held in the Marion County jail on out-of-state fugitive warrants from North Carolina. The Marion County Sheriff's Office listed 23 charges of sexual battery and nine for felony sexual contact on its online database as of Thursday morning but offered no additional details.
ESPN was first to report Murphy's arrest.
The case originated with a federal civil lawsuit from a single athlete filed four years ago. That complaint alleged years of misconduct by Murphy, such as improper touching of the genitals during massages and intrusive observation while collecting urine samples during drug testing.
The case eventually landed in state court in 2025 with 14 former Wolfpack athletes, with that number growing to 31 joining the lawsuit by late January and outlining similar allegations. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in June, citing procedural reasons, while attorneys for the players have appealed.
Jared Hammett and Seth Blum, two Raleigh-based attorneys who have represented Murphy in the civil lawsuits, have denied wrongdoing by their client. They did so again Thursday, including a reference to N.C. State's 2022 statement that campus police had conducted an investigation that year and filed no criminal charges.
“We are very disappointed that the Wake County District Attorney’s office would choose to prosecute based on a changing story," Hammett and Blum said Thursday. "Four years ago law enforcement concluded there was not enough to support charges. Apparently, after enough careful editing, someone came up with a story that got a prosecutor’s attention.
"We, as always, believe that when people hear the actual facts of what occurred, Mr. Murphy will be cleared and the truth will be paramount.”
Durham-based attorney Kerry Sutton, who has represented players going back to the original case, said the number of athletes who have contacted players’ attorneys with similar allegations has grown to 35.
“This is a huge development for the men," Sutton said of the criminal charges. "They are extremely grateful for (Wake) ADA Melanie Shekita’s dedication and for the assistance of law enforcement in North Carolina and Florida.”
All but two of those 31 athletes were “John Doe” plaintiffs to protect their identity, while two former men’s soccer players were named.
One is Benjamin Locke, who filed the original complaint in August 2022 and whose allegations dating to August 2015 were the subject of the N.C. State campus police's initial investigation. The other is one of two athletes who filed their own federal lawsuits in February 2023 and April 2023. The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify those who say they have been sexually assaulted or abused unless the person has spoken publicly about it, which Locke has done.
The lawsuit with 31 athletes as plaintiffs listed Murphy, who was at N.C. State from 2012-22, among nine defendants named individually. Others are school officials accused of negligence in oversight roles, including former athletic director Debbie Yow and current AD Boo Corrigan.
The judge's June dismissal of the lawsuit cited reasons such as the statute of limitations expiring in claims dating back as early as 2013. It had also pointed to jurisdictional grounds, stating any complaint should go through the North Carolina Industrial Commission — a state agency that deals with workplace matters because N.C. State is a public university — rather than civil court.
In a statement, N.C. State said it was aware of the criminal charges filed against Murphy.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable,” the university said. “The health and safety of students and student-athletes is paramount to N.C. State Athletics and the university. We are aware of the charges filed by Wake County against Robert Murphy. We will cooperate with law enforcement in this matter. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further at this time.”
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