Robert Michael Murphy, NC State’s former director of sports medicine, was arrested in Florida this week and is now facing a staggering number of charges. We’re talking nine felony counts of sexual contact under pretext of medical treatment and 23 misdemeanor counts of sexual battery. Law enforcement picked up Murphy on Wednesday night on out-of-state fugitive warrants from North Carolina, and he’s currently being held in Marion County jail, awaiting transfer. This is heavy stuff, no doubt about it.
The Mounting Accusations and Legal Fallout
This arrest isn’t out of nowhere. More than 30 former male NC State student-athletes have accused Murphy of sexual abuse. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told the Associated Press that Murphy’s indictment came after authorities interviewed 14 alleged victims. An initial criminal complaint was filed back in 2022 by former men’s soccer player Ben Locke with campus police, according to a police report obtained by ESPN. Plus, over two dozen other former male athletes joined a civil lawsuit against Murphy, which has now escalated into this criminal legal situation. The university released a statement on Thursday, saying, “Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable. 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.”
A Troubling Timeline and University Findings
This story has a deeply concerning timeline. The original lawsuit claims that former men’s soccer coach Kelly Findley allegedly told a senior official in the athletic department way back in 2016 that Murphy was showing “grooming” behavior. Think about that: 2016. Murphy, who worked at the university from 2012-22, was even reassigned in 2013 but then resumed working with the soccer team in 2014. NC State’s Title IX investigation in 2022, following Locke’s claims, determined that Murphy’s conduct was “unwelcome and of a sexual nature,” “pervasive,” and “sufficiently severe,” based on redacted documents obtained by ESPN. He resigned in 2022, right before that Title IX investigation was even completed.
Attorneys Jared Hammett and Seth Blum, who have represented Murphy in various civil lawsuits, released a statement Thursday to the Associated Press, standing firm that their client will be cleared. “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. They added, “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 facts of what occurred, Mr. Murphy will be cleared and the truth will be paramount.” It’s clear this legal battle is just getting started, and everyone involved is digging in for what promises to be a long and complex fight.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply