Lawsuit Claims Violent, Sexual Hazing On Penn State Football Team

STATE COLLEGE, PA — A former Penn State football player has filed a lawsuit claiming violent and sexual harassment and hazing during his time on the team, including an instance where players told him "I'm going to Sandusky you."

The civil suit, brought in U.S. District Court by former player Isaiah Humphries, names the university, head coach James Franklin, and another player, Damion Barber. It claims that Barber orchestrated the hazing and that Franklin and his staff knew about it and did nothing.

As a freshman at Penn State in the fall of 2018, Humphries, now 20, and other underclassmen were routinely wrestled and pinned to the ground while upperclassmen simulated a humping action, placing their genitals on the buttocks and face of the victims, the suit states.

Players repeatedly told victims things like "this is a prison," "This is Jerry," and "I'm going to Sandusky you," referencing the former Penn State assistant football coach who is currently serving a 30 to 60 year prison term after being convicted of 52 counts of sexual abuse of young boys. The wide ranging scandal extended throughout the entire university, with key personnel accused of having knowledge of the abuse and either doing nothing or working to cover it up.

The incidents caused Humphries, who had received a full athletic scholarship, to leave Penn State in Dec. 2018, the suit details.

The university said in a statement that the investigated, and "based on extensive interviews, we did not learn of any information that would substantiate the claims."

They added that their Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response and the Office of Student Conduct investigated the claims, and sent the results of their investigation to the Centre County District Attorney's Office. The DA's Office declined to pursue any charges.

Barber was suspended for one game in Sept. 2018 for a "violation of team rules," but he returned the next week. The university did not elaborate further on that suspension, saying that "the discipline of individual students is generally a confidential matter consistent with federal law."

The suit claims that Humphries' father, Leonard Humphries, a former Penn State and Buffalo Bills football player, reported the incidents to Franklin. Franklin and his coaching staff then failed to report the claims to the appropriate offices, according to the suit.

In addition to Barber, three other players are named as participating in the hazing: Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Jesse Luketa.

Humphries now a part of the University of California, Berkley's football team.

He's being represented by well-known Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Steven Martino.