Another Norfolk State football player has alleged the school ignored complaints that he was subject to hazing and sexually assaulted by members of the team.
The unidentified player filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Norfolk, Virginia against NSU among others associated with the university, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
In the lawsuit, the player alleged an upperclassman attempted to rape him, according to court documents. The incident, the lawsuit said, reportedly occurred before another player — Shawn Fahey — made similar allegations. The lawsuit indicated that current head coach Dawson Odums was notified of the incidents.
The allegations also involved players being allowed to grab other players’ genitals in front of coaches, and video footage existing of upperclassmen “dry humping” their younger teammates.
The player also claimed that he and younger players were forced to expose themselves on command.
Diane Toscano, the lawyer for both the unnamed player and Fahey, suggested that other NSU athletes were subjected to similar abuse that the school had been made aware of but did not act on.
“There are coaches on the current staff that knew of the problems because the incidents happened right under their nose,” Toscano said during a May press conference while representing Fahey. “NSU leaders must be questioned about what they did to ensure the safety of student-athletes, and they must be held accountable. As evidence shows, there were coaches on the current staff that were aware they inherited these problems from the previous staff.”
In response to the latest claim, Norfolk State referred to its previous statement on the matter where it acknowledged being aware of the complaints and had launched an investigation.
“Norfolk State University cares about the safety and well-being of every student, faculty, and staff member. We have a culture of care at the institution, and we work diligently to address the needs of our community,” a portion of the statement said.
The school said it has hired an independent consulting firm to investigate Title IX allegations that involve harassment, sexual misconduct and assault.
Fahey and the unidentified player were on the 2021 roster but have since left the university.
