A former University of Virginia football player has sued the school in federal court over allegations he was cruelly bullied by teammates and coaches — called “retarded” because he has a learning disability — and suffered career-threatening injuries while being subjected to a hazing ritual of staged wrestling matches between freshmen.
Aidan Howard alleges he was coerced by two upperclassmen wide receivers into an “initiation” ritual on Aug. 12 of this year, according to an ESPN report. The practice of naked or half-naked wrestling matches, the lawsuit states, is so common at Virginia, it has its own name: “ramming.” A ring was marked off in the locker room with athletic tape, and roughly 100 onlookers used “flashing lights, loud music and announcements to simulate a ‘prize fight.'” A graduate assistant with the football program told the crowd, “No phones,” seemingly to avoid recordings of the incident, Howard alleges.
Howard says he was diagnosed with a concussion by a Virginia athletic trainer after being struck by his opponent — not named in the lawsuit, Howard’s attorney says, because he also was a hazing victim — and later was found to have a broken orbital bone (eye socket) after experiencing double vision. At least one Virginia assistant coach knew the how and why of his injuries, according to the lawsuit.
The federal civil rights lawsuit, filed Friday in US District Court in Pennsylvania, alleges Virginia broke NCAA rules against hazing, “fostered a culture of bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination” and, in addition, violated federal Title IX gender equity laws — typically cited in cases of women alleging sexual assault by male students — because the bullying also centered around Howard’s perceived “manliness.”
Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, plus teammates Doni Dowling and David Eldridge, were named as defendants. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall was not. ESPN’s requests for comment from university administrators and the various defendants were not returned.
Howard was granted a release from the program in August, and a Virginia associate athletic director for compliance noted in the official paperwork that Howard’s release was due to “conduct of others within the university.” Howard transferred to Robert Morris, where he is a member of the football team, though the lawsuit says he is sidelined due to his injuries.
“We want some accountability by the university and the student-athletes who were responsible for doing this to Aidan,” Howard’s attorney, C. James Zeszutek, told ESPN. “Now these student-athletes are continuing to play their sport, continuing to attend classes, and there’s been no ramifications to them whatsoever. Our client is a victim who has been injured, damaged and he’s out of competition this year.”
A former Virginia dean currently is suing Rolling Stone magazine for defamation over how she was portrayed in a since-retracted article about an alleged gang rape at a frat house and the university’s response.