A former Penn State player filed a lawsuit against coach James Franklin for allegedly ignoring hazing within the football program. Defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos and linebackers Micah Parsons and Jesse Luketa were also named in the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday. "Numerous team members, and others associated with the football program, were interviewed and overwhelmingly they disclaimed, or flat out denied the allegations, with most saying it was just locker-room horseplay, or teammates joking around, and they felt that the original complaint came from a player looking for a quick transfer to another school," the report from WJAC reads. That can greatly reduce the number of incidents listed on a college’s report and perhaps paint a rosier picture of what’s going on across campus. "There's still … Help us continue to provide in-depth reporting such as this by considering a special offer for new subscribers. "Despite the harassment and hazing which was occurring in the football locker room being reported to defendant coach James Franklin and other members of the Pennsylvania State University Football team coaching staff, no substantive action was taken by defendant James Franklin or other members of the coaching staff to prevent it," the lawsuit states. “We hear it school after school,” she said, “where they get allegations but just can’t prove them. Jim Piazza admits the wording of the law could be ambiguous. And that’s how it should be, according to Evelyn Piazza, mother of Tim Piazza, who worked for the new law to be passed. A former player has filed a hazing lawsuit against Penn State's football program. More: Penn State says it did investigate hazing allegations and shared with DA. More: Former Penn State player suing university, James Franklin, gave this good-bye note, More: Penn State football hazing allegations in lawsuit were already investigated, university says. “It’s something where parents and students will have to make their decision,” Kocher said. This video is unavailable. Sandusky is serving up to 60 years in prison, guilty of 45 counts of child sexual abuse — some of it in the Lasch Building. A former Penn State football player claims in a lawsuit that Nittany Lions players hazed him and other younger teammates by imitating sexual acts in … © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. A former Penn State player filed a lawsuit against coach James Franklin for allegedly ignoring hazing within the football program. What is the chance that a student would go out of their way to file a fake report? The suit claims that when an anonymous report was filed to the Penn State Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response last year regarding the alleged hazing and harassment, the football program sought to conceal incidents of misconduct during the investigation. A … Joe Paterno was removed as head coach and other high-ranking Penn State officials lost their jobs and were criminally convicted because they did not share reports of Sandusky's abuse with police. Penn State University Original Story: Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries filed a federal lawsuit against Penn State, head coach James Franklin, and defensive lineman Damion Barber for alleged hazing Monday. Centre County DA: Criminal Investigation 'Does Not Substantiate' Former Penn State Football Player's Hazing Allegations by Geoff Rushton on January 16, 2020 2:27 PM Follow @geoffrushton NCAAF NFL NCAAF MLB NBA FANTASY SOCCER HOCKEY NCAAB Subscribe The law is named after her son, who died in 2017 at age 19 after being fed 18 drinks in 82 minutes. A former Penn State football player filed suit against Penn State for the hazing, claiming players told him "I am going to Sandusky you." Humphries claims that on multiple occasions, the coaching staff observed the harassment and hazing in the locker room, but failed to intervene. Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries accused several ex-teammates of hazing … At Lehigh University, the latest report listed three violations, including one unsubstantiated incident. A lawsuit filed Monday by a former Penn State football player claims coach James Franklin forced him out of the program after he reported violent, sexual hazing by other players. Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries has sued the university, head coach James Franklin and an ex-teammate over disturbing allegations of hazing. His allegations recently came to light after he filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the school of inaction. By Justin Heinze , Patch Staff Jan 15, 2020 10:02 a m ET Barber, who graduated Harrisburg High School a year ahead of Parsons, was a red-shirt sophomore this past season. Subscribe to PennLive. DA stops short of saying investigation into Penn State football team hazing allegations is closed, Half of last year’s killings in Harrisburg went unsolved. The suit alleges Penn State, Franklin and Barber violated the Pennsylvania Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, and the university's own anti-hazing policies. A former Penn State football player is suing the university, his old coach and a current player for what he described as an orchestrated campaign of hazing that included sexual harassment, threats and physical punishment, according to a lawsuit.. “The University of Pittsburgh is committed to full transparency on all issues related to all student organizations, including fraternity and sorority life, on hazing and hazing allegations on campus,” said Kevin Zwick, a Pitt spokesman. Luketa threatened Humphries with physical harm, the lawsuit claims. All rights reserved (About Us). Some 18 Penn State students face criminal charges, including eight who are accused of involuntary manslaughter, in Piazza's death. So what happens if schools are interpreting the law too narrowly? In some of the alleged instances, the player who is being sued, Damion Barber, and three others named […] The suit states that Franklin threw Humphries out of the football program for complaining about the hazing, per a report from Penn Live. Kline also referred to Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach convicted of sexually abusing young boys over a period of … In April, the university announced it was investigating sexual assault claims, reported to have occurred in the Lasch Building, WJAC reported. Officials from the office of Sen. Jake Corman, who authored the law, said the law was not “overly prescriptive in dictating the reports and requirements,” but that it did contain language that supports reporting of all incidents. A former Penn State football player has filed a lawsuit against the college claiming that star players violently hazed other players and made. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A former Penn State football player has accused four ex-teammates of hazing him and claims coach James Franklin retaliated against … More: Former and current Penn State football players react to hazing lawsuit. Neither school provided a comment when asked about their approach to the hazing reports. “Lehigh chose to be as transparent as possible regarding the number of incidents reported as well as details about the alleged behavior,” said spokeswoman Lori Friedman. Humphries' attorney, Steven F. Marino of Philadelphia, also represents a former team doctor who is suing Penn State. Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries, who left the program in 2018, reportedly filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday that alleges head coach James Franklin and … “I agree that schools like Pitt that are all-inclusive when it comes to chronicling substantiated instances and unsubstantiated allegations would give a self-described hazing victim more of an incentive to come forward to school authorities.”, READ: Half of last year’s killings in Harrisburg went unsolved. But Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said Penn State chose to go solely with substantiated complaints because the university, “which fully supported passage” of the anti-hazing law, “has determined that substantiated violations are most useful to share.” She said publishing unsubstantiated accusations does not protect innocent parties, “does not acknowledge that initial reports of alleged hazing do not always match the definition of hazing (and thus should not be listed as such,) nor does it provide an accurate picture of actual misconduct that may be taking place.”, Powers said she could not comment on the processes at other schools, but said “Penn State has decided that publishing the name of organizations accused of hazing, but then found not guilty of this violation, definitely has the potential to unfairly paint those organizations (as well as all of their members) with a broad brush of misconduct, for which there were no supportable findings.”, Penn State’s most recent report included six violations over a one-year period ending November 2019, including a sorority that required new members “to cut their hair identically to other new members.”. "It's not everything that needs to be done. Piazza was a 19-year-old sophomore engineering student at Pennsylvania State University.He was a pledge of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the university. More:Former Penn State player suing university, James Franklin, gave this good-bye note More:Penn State football hazing: School says it did investigate allegations and … Getting vague or anonymous hazing reports and not being able to substantiate them does not mean hazing didn’t happen, said Evelyn Piazza, who now travels the country with her husband giving speeches to students against hazing. “I think you could interpret this case as one that cries for stronger rewording by legislators to remove an evident weakness in allowing ‘unsubstantiated’ cases to evade mandated hazing reporting,” Nuwer said. The video was captioned, “Hell. Players made unwanted sexual contact and threats such as "I am going to Sandusky you," Humphries claims in the lawsuit. An “underground” fraternity recruited pledges when not authorized and dropped 8 pledges off two-hours away in their underwear. The suit states that Franklin threw Humphries out of the football program for complaining about the hazing, per a report from Penn Live. A former Penn State football player is accusing coach James Franklin and his staff of ignoring violent, sexual hazing on the team. Luketa allegedly told him if he "ever visited 'his city' in the country of Canada that he would make certain that [Humphries] was gunned down upon arrival.". Humphries is now seeking unspecified financial damages for the harm it caused to his football career, along with severe physical and emotional distress. In the suit, Humphries also claims players Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jesse Luketa facilitated a campaign to harass and haze the lowerclassmen. Please support high-quality local journalism. “The law says: date charged with violation of the hazing law, then the follow up to that charge, so that should then show unsubstantiated if that claim was unsubstantiated,” said Jenn Kocher, Corman’s communications director. The Penn State logo inside of Holuba Hall at the Lasch Building in State College. A former Penn State football player is suing the university, his old coach and a current player for what he described as an orchestrated campaign of hazing … Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). After the Hunterdon … Police forwarded the case to the Centre County District Attorney's office, which decided not to pursue criminal charges. Former Penn State Football Player Sues Franklin, University, Ex-Teammate Over Hazing Allegations by Geoff Rushton on January 14, 2020 12:54 PM Follow @geoffrushton Fraternity members poured beer on a snake and allegations that there were also videos of them giving beer to a rabbit. Penn State football players said, 'I'm going to Sandusky you,' during hazing ritual, according to lawsuit. Among the schools in addition to Pitt and Lehigh University that share all reported incidents, regardless of outcome are: Villanova, Temple University, West Chester University, Shippensburg University, Bloomsburg University, Duquesne University, Drexel University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Comments about former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky seemed to be a focal point of the abuse, with the lawsuit noting comments such as "I am going to Sandusky you," and "This is Jerry.". He was shunned by some players, and targeted by others who conspired to instill him with fear, panic and anxiety, the lawsuit claims. In some of the alleged instances, the player who is being sued, Damion Barber, and three others named in the suit made references to disgraced … A former Penn State player claims in suit that players hazed him and others by imitating sex acts in the shower and invoking Jerry Sandusky's name. A former player has filed a hazing lawsuit against Penn State's football program. Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the university, coach James Franklin and former teammate Damion Barber. The lawsuit also claims that Humphries was denied necessary medical care for anxiety and narcolepsy after reporting the abuse. Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries alleges in a federal lawsuit that he was subject to graphic hazing brought on by Nittany Lions … The incident led to closure of the fraternity's chapter at the university and, as of November 14, 2017. The lawsuit notes that Barber was ultimately sanctioned following the investigation. Hazing incident. However, Penn State’s Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response launched an investigation and found that Barber violated school rules by hazing players on the football team. I’d say: Slim. A football player who transferred from Penn State claims in a lawsuit filed Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, against the university, and head coach James Franklin, pictured, that … “It was meant to be a wide net and incorporate all groups,” Evelyn Piazza said. An ESPN article published Friday alleged Penn State football coach James Franklin told an aggrieved player not to talk to police after a fight with the team’s All-American linebacker. Original Story: Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries filed a federal lawsuit against Penn State, head coach James Franklin, and defensive lineman Damion Barber for alleged hazing Monday.. A former Penn State football player is suing the university, his old coach and a current player for what he described as an orchestrated campaign of hazing that included sexual harassment, threats and physical punishment, according to a lawsuit. A former Penn State football player is suing the university, his old coach and a current player for what he described as an orchestrated campaign of hazing that included sexual harassment, threats and physical punishment, according to a lawsuit.. In seeking to dismiss the claims now, Franklin and Penn State officials contend that Humphries has not proven he was hazed as defined by the state's anti-hazing law or … A former Penn State football player is suing the university, his old coach and a current player for what he described as an orchestrated campaign of hazing that included sexual harassment, threats and physical punishment, according to a lawsuit. Penn State has taken "very limited steps thus far" to combat hazing, James Piazza said. In January, Humphries filed a lawsuit against the university, head coach James Franklin and defensive tackle Damion Barber that … He and his father, Leonard Humphries, also reported the abuse to Penn State football coach James Franklin. Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna reviewed the police report, but chose to not file any criminal charges. Former Penn State football player suing over 'campaign of hazing'. ... Penn State Univ. The report would have looked vastly different if the school weeded out cases where they could not find sufficient evidence. In retaliation of reporting the hazing, Humphries claims his football performance was the subject of severe and overt scrutiny, and alleges that he was forced to participate in athletic drills designed to ensure his failure. Members of the coaching staff allegedly witnessed the hazing and failed to put a stop to it. “The whole purpose was to give parents the whole picture and be transparent. Former player Lavar Arrington said the allegations of vicious hazing in the Penn State locker room are unbelievable. Students who have worked their way into a fraternity or sorority after months of recruitment may be unlikely to point fingers or share unflattering information, she said, making some hazing allegations difficult to prove. A former Penn State football player claims in a lawsuit that Nittany Lions players hazed him and other younger teammates by imitating sexual acts in … “We are posting this information not only in accordance with the new law, but with the hope that sharing these details – however unseemly and disturbing -- will shine the spotlight on this activity and support our view that it is dangerous and completely unacceptable.”, At issue in the law is the word “violation.” The law says schools must publish reports that “include information concerning violations that have been reported to the institution.”, But if an alleged violation was reported, and the school couldn’t find sufficient evidence, is that still considered a “violation?”. Isaiah Humphries alleges that coach James Franklin ignored violent, sexual hazing. Hazing death. Penn State and at least two other universities only report incidents that they have “substantiated” through internal investigations. Former Penn State Football Player Sues College over Sexual Hazing: ‘I’m Going to Sandusky You’ 583 Getty Image/Christian Petersen A former Penn State football player is suing the ... Humphries claims he and his father reported the hazing to members of the Penn State coaching ... L.A. Dodgers Vin Scully's Wife Dies at 76 And if one tried to fight back or resist the abuse, they were the target of more intimidation and bullying, Humphries' lawsuit states. The player was suspended for the Nittany Lions’ first game in 2019 for a “violation of team rules,” though it was never reported what rules he broke. A former Penn State football player has filed a federal lawsuit against coach James Franklin, the university and a current player, alleging that he was hazed and harassed while with the team. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”. A former Penn State football player claims in a lawsuit that Nittany Lions players hazed him and other younger teammates by imitating sexual acts in … “If a school chooses not to be transparent, parents and students can use that as part of their decision-making process when it comes to deciding on schools.”. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. We keep running into roadblocks." A former Penn State football player claims in a lawsuit that Nittany Lions players hazed him and other younger teammates by imitating sexual acts in … A Penn State football player accused in a federal lawsuit of sexually hazing a former teammate denied the “broad, bald” allegations lodged against him. he filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the school of inaction. 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