Isaiah Humphries has filed a lawsuit against Penn State, alleging his teammates made threats of “I’m going to Sandusky you” in hazings.
According to the lawsuit, Humphries and other underclassmen were often targeted for hazing acts that simulated sexual assault during his semester at Penn State in the fall of 2018.
The suit says that players would pin younger teammates on the floor and simulate a “humping action while on top” or put their “genitals on the face of the lower classmen.” One of the players would put a “penis on the buttocks of the lower classmen and stroke his genitalia, simulating the action of ejaculation.”
Penn State was frequently in the news in 2011 and 2012 when former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested and convicted of a string of sexual assaults against young boys. The university was accused of covering up for Sandusky.
“At all relevant times material hereto, the harassment and hazing ritual undertaken by defendant Damion Barber, Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jesse Luketa included the participants stating to lower classmen, such as the plaintiff, ‘I’m going to Sandusky you,'” the lawsuit said.
Humphries said his football performance was severely scrutinized after reporting the hazing. He claims that he had to participate in athletic drills designed to ensure his failure.
Penn said that they investigated the allegations and passed on their findings to Centre City prosecutors.
“The DA reviewed the case and decided that no charges would be pursued,” Penn State Vice President, Rachel Pell, said in a statement.
Humphries said that the hazing and retaliation he endured forced him to transfer from Penn State to the University of California, Berkeley.
When Humphries announced that he was leaving Penn State, he thanked the school but implied that he had a bad experience.
“I have made many friends here that I will dearly miss and It’s going to be hard to leave them here,” according to a statement on Humphries’ verified Twitter page on Nov. 28, 2018.
“But in order for me to grow and not lose the passion that I have for football and for everything that I value, I unfortunately will be transferring from this place.”
For information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen.
