{"id":3005,"date":"2026-06-22T14:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3005"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:08:16","slug":"attorney-in-exclusive-interview-says-ex-nc-state-trainer-denies-sexual-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3005","title":{"rendered":"Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Former soccer player Benjamin Locke filed a federal lawsuit in 2022 accusing former athletics director Debbie Yow and other N.C. State leaders of failing to protect him and other athletes from sexual abuse and harassment by former trainer Robert Murphy. Since then, at least 31 former athletes have signed onto a lawsuit, as of April 2026. Here is ongoing coverage.\n <\/p>\n

Read more Here\u2019s where and when you\u2019re most likely to encounter a copperhead in NC<\/a><\/p>\n

The attorney for former N.C. State trainer Robert Murphy said his client was unfairly labeled an abuser in lawsuits driven by money.<\/p>\n

In a written response to questions from The News & Observer, attorney Jared Hammett argued that the litigation was fueled in part by lawyers who recruited plaintiffs on a mission to secure a big settlement from the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who brought this suit think if they shout sexual abuse loudly, people will stop listening to the obvious,\u201d Hammett wrote. \u201cMaybe they\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammett\u2019s response is the most significant public response yet from Murphy\u2019s legal team since a former student filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging Murphy sexually abused<\/a> and harassed scholarship athletes he was supposed to be helping.<\/p>\n

The past several years have been devastating for Murphy, who has denied all wrongdoing, Hammett wrote.<\/p>\n

The allegations created a \u201crush to judgment\u201d that left Murphy publicly branded as an \u201cabuser\u201d before he had an opportunity to defend himself.<\/p>\n

On June 9, Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins dismissed the lawsuit<\/a>, ruling the claims against Murphy were filed too late and those against N.C. State administrators belonged before the North Carolina Industrial Commission.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs,<\/a> 31 former N.C. State scholarship athletes, plan to appeal.<\/p>\n

They have also filed a complaint with the Industrial Commission against N.C. State, which is paused until the Wake case is settled. The Industrial Commission hears negligence claims against state employees and agencies. It caps judgments at $1 million, but settlements have exceeded that amount when there is more than one defendant.<\/p>\n

Kerry Sutton, one of the attorneys representing the men, provided limited comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not appropriate for me to comment on Mr. Hammett\u2019s personal opinions about my clients. Nevertheless, blaming the athletes and calling dozens of sexual abuse victims liars is a bold move in 2026,\u201d Sutton wrote in response to questions sent by The N&O.<\/p>\n

Hammett described the lawsuit\u2019s dismissal as \u201cjustice\u201d because it is another sign that the allegations could not withstand scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Hammett pointed to allegations from athletes about Murphy harassing them during drug tests.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five of the 31 former athletes allege Murphy required them to fully expose themselves while providing urine samples, allowing him to observe their genitals. In the lawsuit, former athletes describe Murphy standing close, in one case a foot away, making the players uncomfortable, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n

Such observation is a standard part of NCAA drug testing<\/a>, Hammett said. The NCAA rules state that a drug testing officer or their designee \u201cwill fully observe the provision of the student-athlete specimen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are assuming people will believe them because there are so many plaintiffs,\u201d Hammett wrote, \u201cbut there are so many plaintiffs because they are defining as abusive the standard for testing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ben Locke, an N.C. State soccer player<\/a> from 2015 to 2017, was the first athlete to report concerns about Murphy\u2019s behavior, including touching Locke\u2019s genitals during dozens of massage treatments. His 2022 complaint triggered an N.C. State Title IX investigation, the university\u2019s process for investigating allegations of sex-based discrimination and misconduct.<\/p>\n

NC State\u2019s Title IX investigation found Locke\u2019s allegations credible, and an official told Locke that Murphy would have been fired if he didn\u2019t quit, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

Hammett said the investigation wasn\u2019t \u201cas thorough\u201d as the lawsuits contend. Murphy also has questions about the final report, saying there was another version finding no evidence of abuse or harassment.<\/p>\n

In December 2022, the North Carolina Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners<\/a> suspended Murphy\u2019s training license and revoked it in 2023.<\/p>\n

Murphy didn\u2019t contest or participate in the process, which resulted in the loss of his license, Hammett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did not contest this because it would have been impossible for the Board to ignore the ongoing lawsuit, and it would have waited for the formal court proceedings to have been resolved,\u201d Hammett wrote.<\/p>\n

Saying that the Title IX findings, the loss of his license, and additional allegations are evidence that their concerns are valid \u201cis exactly the same as saying we made allegations in three different places,\u201d Hammett wrote.<\/p>\n

Sutton has previously said that Murphy could have used that process, as well as other opportunities, to clear his name, but hasn\u2019t done so.<\/p>\n

Murphy wanted to present his evidence in formal court proceedings, Hammett said.<\/p>\n

Hammett also argued that the men\u2019s attorneys recruited additional plaintiffs, possibly by promoting potential compensation.<\/p>\n

He pointed out one advertisement his firm found after Locke first came forward in 2022.<\/p>\n

Hammett pointed to social media advertisements by attorneys seeking additional plaintiffs.<\/p>\n

One advertisement by the California-based Aegis Law Firm<\/a> states that attorneys are \u201cinvestigating additional alleged instances of abuse\u201d by Murphy, that those affected \u201cmay be eligible to receive financial compensation,\u201d and asks affected individuals to click a sign-up button for a \u201cfree case evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are essentially telling people you were abused and there is money available to you if you sign here,\u201d Hammett wrote.<\/p>\n

Sutton, one of the men\u2019s attorneys, says she had nothing to do with that advertisement or that law firm\u2019s marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

The attorney named in the advertisement didn\u2019t respond to telephone messages left by The N&O.<\/p>\n

Read more 3 New Hulu Movies With Great Rotten Tomatoes Scores (June 2026): \u2018Lincoln’ and More<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:00 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former NC State trainer Robert Murphy, through his attorney, denies sexual abuse allegations and says the lawsuit was driven by money, not accountability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nAttorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3005\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former NC State trainer Robert Murphy, through his attorney, denies sexual abuse allegations and says the lawsuit was driven by money, not accountability.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3005\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T14:08:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T14:08:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005\"},\"wordCount\":999,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5e630719032bd2c601206ecadd237317.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005\",\"name\":\"Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5e630719032bd2c601206ecadd237317.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T14:08:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3005#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5e630719032bd2c601206ecadd237317.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5e630719032bd2c601206ecadd237317.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Ron Murphy (center in white hat), who was listed as an associate athletic director and director of sports medicine at N.C. 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