N.C. State's former director of sports medicine faces felony and misdemeanor criminal charges after being accused of sexually abusing former Wolfpack male athletes under the guise of treatment, which previously led to more than 30 athletes outlining allegations in years of civil lawsuits.
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athletes → face → lawsuits
Authorities in Florida arrested Robert M. Murphy Jr. on Wednesday night, and he was being held Thursday in the Marion County jail on out-of-state fugitive warrants from North Carolina.
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he → arrest → Carolina
That came after a Wake County grand jury indicted Murphy on Sept. 14 on nine felony counts of sexual contact under pretext of medical treatment and 23 counts of sexual battery, a misdemeanor.
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jury → come → battery
In a statement Thursday to The Associated Press confirming the indictment, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said the charges were linked to 14 victims who were interviewed by law enforcement officers amid a multiyear investigation.
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who → confirm → investigation
"This is a big step in a longer process committed to seeking justice on behalf of these victims," Freeman said.
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Freeman → commit → victims
"We commend the hard work of law enforcement and the courage of the victims who have brought us to this point."
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who → commend → point
The Marion County Sheriff's Office listed the 32 charges, but no additional details on its online database after his arrest, which was first reported by ESPN.
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which → list → ESPN
According to the sheriff's office, the charges include sexual battery and felony sexual contact.
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charges → accord → battery
Allegations have moved from civil to criminal court
The case originated with a federal civil lawsuit from a single athlete filed four years ago.
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case → move → athlete
That complaint alleged years of misconduct by Murphy, such as improper touching of the genitals during massages and intrusive observation while collecting urine samples during drug testing.
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complaint → allege → testing
The case eventually landed in state court in 2025 with 14 former Wolfpack athletes, with that number growing to 31 joining the lawsuit by late January.
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31 → land → January
A judge dismissed the lawsuit in June, citing procedural reasons, while attorneys for the players have appealed.
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attorneys → dismiss → players
According to the indictments unsealed Thursday afternoon, the 32 charges scattered among 14 victims covered allegations ranging from October 2016 to fall 2021.
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charges → accord → fall
Murphy faces as many as six charges with two felony counts related to a single accuser, as well as a total of four charges and two felonies with another.
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Murphy → face → another
The alleged victims claim that former athletic director Debbie Yow and other school officials were aware of concerns over Murphy's conduct but that the university did not investigate his behavior nor prevent him from working with male athletes, CBS Sports reported.
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Sports → allege → athletes
According to the lawsuit, athletes throughout the university knew of Murphy's actions and some refused treatment from him.
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some → accord → him
Jared Hammett and Seth Blum, Raleigh-based attorneys who have represented Murphy in the civil suits, have denied wrongdoing by their client.
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who → base → client
They did so again Thursday in a statement to the AP in response to the criminal charges that referenced N.C. State's 2022 statement that campus police had conducted an investigation that year and filed no criminal charges.
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police → do → charges
"We are very disappointed that the Wake County District Attorney's office would choose to prosecute based on a changing story," Hammett and Blum said.
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Hammett → disappoint → story
"Four years ago law enforcement concluded there was not enough to support charges.
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enforcement → conclude → charges
Apparently, after enough careful editing, someone came up with a story that got a prosecutor's attention.
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that → come → attention
"We, as always, believe that when people hear the actual facts of what occurred, Mr. Murphy will be cleared and the truth will be paramount."
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truth → believe → facts
Durham-based attorney Kerry Sutton, who has represented players going back to the original case, told the AP that the number of athletes who have contacted players' attorneys with similar allegations has grown to 35.
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who → base → 35
"This is a huge development for the men," Sutton said in a statement about the criminal charges.
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Sutton → say → charges
Civil lawsuits take winding paths through court system
All but two of those 31 athletes were "John Doe" plaintiffs to protect their identity, while two former men's soccer players were named.
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players → take → identity
One is Benjamin Locke, who filed the original complaint in August 2022 and whose allegations dating to August 2015 were the subject of the N.C. State campus police's initial investigation.
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allegations → file → investigation
The AP typically doesn't identify those who say they have been sexually assaulted or abused unless the person has spoken publicly about it, which Locke has done.
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Locke → identify → which
Locke's lawsuit said that former men's soccer coach Kelly Findley allegedly told a senior official in the athletic department in 2016 that Murphy was engaging in conduct "consistent with 'grooming' behavior," CBS Sports reported.
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Sports → say → behavior
According to the latest lawsuit, Findley raised concerns four years prior and requested that Murphy be removed from his role as the team's trainer.
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Murphy → accord → trainer
Murphy was reassigned in 2013 but resumed working with the soccer team in 2014.
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Murphy → reassign → 2014
The other is one of two athletes who filed their own federal lawsuits in February 2023 and April 2023.
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who → file → February
One of those cases were dismissed by a district court before being revived in January 2025 by a federal appeals court.
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One → dismiss → court
The lawsuit in state court with 31 athletes as plaintiffs listed Murphy, who was at N.C. State from 2012-22, among nine defendants named individually.
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who → list → defendants
Others are school officials accused of negligence in oversight roles, including Yow and current AD Boo Corrigan.
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Others → accuse → Yow
The judge's June dismissal of the lawsuit cited reasons such as the statute of limitations expiring in claims dating back as early as 2013.
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dismissal → cite → 2013
It had also cited jurisdictional grounds, stating any complaint should go through the North Carolina Industrial Commission - a state agency that deals with workplace matters because N.C. State is a public university - rather than civil court.
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State → cite → court
In a statement, N.C. State said it was aware of the criminal charges filed against Murphy.
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it → say → Murphy
"Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable," the university said.
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university → say → kind
We are aware of the charges filed by Wake County against Robert Murphy.
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We → file → Murphy
We will cooperate with law enforcement in this matter.
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We → cooperate → matter
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
