A lawsuit filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York makes shocking allegations of sexualized hazing within the Seton Hall University baseball program.
As reported by NJ Advance Media, the unnamed player from New York claims abuse began upon his arrival in South Orange as a freshman last fall. The player was forced to shave his head, show off his genitals and watch upperclassmen masturbate.
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A lawsuit filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York makes shocking allegations of sexualized hazing within the Seton Hall University baseball program.
As reported by NJ Advance Media, the unnamed player from New York claims abuse began upon his arrival in South Orange as a freshman last fall. The player was forced to shave his head, show off his genitals and watch upperclassmen masturbate.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, claims longtime Seton Hall coach Rob Sheppard was made aware of “the abusive locker room environment’’ and failed to “discipline perpetrators, or implement corrective measures, allowing the hazing to continue unabated.’’
“The acts, including coerced sexual exposure, physical assault, sexual rituals, and retaliatory ostracization, created a hostile and unsafe environment, causing significant physical, emotional, academic, and professional harm to Plaintiff,’’ the complaint states.
A Seton Hall official said the school “is firmly committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment,’' NJ Advance Media reported.
“Upon learning of certain allegations earlier this year, the University promptly retained a nationally respected third-party investigator to conduct an independent and thorough review,’' Seton Hall spokesperson Michael Hyland said. ”As litigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time.’'
The lawsuit names the college, Sheppard and three players — listed only by their initials — as the defendants. It seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial “but not less than $1 million,’’ while also requiring Seton Hall to implement comprehensive anti-hazing protocols.
Per NJ Advance Media's reporting, the player claims he was forced to transfer to a lower-level college baseball program close to his Suffolk County, N.Y., home in September 2024. In an interview with the New York Post, which first reported details of the lawsuit Wednesday, the player reportedly said: “What’s going on in the locker room is some sick, sick stuff.”
According to the 16-page complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media, the pitcher was 17 years old when he arrived at Seton Hall in late August 2024 and said he felt “an immediate sense of intimidation’’ after being informed by the team’s upperclassmen of a team tradition requiring freshmen to shave their heads,
In addition, the lawsuit claims the freshman pitcher was forced to expose his genitals to the team while being subjected to degrading remarks and engage in a locker-room wrestling match during which a teammate “dragged him across the floor, and body slammed him onto his back, placing him in a chokehold," NJ Advance Media reported.
The lawsuit claims the freshman pitcher’s father contacted Sheppard following the wrestling incident to report the hazing and his son’s injuries. The longtime Pirates coach allegedly assured the player that the hazing would stop. It didn’t, according to the complaint.
“Throughout September 2024, Plaintiff witnessed and was pressured to participate in the ‘Lotus’ ritual, where teammates … lay naked on the locker room floor and manipulated their genitals in front of the team,’’ the lawsuit states.
Seton Hall is accused of failing to enforce its Non-Hazing Policy, which prohibits hazing and mandates investigation of such incidents. “The hazing and abuse caused Plaintiff severe emotional distress, including humiliation, anxiety, and fear, which persist to the present,’’ the lawsuit states, as reported by NJ Advance Media.
