Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hammett says Murphy denies wrongdoing and criticizes the lawsuits as money-driven.
- Judge Collins dismissed the Wake suit as filed too late and shifted some claims to the.
- Thirty-one former athletes filed the Wake suit, plan to appeal, and filed an Industrial.
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NC State athletics and harassment accusations
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.
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The attorney for former N.C. State trainer Robert Murphy said his client was unfairly labeled an abuser in lawsuits driven by money.
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.
“Those who brought this suit think if they shout sexual abuse loudly, people will stop listening to the obvious,” Hammett wrote. “Maybe they’re right.”
Hammett’s response is the most significant public response yet from Murphy’s legal team since a former student filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging Murphy sexually abused and harassed scholarship athletes he was supposed to be helping.
Former NC trainer denies sexual abuse and harassment allegations
The past several years have been devastating for Murphy, who has denied all wrongdoing, Hammett wrote.
The allegations created a “rush to judgment” that left Murphy publicly branded as an “abuser” before he had an opportunity to defend himself.
On June 9, Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins dismissed the lawsuit, ruling the claims against Murphy were filed too late and those against N.C. State administrators belonged before the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
The plaintiffs, 31 former N.C. State scholarship athletes, plan to appeal.
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.
Men’s attorney: Blaming the former NC State athletes ‘a bold move’
Kerry Sutton, one of the attorneys representing the men, provided limited comment.
“It is not appropriate for me to comment on Mr. Hammett’s personal opinions about my clients. Nevertheless, blaming the athletes and calling dozens of sexual abuse victims liars is a bold move in 2026,” Sutton wrote in response to questions sent by The N&O.
Hammett described the lawsuit’s dismissal as “justice” because it is another sign that the allegations could not withstand scrutiny.
Hammett pointed to allegations from athletes about Murphy harassing them during drug tests.
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.
Such observation is a standard part of NCAA drug testing, Hammett said. The NCAA rules state that a drug testing officer or their designee “will fully observe the provision of the student-athlete specimen.”
“They are assuming people will believe them because there are so many plaintiffs,” Hammett wrote, “but there are so many plaintiffs because they are defining as abusive the standard for testing.”
Response to N.C. State investigation and loss of license
Ben Locke, an N.C. State soccer player from 2015 to 2017, was the first athlete to report concerns about Murphy’s behavior, including touching Locke’s genitals during dozens of massage treatments. His 2022 complaint triggered an N.C. State Title IX investigation, the university’s process for investigating allegations of sex-based discrimination and misconduct.
NC State’s Title IX investigation found Locke’s allegations credible, and an official told Locke that Murphy would have been fired if he didn’t quit, according to the lawsuit.
Hammett said the investigation wasn’t “as thorough” as the lawsuits contend. Murphy also has questions about the final report, saying there was another version finding no evidence of abuse or harassment.
Robert Murphy’s training license suspended
In December 2022, the North Carolina Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners suspended Murphy’s training license and revoked it in 2023.
Murphy didn’t contest or participate in the process, which resulted in the loss of his license, Hammett said.
“He 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,” Hammett wrote.
Saying that the Title IX findings, the loss of his license, and additional allegations are evidence that their concerns are valid “is exactly the same as saying we made allegations in three different places,” Hammett wrote.
Sutton has previously said that Murphy could have used that process, as well as other opportunities, to clear his name, but hasn’t done so.
Murphy wanted to present his evidence in formal court proceedings, Hammett said.
Why Robert Murphy’s attorney says the case was about money
Hammett also argued that the men’s attorneys recruited additional plaintiffs, possibly by promoting potential compensation.
He pointed out one advertisement his firm found after Locke first came forward in 2022.
Hammett pointed to social media advertisements by attorneys seeking additional plaintiffs.
One advertisement by the California-based Aegis Law Firm states that attorneys are “investigating additional alleged instances of abuse” by Murphy, that those affected “may be eligible to receive financial compensation,” and asks affected individuals to click a sign-up button for a “free case evaluation.”
“They are essentially telling people you were abused and there is money available to you if you sign here,” Hammett wrote.
Sutton, one of the men’s attorneys, says she had nothing to do with that advertisement or that law firm’s marketing efforts.
The attorney named in the advertisement didn’t respond to telephone messages left by The N&O.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Attorney, in exclusive interview, says ex-NC State trainer denies sexual abuse."
