Rutgers’ Former Basketball Coach Sues University for Wrongful Termination

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the Associated Press.

Rutgers’ former assistant basketball coach, Eric Murdock, is suing the university for Wrongful Termination after he was fired for allegedly expressing his concerns about a coach who has allegedly crossed the line by physically and verbally abusing players.

In his lawsuit filed before the New Jersey Court last Friday, Murdock claims that he was unlawfully axed from his job after he warned the university officials about misconduct of a coach who allegedly punched and kicked players and called them names and other degrading remarks.

During his warning, Murdock even showed videos of the disgraced coach but the officials simply ignored his warnings and instead, suspended him for three games and further fined $50,000.00 on December 13, 2011 until he was eventually terminated on July 2, 2012, according to court documents.

The former Providence and NBA guard also stated in his lawsuit that during his entire basketball career, he never experienced such maltreatment and abuse as that college players do.

Murdock is seeking for $950,000.00 damages in his lawsuit which named Rutgers’ basketball coach Mike Rice who was shown on the video footages abusing the players, the  ex-athletic director Tim Pernetti who just resigned from his position last Friday, and Rutgers’ president Richard McCormick. In addition, the lawsuit is asking the court to order Rutgers to take preventive measures for future bullying and harassment of members of the university community. Also, it seeks an order to require Rutgers to discipline anyone who pardons or tolerates such abuse.

Recent updates of this story revealed that Rice was fired the day after ESPN broadcasted a video footage showing Rice punching and kicking players, and calling with them homophobic slurs.

Consequently, due to the huge impact created by Murdock’s revelation, the widespread controversy apparently has made the New Jersey governor Chris Christie upset. During a news conference last Monday, Gov. Christie called Rutgers’ Rice an “animal” over his treatment to the basketball players. He likewise criticized how the university handled evidence of the coach’s issues.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyer likewise believes that although basketball players need to be disciplined and trained well, they do not deserve to be maltreated and abused in any ways. Obviously, his sympathy is with the players as well.