The former director of sports medicine at North Carolina State University was arrested in Florida on Wednesday night in connection with a sexual assault indictment.
Robert Michael Murphy was arrested on more than 30 sexual assault charges that stem from a civil lawsuit filed against him in 2022 alleging serious and repeated sexual misconduct while performing athletic training and physical therapy on student-athletes.
Lawsuit Sparks Charges
The charges originated as a civil lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina in 2022 filed by Benjamin Locke, who played men’s soccer at NC State from 2015-2017.
The suit alleges that Locke began seeing Murphy in 2015 to deal with recurring shin pain, later diagnosed as bilateral compartment syndrome, which required surgery.
Murphy allegedly told Locke that he should not bathe while recuperating from the surgery due to a risk of infection, and told him he would help him shower and bandage his incisions properly. He then took Locke to the NC State training facility while Locke was still recuperating and under the influence of medication; Murphy told Locke’s parents to go home, then escorted him to the locker room and watched him shower.
Later that year, Locke began complaining of groin pain; Murphy treated him for 14 months without a diagnosis, including heat and ice packs, active stretching, electric stimulation, and massage.
On the last day of final exams, Murphy told Locke to come in for a prostate exam, saying it was necessary; allegedly, Murphy falsely claimed Locke had been seen by an orthopedic surgeon who concluded his pain was not musculoskeletal and wanted to look for other sources of pain, such as prostatitis. He then watched the exam take place despite Locke not feeling comfortable with him.
After that, Murphy continued to treat Locke for pain in the groin, hip, and posterior chain area. During this time, he would bring Locke into his personal office, where the door and blinds were shut, and have him strip completely before treatment. He would then touch him in the genital area with his bare hands while massaging the areas. Locke received an MRI in 2016 and was diagnosed with a sports hernia. Even after he had corrective surgery, Murphy allegedly continued to treat him and touch his genitals bare-handed.
Murphy allegedly made other sexually inappropriate remarks and actions at Locke and other student-athletes, and allegedly continued sexually explicit practices during training and related sessions.
Locke attempted to pursue criminal charges in 2022 but was told by police that it was not prosecutable. He did open a Title IX investigation with the school, and Murphy was suspended from his position. The investigation also revealed a pattern of alleged misconduct by Murphy.
Murphy’s attorneys denied any wrongdoing.
“We are very disappointed that the Wake County District Attorney’s office would choose to prosecute based on a changing story,” attorneys Jared Hammett and Seth Blum said in a statement. “Four years ago law enforcement concluded there was not enough to support charges. Apparently, after enough careful editing, someone came up with a story that got a prosecutor’s 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.”
NC State also issued a statement responding to the arrest.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable,” the university said. “The health and safety of students and student-athletes is paramount to N.C. State Athletics and the university. We are aware of the charges filed by Wake County against Robert Murphy. We will cooperate with law enforcement in this matter. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further at this time.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
