A former men’s soccer player from Xavier University in Ohio is suing the school and its athletic department over allegations of hazing and negligence, and the personal injuries and damages associated with them.
The student claims that he was injured multiple times after being pressured in to drinking excessive amounts of alcohol by his teammates. According to this article, the lawsuit also states that the head coach and athletic department knew of these activities.
At the event where the hazing supposedly took place, the student and other first year students were required to binge drink and perform special tasks – the student was also named “The Chosen One”—and forced to participate in additional, dangerous hazing activities.
The student’s attorney stated that in the event of hazing, students are put in a position where they have lost the ability to exercise free will. Hazing is an activity that is negligent to the safety and quality of life of the individuals who are forced to participate.
As a result of the hazing, the student sustained multiple head injuries including one from hitting his head on a banister and tripping while being required to carry a keg up a flight of stairs. The lawsuit also states that the student was at one time knocked unconscious, but that no one in attendance sought medical attention.
When the student sought medical attention for his head injuries days later, he was convinced to tell examiners that he had received his injuries from playing soccer. The student was diagnosed with a concussion and could not return to playing soccer until was cleared by special testing.