Former Rutgers forward Derrick Randall has filed a suit against the institution, former coach Mike Rice, former athletic director Tim Pernetti, former assistant coach James Martelli, current school president Robert Barchi, and two other employees for the abuse suffered during Rice’s tenure as head basketball coach. The suit claims that the treatment Randall endured while on the team caused him to lose all confidence in his game.
H/T: The Courthouse News
Randall left Rutgers after the scandal. He says the abuse caused him to lose “all confidence in himself and in his athletic abilities, which impacted his ability to perform both on and off the court.”
Randall claims Rice assaulted and battered him and that the other defendants “knew of this abusive conduct, yet stood by and allowed it to continue.”
“The outrageous, intimidating and abusive conduct to which Derrick was subjected included Coach Rice hurling basketballs at his head and legs and hitting, grabbing, striking and shoving him,” the complaint states.
“Coach Rice verbally, mentally, and emotionally abused Derrick through violent screaming, cursing and other humiliation tactics, including the use of homophobic slurs and other shockingly derogatory and discriminatory name calling.
“A photograph of Coach Rice grabbing Derrick by the neck and face on the bench during a game, with Derrick looking completely lost and helpless, speaks volumes, as does the video of such abusive behavior.”
During his two years at Rutgers, Randall a 6’9” forward, averaged 2.3 pts and 2 rebounds per game. Since transferring to Pitt this season he’s averaging 3.1 pts and 4.8 rebounds.
I’m not sure if those slight increases in numbers will be enough for a lawyer to be able to prove that his experience significantly damaged his confidence. Plus, based on those stats, it doesn’t seem like he had THAT much game to lose in the first place