A former Seton Hall baseball player has alleged that he was beaten and subjected to disturbing sexual rituals when he joined the team as a freshman last year, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Long Island federal court that The Setonian has obtained.
SHU is being sued on Title IX grounds. The suit alleges that hazing of male athletes is tolerated while female athletes are protected from it, which has “created a hostile educational environment,” exposing male student-athletes to “serious risks of physical and emotional harm.”
The suit names the university, head coach Rob Sheppard, and three other SHU baseball players as defendants; the players are identified only by their initials for confidentiality. The former pitcher is asking for a minimum of $1 million in compensatory damages, in addition to unspecified punitive damages, according to the lawsuit.
The New York Post interviewed the student, who has chosen to remain anonymous in the lawsuit. He told The Post that he was left “spitting blood” after a beating and was forced to show the team his genitals in the locker room.
The student, who left SHU two months into the fall 2024 semester, told The Post he couldn’t go to another Division I school due to transfer portal rules and had to enroll in a Division III program instead.
The lawsuit alleges that the student was subjected to a “team masturbation ritual,” told of future team rituals including a nude wrestling match, and forced to “wrestle [a] much older player,” which resulted in him getting “body slammed” and “put in a chokehold.”
The student explained to The Post the emotional effects that the alleged abuse had on him.
“It was a dark time for me—I was sad, depressed,” he said. “I was down in the dumps every day.”
The suit alleges that Coach Sheppard ignored complaints of “violent and sexually disturbing hazing,” taking “no meaningful action to address the issues.”
In response to these allegations, the university issued a statement on Thursday.
"Seton Hall is firmly committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment. Upon learning of certain allegations earlier this year, the University promptly retained a nationally respected third-party investigator to conduct an independent and thorough review. As litigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time," the university said.
Sheppard is a SHU baseball alumnus who has been the SHU baseball coach for 20 years, succeeding his father, Mike Sheppard Sr. who coached for 31 years and whom the baseball field is named after.
The lawsuit also claims that Sheppard and SHU “failed to investigate the complaint, discipline perpetrators, or implement corrective measures, allowing the hazing to continue unabated.”
This is a developing story. Check back at TheSetonian.com or @TheSetonian on Instagram for updates.
Dominique Mercadante is the Editor in Chief of The Setonian. She can be reached at dominique.mercadante@student.shu.edu
Sofia Kasbo is the Managing Editor of The Setonian. She can be reached at sofia.kasbo@student.shu.edu
