Former NC State sports medicine director arrested in Florida on multiple sexual assault charges
Florida officials detained former NC State head trainer Robert M. Murphy Jr. on numerous sexual battery and felony sexual contact counts tied to alleged abuse of male athletes.
Authorities in Marion County, Florida, arrested Robert M. Murphy Jr., the former director of sports medicine at North Carolina State University, on a series of sexual offense warrants issued by North Carolina. The sheriff’s online docket shows 23 counts of sexual battery and nine counts of felony sexual contact. The charges relate to allegations that Murphy inappropriately touched male athletes during massages and observed them during urine collection, claims first raised in a federal civil suit filed four years ago.
That lawsuit expanded to include 31 former athletes, most of whom remain anonymous, and led to a state-court case that was dismissed on procedural grounds in 2025. Attorneys for the victims say the number of complainants has risen to 35, while Murphy’s lawyers continue to deny any wrongdoing.
Why it matters
The arrest highlights ongoing concerns about abuse in collegiate athletics and the legal accountability of university staff.
In this story
