As a rookie on the University of Guelph men’s volleyball team, a first-year student says he was subjected to psychological, physical and sexual maltreatment as part of a hazing ritual last year, he claims in a $700,000 lawsuit filed against the school.
Also named in the lawsuit, filed late last month, are the team’s coach and an assistant coach apparently no longer with the team.
The university is accused of allowing the “continuation of an abusive culture” within the men’s volleyball team and failing to “ensure that the Gryphons team environment was safe, respectful, and free from maltreatment.”
It includes accusations of abusive and degrading behaviour at a team rookie party that included forced drinking and a scavenger-hunt type event for rookies that included directions to "take a picture where ‘hoes’ are most frequent."
None of the allegations have been tested or proven in court.
The school says it is investigating the matter internally and declined further comment when contacted by GuelphToday.
The student/athlete is no longer attending the U of G.
“The conduct of the defendants was unconscionable, wanton, shocking to the conscience, and in total and reckless disregard for the plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.
“(The player) suffered primary injuries that included an exacerbated concussion, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These injuries have significantly impacted his mental and emotional well-being, causing distress that interferes with his daily life and academic performance.”
The U of G has not yet filed a statement of defence.
"An investigation is ongoing. We’re not able to provide further comment as this is an ongoing legal matter," wrote a U of G spokesperson in response an inquiry from GuelphToday.
As alleged in the lawsuit, rookie team members were given a list of tasks to complete ahead of a team party as part of an entrance ritual, including to “run through the fountain downtown (nudity encouraged), take a picture with the hottest first year, take a picture where ‘hoes’ are most frequent, and to suck the toes of a named female individual.”
They also reportedly needed to bring condoms, duct tape, a signed bra and a signed pair of panties to the party.
However, the party didn’t go ahead as initially planned because “junior teammates felt threatened and uncomfortable with their ongoing maltreatment and sought to avoid the hazing and bullying that was sure to follow at the team party.”
Instead, the party took place about two weeks later.
That evening, the player was told to wait at the U of G Arboretum to be picked up by a group of senior Gryphon teammates. He was allegedly blindfolded and led to a vehicle where death metal music was playing at an extremely high volume.
“The vehicle weaved through traffic at a high rate of speed and (the plaintiff) feared for his life,” the lawsuit states.
At the party, team rookies were “forced to chug alcohol through funnels” and senior teammates gave them “hostile, offensive and degrading” nicknames.
“(The plaintiff) was made to find and chug bottles of liquor despite him repeatedly advising that he was not comfortable completing same until he broke into a mental panic and left the party,” the statement of claim continues. “He was then escorted back into the party before his friend called him an Uber and he left for the night.”
An assistant coach reportedly attended the party, which the player claims shows the defendants were aware of what was going on.
During subsequent team practices, “the maltreatment and near-constant breaches of coded responsibilities did not cease.” That includes a “rule” that when a player missed a serve, they had to pull down their pants.
When the player subsequently spoke with the assistant coach about the “maltreatment he had been suffering for months,” he was berated about the importance of team culture, the lawsuit claims.
The plaintiff’s “condition is further complicated by a history of past trauma from a similar group setting, which has been severely exacerbated by the recent experiences with the Gryphons. This cumulative effect has left (him) struggling to cope with the psychological aftermath of his maltreatment, hindering his ability to feel safe and supported in social environments.”
The player further claims that despite suffering a concussion, he was “forced” to participate in physical and jarring activities. A teammate also hit him in the back of the head with a ball.
The lawsuit seeks $200,000 in general damages, $300,000 in special damages and $200,000 in aggravated, exemplary and/or punitive damages, as well as “such further and other relief as this honourable court may deem just.”
