Former Northwestern football player files 4th lawsuit amid hazing allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in school athletics
A fourth lawsuit was filed Monday against Northwestern University as the school grapples with allegations of a pervasive hazing culture and a toxic environment that extended beyond the football team and into other sports including baseball, softball and volleyball.
The hazing scandal that has rocked the school this month includes allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The plaintiff in Monday’s lawsuit, 26-year-old former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates, recently told the Tribune in an exclusive interview he has been haunted by nightmares and anxiety since he joined the Wildcats in 2015 and graduated in 2018.
Yates is being represented by attorneys Ben Crump and Steven Levin, who have said that they will be filing suits on behalf of at least 15 former student athletes with similar experiences and that they are in conversations with at least 50 others. Crump and Levin are suing Northwestern on Yates’ behalf seeking monetary damages to cover damages and costs incurred from negligence, willful and wanton conduct and gender-related violence.
At a press conference on Monday, the Crump legal team detailed some of the graphic allegations in the 52-page complaint and acknowledged Yates’ bravery for
