Former NC State Sports Medicine Director Indicted on 32 Sex Abuse Charges as Civil Cases Continue

Former North Carolina State University sports medicine director Robert Michael Murphy Jr. has been indicted on 32 criminal charges accusing him of sexually abusing male student-athletes while providing medical treatment, adding a criminal prosecution to years of civil litigation over allegations involving the Wolfpack athletic program.

A Wake County grand jury indicted Murphy, 54, on nine felony counts of sexual contact or penetration under the pretext of medical treatment and 23 misdemeanor counts of sexual battery. Prosecutors say the charges involve 14 former student-athletes and alleged conduct spanning several years. Murphy was arrested Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in Ocala, Florida, where he now lives.

Murphy appeared before a Florida judge the following day and waived extradition, clearing the way for his return to North Carolina. The indictments were handed down September 14 but remained sealed while authorities sought his arrest. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said investigators have continued speaking with former athletes willing to participate in the criminal investigation.

The charges are allegations, and Murphy has not been convicted. His attorneys have denied wrongdoing in the related civil litigation.

Murphy served as N.C. State's director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer from 2012 until 2022. Allegations against him first became public after former men's soccer player Benjamin Locke reported Murphy to university police and later filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of inappropriate sexual contact during injury treatment. Other former athletes subsequently came forward with similar allegations.

North Carolina law makes sexual contact or penetration under the pretext of medical treatment a Class C felony under specified circumstances. The law covers conduct in which a medical provider allegedly represents that sexual contact or penetration is necessary or beneficial to treatment and induces a patient to participate. The provision took effect in 2019.

The misdemeanor sexual battery statute separately covers certain sexual contact carried out for sexual arousal, gratification or abuse when accomplished by force and against a person's will or involving a person who is mentally disabled, incapacitated or physically helpless. Sexual battery is a Class A1 misdemeanor.

The dates of the alleged conduct could be important because accusations against Murphy extend across several years, including periods before the medical-treatment felony statute took effect.

The criminal case involves 14 alleged victims, while the civil litigation reaches further. Thirty-one former male N.C. State athletes joined a state lawsuit accusing Murphy of sexual abuse, harassment and intrusive conduct during medical treatment and drug testing. They also sued current and former university officials, alleging that earlier warnings about Murphy's behavior were not adequately addressed.

According to the civil allegations, some athletes said Murphy touched or came close to their genitals during massages and other treatment even when they were receiving care for injuries elsewhere on the body. Others alleged that he required unnecessary exposure while overseeing urine collection for drug testing. Murphy has denied the accusations.

The state civil case suffered a major setback in June when Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins dismissed claims against Murphy and several current and former N.C. State officials. Collins found the claims against Murphy barred by the applicable statute of limitations and concluded that negligence claims against university officials belonged before the North Carolina Industrial Commission because N.C. State is a state institution.

The former athletes appealed the dismissal on June 24. Their attorneys have emphasized that the ruling turned on limitations and jurisdictional issues rather than a factual finding that the alleged misconduct did not occur.

Murphy's criminal indictment does not automatically revive claims dismissed as untimely or resolve the jurisdictional issues on appeal. The criminal prosecution also carries a different burden of proof. Prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, while the civil plaintiffs must first overcome the procedural barriers that prevented many of their claims from moving forward.

A separate federal Title IX case against N.C. State remains active and focuses more directly on what university officials allegedly knew about Murphy.

In January 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit revived a lawsuit brought by another former student-athlete who alleged Murphy sexually abused him during treatment and that the university had been warned about Murphy's behavior beforehand.

The lower court had dismissed the case after finding that an earlier report describing Murphy as engaging in "sexual grooming" of male student-athletes was insufficient to give N.C. State actual notice of sexual harassment. The Fourth Circuit disagreed, ruling that an allegation of sexual grooming could plausibly provide notice of sexual harassment at the pleading stage. The case was sent back for further proceedings, including consideration of whether the warning reached a university official with authority to respond.

A finding that an individual employee committed misconduct does not by itself establish institutional liability against a university. A plaintiff seeking damages generally must show that an appropriate school official had actual notice of sexual harassment and that the institution responded with deliberate indifference.

N.C. State also conducted an internal Title IX investigation after Locke's complaint. Records cited in litigation said investigators found Locke's account more credible than Murphy's and determined that the conduct he described was unwelcome and sexual in nature. Murphy left N.C. State in June 2022 before the university process was completed. Court records state that Locke was later informed Murphy would have been found to have violated university policy had he remained employed.

Murphy's professional credentials also became the subject of disciplinary action. North Carolina's athletic trainer licensing board summarily suspended his license in December 2022, and national certification records state that his state license was permanently revoked in 2023.

N.C. State said after the criminal charges became public that sexual misconduct is unacceptable and that the health and safety of students and student-athletes are priorities. The university said it is aware of the charges and will cooperate with law enforcement but declined further comment because the criminal case remains pending.

Freeman has said additional allegations could be investigated if more former athletes choose to participate in the criminal process. The district attorney also acknowledged the barriers that can discourage male sexual-abuse victims from reporting alleged misconduct.

Murphy's prosecution will now proceed alongside the appeal involving the broader civil case and the continuing federal Title IX litigation against N.C. State. The proceedings involve different defendants, legal standards and periods of alleged conduct, meaning they can produce different results even when they arise from overlapping allegations.

What began as one former athlete's complaint has developed into a 32-count criminal prosecution, an appeal involving claims by dozens of former athletes and continuing litigation over what N.C. State officials allegedly knew and how the university responded.