Eric Murdock, the man responsible for former Rutgers coach Mike Rice’s abusive behavior coming to light, continued to make life difficult for his former employer on the day the ax fell on athletic director Tim Pernetti.
Murdock, the New Jersey prep star and former NBA guard who was previously the director of player development at the New Jersey school, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Rutgers, president Dr. Robert L. Barchi, former president Richard L. McCormick, Rice and Pernetti in New Jersey State court Friday. Murdock accuses Rutgers of six counts of wrongdoing, which includes ignoring the video he presented them of Rice verbally and physically abusing players.
“Efforts to get Rutgers to address their problems were ignored for months,” Murdock said in a prepared statement during a press conference Friday in East Hanover, N.J., in which he didn’t answer reporters’ questions. “Instead, I was removed from my position. That is wrong and why I filed a lawsuit.”
Murdock, 44, blew the whistle on Rice’s boorish behavior in practice, compiling a video of his worst moments, such as throwing basketballs at players’ heads, manhandling them and using homophobic slurs. Murdock contends he was let go, on July 2, only because he made complaints about Rice to Pernetti, while the school has countered his contract was simply not renewed after he disobeyed Rice’s orders to be present at a basketball camp at Rutgers, but instead attended a different one at his son’s high school. Murdock never met with Rice to discuss their disagreement, the school contends, though Murdock claims he was never offered a specific time or place for a meeting and the next response he received was a letter from Rutgers terminating his employment.
“The termination was the direct result of Mr. Murdock’s complaints and report of Defendant Rice’s unlawful conduct,” the complaint states.
Murdock is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, fees for his attorneys and legal costs. The suit also asks the court for Rutgers to prevent future bullying and harassment of student-athletes and to terminate the defendants from their current posts.