Mike Rice is still causing problems for Rutgers.
Derrick Randall, a former Scarlet Knights basketball player who transferred to Pittsburgh after last season, is suing Rutgers over the harsh treatment he received while playing for the school’s former coach.
The lawsuit was filed in the state’s federal court on Friday and names Rice as a defendant, along with the university, Rutgers president Robert Barchi, former athletic director Tim Pernetti, former assistant coach James Martelli, CFO Janine Purcaro and chairman of the board of governors, Mark Hershorn.
The complaint states that the ball-throwing, hate-spewing antics of Rice caused Randall to lose confidence in himself and affected his ability to play. Randall alleges that the coach “assaulted and battered him,” according to the report, which states that the other defendants knew about it.
Videos were released in April that showed multiple incidents of Rice’s violent and verbal outbursts at practice, leading to his firing.
“Stuff still pops up about like Mike Rice stuff,” Randall told The Star-Ledger last month, prior to news of the lawsuit. “I just don’t want that to ever happen to me again because it was the worst time of my life.”
The complaint states, in part: “The outrageous, intimidating and abusive conduct to which Derrick was subjected included Coach Rice hurling basketballs at his head and legs and hitting, grabbing, striking and shoving him. Coach Rice verbally, mentally, and emotionally abused Derrick through violent screaming, cursing and other humiliation tactics, including the use of homophobic slurs and other shockingly derogatory and discriminatory name calling.”
Randall is seeking damages and punitive damages in the suit.