NC State Ex-Trainer Arrested, Faces 32 Charges

Former NC State sports medicine director Robert Murphy Jr., 54, was arrested Wednesday evening in Ocala, Florida, on North Carolina warrants. A Wake County grand jury on Sept. 14 charged him with nine felonies of sexual contact or penetration under the pretext of medical treatment and 23 misdemeanor sexual-battery counts. He led the program from 2012 until resigning in 2022 amid an internal investigation. More than 30 former male athletes have accused him of abuse during treatment; Ben Locke filed a 2022 campus police complaint alleging abuse began in 2015 at age 17. Portions of the sealed indictment briefly appeared on the Wake County court website before removal. Murphy denies the allegations. Attorney Seth Blum has said there was not one scrap of credible evidence he assaulted anyone. Attorney Jarod Hammett has called the civil actions a rush to judgment that harms real people's lives and said the truth is nothing happened but a man's career being ruined for money. Plaintiffs' attorney Kerry Sutton said the charges validate Ben Locke and 33 other former Wolfpack athletes and that the fight will not stop until Murphy and NC State stand accountable. Judge Bryan Collins dismissed the civil suit in June 2026 on statute-of-limitations and procedural grounds; the plaintiffs have appealed. District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said her office is awaiting word on whether Murphy will fight extradition.