Cardinal Newman player was sexually assaulted, called racial slurs at school, suit says
A now-former football player at Columbia’s Cardinal Newman School was sexually assaulted in the locker room by teammates and called racial slurs by coaches, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The teen’s mother alleges in the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, that her son suffered severe physical and mental abuse while attending the school. The complaint contends that the student was subjected to “hazing, violent abuse, bullying, sexual assault, inappropriate conduct perpetrated by athletic coaches and that he was called racial slurs because he is Black.”
Attorney Tyler Bailey, who represents the teen and his mother, said the school and the Catholic Diocese of Charleston were, among other things, grossly negligent by failing to protect the player on school grounds.
The complaint further accuses the school and diocese of negligent hiring, training and supervision as well as violating the student’s civil rights.
Cardinal Newman School is a Catholic middle and high school on Alpine Road in Richland County. Its mission is “to provide an academically rigorous Christian education to young men and women from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds,” according to information on its website.
Cardinal Newman says it fosters “a community where every student is known (and) the dignity of all is appreciated,” according to a mission statement on its website.
In a letter to parents Wednesday, the school acknowledged the lawsuit and said the diocesan legal team is reviewing the case “and will respond to the pleading in due time.
“While it is not appropriate for CNS and the Diocese to comment on the allegations in the pending lawsuit at this time, please know that Cardinal Newman has and will continue to treat all students, faculty and staff as children of God,” the letter said.
The former student began attending Cardinal Newman in the fall of 2022 and became a member of the school’s football team, according to the lawsuit. In September of that year, several of his teammates sexually assaulted him during football practice in the locker room.
“The sexual assault was perpetrated in the midst of other student-athletes while they laughed and filmed the incident,” the complaint said. “After the assault, (the student) was ultimately able to free himself but his teammates continued to film him via cellphone while he was crying and visibly distressed.”
The lawsuit says the video of the teen being assaulted by his teammates continues to be widely circulated on social media today.
Following the sexual assault, the student remained on the football team and was subjected to being called “racial slurs by his coaches in an attempt to bully, intimidate, and humiliate” the student.
“The conduct Plaintiff John Doe was subject to wasn’t unique to him and other African American students received the same treatment,” the lawsuit said.
The teen’s mother reported the incidents to school administrators, who failed to take action, according to the lawsuit. Ultimately, the mother withdrew her son from the school in November 2023.
“The greatest pain comes from knowing that my son was sexually assaulted in a place that was supposed to be a safe haven for him and other students,” the student’s mother said in a news release. “Filing this lawsuit is more than just seeking justice for my son, it’s about creating change in the culture of the organization to protect other Black children.”
The incidents have caused “profound physical and emotional harm to this young man,” Bailey said in the news release. “We hope that this lawsuit compels Cardinal Newman School to enhance and enforce policies that protect students from sexual assaults and take a firm stand against racial slurs and discriminatory language.”
