NEWARK, N.J. — A former Rutgers University employee who made public the video that led to the basketball coach’s dismissal and athletic director’s resignation has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the university.
Eric Murdock filed the lawsuit Friday in state court, claiming the university violated the state’s employee protection act and his contract.
Murdock said he wrote to the university in July about coach Mike Rice’s “unlawful conduct,” and gave the university video in November showing Rice pushing players, throwing basketballs at them and berating them with invectives, including gay slurs.
“Despite having been in possession of such video footage, the university and its representatives inexplicably chose to ignore Defendant Rice’s unlawful conduct,” the lawsuit said.
The public airing of the videos this week led to Rice’s firing and the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti.
The school, Rice, Pernetti, university President Robert L. Barchi and former President Richard L. McCormick were all named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Rutgers officials declined to comment about the lawsuit. When asked about it at a news conference Friday, Barchi said, “It is an ongoing legal situation, and it is something that I simply cannot comment on.”
