Former Rutgers player sues over Rice behavior

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A former Rutgers basketball player claims in a lawsuit that he was subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of fired coach Mike Rice.

Derrick Randall played for Rutgers from 2011 until last spring. He was seen in practice videos where players were shoved, kicked and berated by Rice. After the videos went public last spring, Rice was fired and athletic director Tim Pernetti and other school officials resigned.

Randall's lawsuit, filed Friday and made public Monday, claims he suffers from learning disabilities and experienced emotional trauma from Rice's behavior. Randall left Rutgers this year.

"Defendants, directly and/or through their agents, willfully, recklessly, negligently and with deliberate indifference, placed Derrick in a hostile environment in which he was regularly and continuously subjected to physical, mental, verbal and emotional abuse of the most outrageous nature," the suit claims.

Named in the lawsuit are Rice, Pernetti, former assistant coach James Martelli, Rutgers president Robert Barchi and two other school officials. It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.

Martelli resigned after the video surfaced. The two officials, Rutgers board of governors member Mark Hershhorn and Janine Purcaro, CFO for intercollegiate athletics, are still employed by the university.

The suit alleges negligence and breach of fiduciary duty on the part of all defendants and accuses Rice of assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It also accuses the school of violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

A Rutgers spokesman said Tuesday the university had not yet been served the lawsuit.