Footballer sues for $100 Million, alleges s£xu@l harassment and abuse by teammates

The youngest-ever player signed with Real Salt Lake has filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million, alleging that he was bullied and sxually harassed while on the team as a minor. Jeff Dewsnup, now 22, was just 17 when he played goalkeeper for Real Salt Lake in the United Soccer League, and regularly faced taunts from his adult team members, who ridiculed the size of his pnis, waved their genitals at him, and pelted his rear end with soccer balls, the suit alleges. He filed a lawsuit naming Real Salt Lake (RSL), Major League Soccer (MLS), the United States Soccer Federation, Inc. (USSF), staff members, and several players, claiming that he experienced physical, emotional, and sxual abuse while on the team. Dewsnup joined RSL after attending the RSL Academy in 2019 and was officially signed in 2021 at age 16. He was the youngest-ever player to sign with the team, and he retired from the team in 2022, at the age of 18. According to the lawsuit, neither RSL, Major League Soccer (MLS), nor the United States Soccer Federation, Inc. (USSF) created any special protections for him due to his age, requiring him to shower and change in the same locker room as adult players. He and his parents were not informed about how to report child abuse while he was on the team. Dewsnup reportedly felt uncomfortable sharing this space with the adult professional players, and the complaint states that he suffered sexualized conduct such as inappropriate comments and seeing adult genitalia. He was even allegedly hit with a ball from behind while nude by Aaron Herrera, Tate Schmitt, and Justin Glad. Documents say he began taking anti-anxiety medication and would wait two hours to shower to avoid the adult players. RSLs goalkeeper coach, Ignacio Hernandez who is named in the lawsuit is accused of acting aggressively toward the then-16-year-old and mishandling his injuries. He reportedly forced [Dewsnup] to train while injured and verbally abused him. Additionally, the complaint names player David Ochoa, stating that he made threats and verbally bullied the 16-year-old in front of other players. The lawsuit says that despite Dewsnups family reporting what occurred to the RSL coaches and general manager, nothing changed. Due to these factors, the lawsuit states that Dewsnup attempted suicide in April 2022 and was taken to the emergency room. He resigned from RSL following this. Dewsnups lawsuit is asking for a total of $100 million, including $20 million in emergency room treatment, psychiatric care, therapy, and medication. The other $80 million comes from past and future lost wages, including lost earnings as a professional soccer player and endorsements due to his early retirement stemming from the alleged abuse.The post Footballer sues for $100 Million, alleges sxu@l harassment and abuse by teammates appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
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