A varsity football player has sued Santa Margarita Catholic High School’s football program, claiming he was sexually assaulted by fellow teammates.
The 15-year-old student was allegedly attacked by 15 to 18 other students while getting ready for practice in the school’s locker room on Sept. 24, according to the lawsuit filed this week.
The case claims that the boy was slammed into a locker by several teammates and pinned to the ground as students took turns assaulting the boy.
The boy’s mother took the victim to the emergency room the day of the attack, launching an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Wednesday.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Although the investigation is ongoing, the student’s parents told deputies they do not want to pursue criminal charges and were planning to handle the incident with the school, according to the sheriff's department.
The boy suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and anxiety following the attack, according to his attorney Brian Williams.
“He's been deeply impacted by this, and that's what makes this so tragic and heartbreaking,” said Williams. “Listening to what occurred, and not just hearing but seeing how deeply affected he is by it – it’s heartbreaking.”
The football program's head coach was placed on administrative leave triggered by “incidents within the football program” earlier this month, according to the school. The school refused to specify if the leave was related to the sexual assault attacks.
Additionally, at least eight other Santa Margarita Catholic High School student athletes were assaulted by teammates according to court documents.
