Ex-UVa football player says he was hazed, called ‘retarded’

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) A former University of Virginia football player has filed a federal lawsuit against the school alleging that he was forced to fight another member of the team to prove his ”manliness.”

The lawsuit filed this month says that Aidan Howard was harassed and bullied by his teammates because of his learning disability and called ”slow” and ”retarded” in front of coaches.

Howard also says he suffered a serious eye injury when he was forced to fight another first-year player. The complaint states a graduate assistant for the team witnessed the fight, but no one tried to stop it.

Howard left the university shortly after the incident.

A university spokesman said in an email that the school is ”actively investigating these reports,” but couldn’t comment further on the lawsuit.

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