School was aware of Mora lawsuits before hiring
Before hiring Jim Mora as head coach for the Uconn football team, the university acknowledged that it was aware of four lawsuits filed against Jim Mora, his coaching staff and UCLA during his tenure as Bruins head coach from 2012-17.
“We were aware of the matter early on during the process,” Uconn said in a statement. “We have confirmed that the plaintiff(s) has dropped Coach Mora’s name as a defendant from this case [in November].”
Three former UCLA players, John Lopez, Poasi Moala and Zach Bateman, filed lawsuits on May 28, 2019, against the Regents of the University of California, the NCAA, UCLA assistant coach Adrian Klemm, associate trainer Anthony Venute and Mora.
The players were each seeking in excess of $15 million in damages according to a 2019 report by the Los Angeles Times.
The Bruins players alleged that the coaching staff mishandled their injuries during their time at the university. Lopez and Moala suffered multiple concussions while at UCLA, and Bateman had foot injuries he claimed were treated with negligence.
A fourth suit was brought in September 2019 by offensive lineman Kenny Lacy, who had a hip injury and was seeking unspecified damages.
Lopez’s suit alleges he was pressured back into football activities after suffering concussions in 2013 and 2014 during training camp, that he was ridiculed after his first concussion and that practices included “unnecessarily brutal” head-to-head contact drills. Lopez suffered another concussion in 2015 and was forced stop playing football. His suit contends he was left with short-term memory loss, depression and anxiety, and that he attempted suicide in 2016 by overdosing on a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications. He claims his injuries have kept him from finishing school.
Moala’s suit alleges that he suffered from multiple concussions and hip injuries that required two surgeries before ending his college career in 2017. According to the lawsuit, coaches did not take his complaints seriously.
the buzzer pushed their lead to 53-36.
Seton Hall later cut the deficit to 12 with just over six minutes to play before Uconn went on a 12-2 run to get enough breathing room and ultimately secure the win. It started with Evina Westbrook’s steal and score, which extended the Huskies’ advantage back up to 14, and Bueckers made three baskets to ward off the Pirates’ comeback attempt.
Notes
Auriemma said that junior Aubrey Griffin, who was initially supposed to make her season debut this weekend, aggravated a back injury on Thursday. She has no timetable for her return.
Seton Hall’s Andra Espinoza-hunter, who started her career at Uconn, did not play Friday. She was violated due to a suspension of team rules.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com