A former Penn State football player is suing the University -- claiming star players violently hazed younger players ... and made sexual threats invoking noted child rapist Jerry Sandusky.
The man behind the suit is Isaiah Humphries -- a defensive back who says he accepted a full scholarship to Penn State beginning in 2018.
But, Humphries says life as a Nittany Lion was hell -- with several upperclassmen players including Damion Barber, Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jesse Luketa leading a campaign of hazing against the new players.
FYI, Micah Parsons is a star player -- the outside linebacker was Defensive MVP of the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Gross-Matos was an All-BIG 10 defensive end in '18 and '19.
According to Humphries' lawsuit, the upper classmen intended to make the new guys "their bitch" from the get-go ... telling them, "this is a prison."
He claims the upperclassmen also made threats against the new guys -- saying things like, "I am going to f*ck you" and "I am going to Sandusky you ... This is Jerry."
The alleged Sandusky quotes obviously refer to the disgraced Penn State football coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting many young boys at the school's athletic facility.
The allegations get much worse from here. Here's a list from the lawsuit ...
- Upperclassmen wrestle lower classmen to the ground and "place [his] genitals on the face of the lower classmen."
- An upperclassman would hold down a lower classman and "present his penis close to the face of the lower classman and stroke his genitalia simulating the action of ejaculation."
- Humphries claims an upperclassman would put his penis on the buttocks of the lower classmen and stroke and again simulate masturbation ... sometimes while the victim was naked in the locker room shower.
- Upperclassmen would grab lower classmen by the genitals
Humphries claims he and his father reported the hazing to members of the Penn State coaching staff -- including head coach James Franklin -- but nothing was done by the team specifically.
However, Humphries says the Penn State Univ. Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response launched its own investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint and ultimately found that Damion Barber violated school rules by hazing players.
Barber was suspended for the 1st game of the 2019 football season for "violation of team rules." The team never publicly specified why Barber was suspended.
Ultimately, Humphries says he had enough and transferred out of Penn State to the Univ. of California, where he currently plays for the Golden Bears.
There's more ... Humphries claims he was threatened by Jesse Luketa -- that if Humphries ever visited "his city" he would make certain he was "gunned down" upon arrival.
Humphries is suing Penn State, James Franklin and Damion Barber for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He's also suing Barber individually for assault and battery.
1:10 PM PT -- Penn State is now weighing in on the lawsuit, telling TMZ Sports ... claiming the University did its job by thoroughly investigating the allegations and taking appropriate action.
"The University has established processes in place for responding to claims of potential misconduct," a spokesperson said.
"In accordance with our processes, the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response and the Office of Student Conduct carried out investigations of the plaintiff’s claims independent from Intercollegiate Athletics."
"In addition, Penn State police investigated related allegations and forwarded the results of that investigation to the Office of the Centre County District Attorney (DA)."
"The DA reviewed the case and decided that no charges would be pursued."
Originally Published -- 10:10 AM PT