The University of Michigan is facing a federal lawsuit from 16 former men’s hockey players who allege that younger members of the Wolverines program were subjected to ritualized sexualized hazing and abuse for years while coaches and other staff members knew about, tolerated or encouraged the practices.
The anonymous former players competed at Michigan between 1984 and 2001. Their allegations include forced nudity and genital shaving, sexual penetration with objects, burning pubic hair with a blowtorch, tying weights to players’ genitals, forced alcohol consumption and other degrading initiation rituals.
Michigan says the allegations are disturbing but denies responsibility. Former longtime hockey coach Red Berenson has also disputed allegations that coaches directed or encouraged sexual abuse.
What Does The University Of Michigan Hockey Hazing Lawsuit Allege?
Sixteen former Michigan hockey players filed the lawsuit on September 9, 2026, in federal court in Detroit. The plaintiffs are identified as John Doe 1 through John Doe 16 and say they played for Michigan between 1984 and 2001. The defendants are the University of Michigan and its Board of Regents. The complaint alleges sex and gender discrimination in violation of Title IX and demands a jury trial. [Court Records] [CBS Detroit]
The complaint describes the alleged hazing as a recurring initiation system within the hockey program rather than isolated misconduct by individual teammates. Plaintiffs contend that participation became an expected condition of belonging to the team. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
The former players’ attorney, Michael Pitt, has said the lawsuit seeks accountability for both the alleged abuse and what the plaintiffs characterize as institutional failures that allowed it to continue. [CBS Detroit]
What Were Michigan Hockey Players Allegedly Forced To Do?
The lawsuit contains graphic allegations of physical and sexualized hazing. Multiple plaintiffs say older teammates stripped younger players and forcibly shaved hair around their genitals as part of an initiation ritual. [AP]
Some former players allege that the handles of disposable razors were inserted into their anuses during the shaving ritual. Others allege that their pubic hair was burned or threatened with a blowtorch. [Michigan Public] [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
The complaint also alleges that older players tied hockey helmets or buckets to younger players’ genitals and then placed hockey pucks inside them to add weight. [Michigan Public]
Other alleged initiation activities included forcing players to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, eat live goldfish and endure other humiliating treatment. [AP] [CBS Detroit]
Some of the players subjected to the alleged conduct were as young as 17, according to the complaint. [Michigan Public]
These allegations have not been proven in court.
Why Does The Lawsuit Describe The Hazing As “Torture”?
The plaintiffs themselves use the word “torture” to characterize the severity of the alleged rituals. The complaint argues that the same conduct would immediately be recognized as torture if it occurred outside the context of a college sports initiation. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
The lawsuit describes the alleged abuse as planned, recurring and sadistic rather than spontaneous locker-room misconduct. It claims incoming players understood that participation was effectively required if they wanted to remain accepted members of the Michigan hockey program. [Michigan Public]
“Torture” in this context is the plaintiffs’ characterization of the alleged conduct; the lawsuit is a civil Title IX case and does not establish that anyone has been criminally convicted of torture.
What Does The Lawsuit Say Red Berenson Knew?
The lawsuit alleges that longtime Michigan head coach Red Berenson knew about the hazing and failed to stop it. Berenson coached Michigan from 1984 through 2017, meaning his tenure covers the entire period involving the 16 plaintiffs. [AP]
One plaintiff, identified as John Doe 3, alleges that he told Berenson he did not want to participate in the initiation. According to the lawsuit, Berenson pressured him to participate by invoking the idea of being a “Michigan Man” and a good teammate. [AP]
Another plaintiff alleges that players understood genital shaving to be an established practice associated with Berenson’s program and that the shaving was performed in areas that could remain hidden under clothing. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
The lawsuit contends that coaches and staff did more than simply fail to discover hazing. Plaintiffs allege that some staff members knew about rituals, observed them or reinforced the expectation that younger players participate. [Michigan Public]
What Has Red Berenson Said?
Berenson disputes allegations that Michigan coaches directed or encouraged sexualized abuse. He acknowledged that senior players conducted an initiation process but told reporters that nobody complained to him about sexual abuse. [AP]
Berenson said there may have been “bad experiences,” but maintained that the coaching staff and university administration did not direct or encourage misconduct. He also questioned the lawsuit’s characterization of the alleged conduct as sexual. [The Guardian]
When initially contacted after the lawsuit was filed, Berenson said he needed time to review the allegations. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
Berenson Publicly Ended Freshman Hazing In 2012
Berenson publicly acknowledged freshman hazing within the Michigan hockey program years before the current lawsuit was filed. In October 2012, he announced that the team would eliminate traditional freshman initiation duties. [AnnArbor.com]
At the time, the publicly discussed examples were substantially less severe than the conduct alleged in the 2026 lawsuit. They included first-year players carrying equipment, eating after veteran players and performing other chores or rituals. [AnnArbor.com]
Berenson said in 2012 that some of the traditions crossed into embarrassment or humiliation and acknowledged that some team captains had gone too far. He did not publicly describe the sexualized practices alleged by the former players in the new lawsuit. [AnnArbor.com] [AP]
The plaintiffs now point to Berenson’s 2012 statements as evidence that hazing within the hockey program was known to coaching staff, while alleging that the actual practices were much more severe than what was publicly described at the time. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
What Is Mel Pearson Accused Of In The Lawsuit?
The complaint also alleges that former Michigan assistant and head coach Mel Pearson knew about the hazing culture. Pearson served as an assistant under Berenson from 1988 through 2011 before eventually returning as Michigan’s head coach in 2017. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
According to the lawsuit, one player went to Pearson seeking help dealing with the alleged hazing. The complaint says Pearson advised the player to avoid angering veteran teammates and endure the situation rather than intervening to stop it. [Michigan Public]
The lawsuit’s factual allegations also refer to former equipment manager Ian Hume and former trainer Rick Bancroft as staff members whom plaintiffs accuse of knowing about, witnessing or facilitating aspects of the alleged culture. [People]
Berenson, Pearson and the other former staff members discussed in the complaint are not listed as defendants in the federal docket. The named defendants are the University of Michigan and its Board of Regents. [Court Records]
Michigan Hockey Had A Separate Mel Pearson Culture Investigation In 2022
The new lawsuit follows an earlier controversy involving the culture of Michigan’s hockey program under Pearson. In 2022, outside law firm WilmerHale investigated allegations concerning Pearson and the program after former Michigan player and volunteer coach Steve Shields filed a complaint. [College Hockey News]
The investigation identified what WilmerHale called cultural issues within the hockey program requiring attention. Reporting on the investigation included allegations involving the treatment of female staff members, COVID-19 contact-tracing forms and retaliation or mistreatment involving people who raised concerns about the program’s culture. [Inside Higher Ed]
Michigan announced in August 2022 that Pearson would not return as head coach. Athletic director Warde Manuel said the university had conducted an independent third-party review of the program’s climate and culture and emphasized the importance of student-athletes having a positive experience. [University of Michigan Athletics]
The 2022 investigation did not publicly disclose the decades-old sexualized hazing allegations now contained in the 2026 lawsuit. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
What Does The University Of Michigan Say About The Hazing Lawsuit?
Michigan says the allegations are disturbing but disputes the plaintiffs’ claims that the university is responsible. University spokesperson Paul Corliss said some elements of the complaint are misleading and emphasized that the alleged conduct was committed by fellow players during the 1980s and 1990s. [CBS Detroit]
The university says that any student athlete engaging in hazing or misconduct would have been violating school policy and expressly denies liability for the claims in the lawsuit. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
Michigan also pointed out that it adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982, before the earliest events described by the plaintiffs. The university says current student-athletes receive annual training concerning hazing, discrimination and misconduct. [CBS Detroit]
Michigan Has Had An Anti-Hazing Policy Since 1982
The University of Michigan’s formal policy against hazing was approved by its Board of Regents in June 1982. The policy condemns hazing as a condition of membership, advancement or continued good standing in university organizations. [University of Michigan]
The policy identifies physical injury, assault, forced consumption of food or liquids, humiliation, severe emotional harm and interference with an individual’s physical freedom among conduct that can constitute hazing. [University of Michigan]
That timeline is important to the lawsuit because the 16 players allege the practices occurred between 1984 and 2001 — after the university says its anti-hazing policy was already in effect. [Court Records] [University of Michigan]
What Injuries Do The Former Players Claim?
The plaintiffs allege that the effects of the hazing lasted long after they stopped playing for Michigan. According to the complaint, former players reported depression, anxiety, substance-abuse problems, insomnia, nightmares and other psychological consequences that they attribute to what occurred while they were members of the hockey program. [CBS Detroit]
The lawsuit says many of the players did not initially understand their experiences as sexual abuse because the conduct had been normalized as a hockey tradition and presented by older players as an expected part of joining the team. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
Nearly all of the plaintiffs were attending Michigan on athletic scholarships, according to reporting on the complaint, which they say increased the pressure to comply with expectations inside the program. [CBS Detroit]
Why Are The Former Players Anonymous?
All 16 plaintiffs filed the case under John Doe pseudonyms. Their attorneys say anonymity is intended to protect the men’s privacy because the allegations concern intimate sexualized abuse and deeply personal experiences. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
Attorney Michael Pitt said his clients wanted accountability while preserving their privacy as the lawsuit proceeds. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
How Did The Michigan Hockey Hazing Lawsuit Begin?
The case reportedly grew out of conversations among former Michigan teammates beginning in 2024. Several former players began discussing their experiences and memories of freshman initiation rituals, and one began researching the history of hazing within the hockey program. [AP] [CBS Detroit]
Those discussions eventually brought together 16 former players whose Michigan hockey careers span nearly two decades. [AP]
Pitt said Michigan had been aware of the possibility of litigation for more than a year before the complaint was filed but had not reached a resolution with his clients. That assertion comes from the plaintiffs’ attorney; Michigan has disputed its legal responsibility for the alleged conduct. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
What Is The Title IX Claim Against Michigan?
The lawsuit accuses Michigan and its Board of Regents of sex and gender discrimination in violation of Title IX. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, and the plaintiffs are attempting to hold the university responsible for allegedly allowing sexualized hazing to become part of participation in the men’s hockey program. [Court Records]
The plaintiffs allege the university, through coaches and employees, knew about the misconduct and failed to intervene adequately. Michigan disputes that allegation and denies liability. [Michigan Public] [CBS Detroit]
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in an amount to be determined through the litigation. [Michigan Public]
Could The Age Of The Allegations Become An Issue?
The alleged conduct occurred decades before the lawsuit was filed, making the timing of the claims a potentially significant legal issue. The Associated Press noted that Michigan could raise statute-of-limitations arguments as the litigation develops. [AP]
Michigan previously raised timeliness arguments when former athletes sued over decades-old sexual abuse committed by former university physician Robert Anderson. Those cases ultimately ended in a massive settlement rather than a final trial resolving all of the allegations. [AP]
Whether the 2026 hockey plaintiffs’ Title IX claims are timely will ultimately depend on the legal arguments presented to the federal court. The September 9 docket identifies Judge Mark A. Goldsmith as the presiding district judge and Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti as the referring judge. [Court Records]
The Lawsuit Comes After Michigan’s Robert Anderson Sexual Abuse Scandal
The new hockey case arrives after the University of Michigan paid approximately $490 million to resolve claims involving former university physician Robert Anderson. More than 1,000 people alleged Anderson sexually abused them while working at Michigan from 1966 until 2003, including numerous former athletes. [Reuters]
The university finalized the settlement in September 2022. Michigan apologized for Anderson’s abuse and said the settlement was one part of its effort to make amends and reform university procedures. [University of Michigan]
An independent WilmerHale investigation concluded that Anderson engaged in a pervasive decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct while employed by Michigan. [University of Michigan]
The Anderson scandal is separate from the allegations involving Michigan hockey players. The new plaintiffs accuse teammates of committing the alleged abuse and coaches and university employees of allowing a sexually abusive hazing culture to persist.
Who Is Red Berenson?
Red Berenson is one of the most prominent figures in University of Michigan hockey history. A former NHL player, he coached the Wolverines from 1984 through 2017 and won two NCAA championships during his tenure. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
He is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and was the Michigan coach throughout the period covered by the 16 plaintiffs in the lawsuit. [College Hockey News]
The lawsuit does not name Berenson as a defendant, but his alleged knowledge of and response to the initiation practices is central to the plaintiffs’ argument that the conduct was institutional rather than merely secret misconduct by individual players. [Court Records] [Michigan Public]
Who Is Mel Pearson?
Mel Pearson spent decades inside the Michigan hockey program before eventually becoming its head coach. He served as a longtime assistant under Berenson, left to become head coach at Michigan Tech and returned to succeed Berenson as Michigan’s head coach in 2017. [University of Michigan Athletics]
Michigan declined to retain Pearson for the 2022-23 season following an independent review of the hockey program’s climate and culture. [University of Michigan Athletics]
The 2026 lawsuit alleges Pearson was among the staff members who knew about abusive initiation practices during his earlier tenure as a Michigan assistant. Those claims remain allegations and have not been established by a court. [Michigan Public]
University Of Michigan Hockey Hazing Lawsuit Case Information
The federal case is Doe v. University of Michigan, Board of Regents et al., case number 2:26-cv-13420. It was filed September 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. [Court Records]
The complaint identifies 16 anonymous plaintiffs and alleges discrimination under Title IX. The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial. [Court Records]
The lawsuit is a civil case. Its graphic descriptions are allegations made by former players and have not yet been adjudicated as fact.
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.