CLEVELAND – A man who was convicted of rape as a teen and served nearly a year in a juvenile prison in a highly publicized case in Ohio has sued Youngstown State University after the school allowed him to join the football team as a walk-on and then told him he couldn't play this season.
Ma'lik Richmond, of Steubenville, filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday. Richmond is asking for reinstatement to the team's active roster, attorney fees and an unspecified amount of damages.
A university spokesman declined to comment.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Youngstown.
Richmond made the team as a defensive player earlier this year after a tryout, but was told he couldn't play and would lose a year's eligibility after a student circulated a petition to keep him off the team.
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