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Former University of Wisconsin men's hockey player Alex Leavitt, who was dismissed from the team in February, has now filed a $1 million lawsuit against coach Mike Eaves as well as three others.
Leavitt states that his hockey career was disturbed by an altercation with Eaves, which ultimately resulted in his removal from the team.
Leavitt, who claims he has suffered mental injuries resulting from the incident, is asking for $250,000 from Eaves, UW Athletic Director Pat Richter, Senior Associate Athletic Director Cheryl Marra and the UW athletic department. Leavitt played two seasons (2001-'03) for Wisconsin and is now in Canada with the Swift Current Broncos, a Western Hockey League team. Ticketmaster
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In the lawsuit, Leavitt also claims physical injuries. According to Leavitt,
the incident includes Eaves physically and verbally assaulting him Nov. 23,
2002, in a hotel room in Grand Forks, N.D., after Wisconsin's 3-2 loss to the
University of North Dakota. Eaves had accused Leavitt of violating the team's
11 p.m. curfew, which provoked the confrontation.
Leavitt claims that Eaves "stormed" into his hotel room looking for Leavitt's girlfriend, who had brought him dinner, and that Eaves had requested to her to leave after they finished their conversation. Leavitt said he told Eaves that his girlfriend had already left. Eaves then became verbally abusive and poked Leavitt under the eye. He also allegedly grabbed Leavitt by the shirt and threw him across the room.
Leavitt also says in the lawsuit that Richter and Marra are vicariously liable for Eaves' comments by refusing to direct Eaves to retract them, that increased scrutiny of the men's hockey program proscribed Marra was "perfunctory and/or ineffective," that Leavitt's playing status was undermined by reduced playing time, that mental injuries were suffered by Leavitt including depression, and that Richter and Marra were negligent in hiring Eaves by failing to investigate his past.
Even with a lawsuit filed, UW's athletic department remains strong in its belief that Eaves has the ability to lead the program. Ticketmaster
A statement was released by the UW athletic department saying, "The division of intercollegiate athletics remains fully supportive of Mike Eaves as its men's hockey coach."