Former N.C. State sports medicine director Robert M. Murphy Jr. was arrested in Florida on Wednesday and is now set to be returned to North Carolina after a Wake County grand jury indicted him on sex crime charges tied to allegations from former Wolfpack athletes.
Murphy was taken into custody by officers from the Ocala Police Department at a home in Northeast Ocala at about 7:50 p.m. on Sept. 23, according to the arrest report obtained by Austin L. Miller of the Ocala Star-Banner.
Officer S. Price said he and a detective notified Murphy about an active warrant from North Carolina before he was arrested without incident.
Murphy made his first appearance on Sept. 24 before Marion County Judge Lori Cotton. He appeared by Zoom from the jailhouse courtroom while the judge was at the courthouse, and Cotton ordered him held without bail. Murphy also waived any objection to extradition, clearing the way for his transfer back to North Carolina.
The arrest was first reported by ESPN. On Sept. 14, a Wake County grand jury indicted Murphy on nine felony counts of sexual content under pretext of medical treatment and 23 misdemeanor counts of sexual battery. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office listed all 32 charges.
More than 30 former N.C. State athletes have accused Murphy of sexual abuse. According to The Associated Press, the case began with a federal civil lawsuit filed by one athlete in 2022, after Murphy’s decade-long run at the university.
The matter later moved into state court in 2025 with 14 former N.C. State athletes involved, before that number increased to 31. The AP reported that indictments unsealed Thursday afternoon show the 32 charges are spread across 14 victims, with allegations covering the period from October 2016 through 2021.
N.C. State said Thursday it was aware of the charges.
“Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable,” the university said. “The health and safety of students and student-athletes is paramount to N.C.
State Athletics and the university. We are aware of the charges filed by Wake County against Robert Murphy.
We will cooperate with law enforcement in this matter.”
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