According to US media outlet The Salt Lake Tribune, goalkeeper Jeffrey Deusnup has filed a lawsuit claiming he was bullied by former teammates and is seeking $100 million in damages.

Deusnup, now 22, was once considered a top prospect at Real Salt Lake's Herriman academy. In 2021, at age 16, he became the club's youngest player ever to sign a professional contract and received widespread praise.

Upon signing his professional contract, then-General Manager Elliot Fall commented in an announcement: "Deusnup is a talented young goalkeeper with a bright future. He comes from Herriman, which affirms our commitment to developing local youth and community soccer."

Deusnup now claims that four former teammates bullied him, a coach mishandled his injuries, and the club, MLS, and US Soccer failed in their duty to protect him. He is seeking $100 million in total damages (including punitive damages), alleging that the defendants' actions destroyed his soccer career.

Deusnup left the team in 2022. He joined Real Salt Lake for training at age 15 in 2019 and was promoted to the senior roster at age 16. According to the lawsuit filed last week in Utah's Third District Court: the club required minor players to share locker rooms and showers with adult players with no proper supervision of their interactions.

The lawsuit alleges that player Aaron Herrera exposed himself to Deusnup, and Herrera and David Ochoa made explicit and vulgar comments about his body; Herrera, Tate Schmitt, and Justen Glad repeatedly threw balls at Deusnup while he was undressing, striking his bare buttocks multiple times.

The lawsuit states: "Such conduct was not accidental but deliberate bullying by players who repeatedly targeted the plaintiff because of his minor status and explicitly knew of his discomfort."

Reporters attempted to contact Herrera through his current club, D.C. United, but he did not respond; Ochoa declined to comment; The Salt Lake Tribune could not reach Schmitt; Glad remains with Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake issued an official statement to the Tribune: "The club takes all allegations regarding athlete safety very seriously. We have received the lawsuit filed by a former player but categorically deny the allegations and will actively defend our rights through legal proceedings."

A club spokesperson added Monday that Real Salt Lake, its affiliate Real Monarchs, and Utah Royals FC have now established separate locker rooms exclusively for minor players under contract.

The club also noted that Deusnup briefly returned for 2025 preseason training. A local KSL-TV reporter posted on social media at that time that Deusnup's goal was to secure a spot with Real Monarchs (a third-tier US professional team).

Deusnup and his legal team have declined to comment to media.

The lawsuit further alleges that Ignacio Hernandez, then Real Salt Lake's goalkeeper coach, forced the injured Deusnup to train through a shoulder injury in 2021, believing the player was "faking it." This directly worsened the injury and required additional medical attention. The coach also roughly handled Deusnup's hip, shoulder, and foot injuries while verbally intimidating and deliberately isolating him.

Reporters could not reach Hernandez, who is no longer on Real Salt Lake's coaching staff.

The lawsuit states that Deusnup's father repeatedly complained to club management about these issues in 2021, but the club consistently ignored him. In April 2022, Deusnup was hospitalized for severe psychological trauma and has since been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The plaintiff alleges that Real Salt Lake had no child protection policies for minor players.

The lawsuit asserts that under US federal law, Real Salt Lake, MLS, and US Soccer—responsible for implementing athlete safety regulations—had a legal duty to protect Deusnup as a minor, but all three parties negligently failed to:

1. Provide Deusnup with a dedicated Personal Care Assistant (PCA) to supervise his daily activities with the team;

2. Require the club to maintain separate locker rooms from adult players;

3. Provide specialized child protection training for coaches, staff, and adult players, or inform Deusnup and his parents of available legal reporting channels.

The lawsuit also states that under the US "Safe Sport Authorization Act," sports organizations must report sexual abuse and misconduct to law enforcement and the US Center for SafeSport, but Real Salt Lake failed to do so.

The US Center for SafeSport has strengthened industry standards in recent years, issuing the "Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy" (officially implemented in 2025) for clubs under the Olympic system. The document states that young athletes are especially vulnerable to abuse in locker rooms and showers, which must have adequate supervision; adult players are strictly prohibited from deliberately or recklessly exposing themselves to minors in these spaces; and Olympic system clubs must offer abuse prevention and athlete rights courses for minors, with parents encouraged to participate.

In his lawsuit, Deusnup states that after enduring continuous bullying and mistreatment, he has completely abandoned his soccer career and no longer wishes to return to the sport. He is therefore seeking: $20 million for past and future medical expenses, and $80 million to compensate for lost career earnings, totaling $100 million in damages.

Additionally, the plaintiff requests that the court void a release agreement he signed in April 2022. Deusnup was only 17 at signing and was coerced; he was not accompanied by a licensed Utah attorney and was not permitted to consult with an independent lawyer or his parents, nor did he participate in any contract negotiations.

The lawsuit adds: the amount paid by the club at signing was minimal, covering only back wages owed; under law, such an agreement cannot waive the rights of a minor victim to pursue claims against wrongdoers, and this disclaimer clause is clearly unconscionable and should be deemed void.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.