UNC agrees to $795,000 settlement in two-year-old hazing case
Two years after former UNC football player Jackson Boyer allegedly suffered a concussion during an off-campus hazing incident, the university has agreed to a $795,000 settlement with Boyer and his family.
Boyer was a non-scholarship athlete at the time the incident allegedly took place at the Aloft Hotel in Chapel Hill, N.C., knowledge of the event was not known until weeks after the incident occurred.
According to Andrew Carter of The News & Observer, the settlement, which the publication obtained a copy of, states that the money Boyer will receive, "covers all of Jackson Boyer's actual or potential personal injury claims, including but not limited to, any claim for damages, attorney's fees and litigation expenses."
It is unknown whether the university acknowledged the alleged incident as meeting its specific criteria for hazing, and university officials did not confirm that Boyer had suffered a concussion.
The incident was never investigated because Chris Blue, the chief of the Chapel Hill Police Department at the time, said he received no complaint from Boyer or his family, something needed in order to file an official complaint.
A police report was later filed incorrectly, stating an inaccurate date and address of the alleged altercation.
Des Lawrence, Donnie Miles, M.J. Stewart, and Brian Walker were the four UNC players allegedly involved in the incident. All four received a one-game suspension that was served during the Tar Heel's season opener in 2014.
Boyer suited up for seven games in the 2014 season before transferring to USC, where he is currently a junior walk-on wide receiver. He sat out the previous season as per NCAA transfer rules and has two years of eligibility remaining.
The $795,000 is reported to be going into a trust for Boyer, while UNC has also agreed to take on all mediator fees and expenses.
The university also stated it will "continue its good faith, best efforts towards developing healthy team culture, taking into account the recommendations of the university's current working group tasked with addressing student issues involving hazing and bullying."