UConn aware of UCLA lawsuits involving new football coach Jim Mora before making hire
Before hiring Jim Mora as head coach for the UConn football team, the university acknowledged that it was aware of four lawsuits filed against Jim Mora, his coaching staff and UCLA during his tenure as Bruins head coach from 2012-17.
“We were aware of the matter early on during the process,” UConn said in a statement. “We have confirmed that the plaintiff(s) has dropped Coach Mora’s name as a defendant from this case [in November].”
Three former UCLA players, John Lopez, Poasi Moala and Zach Bateman filed lawsuits in 2019 against the Regents of the University of California, the NCAA, UCLA assistant coach Adrian Klemm, associate trainer Anthony Venute and Mora.
The players were each seeking in excess of $15 million in damages according to a 2019 report by the Los Angeles Times.
The Bruins players alleged that the coaching staff mishandled their injuries during his time at the university. Lopez and Moala suffered multiple concussions while at UCLA, and Zach Bateman had foot injuries he claimed were treated with negligence.
A fourth suit was brought in September 2019 by offensive lineman Kenny Lacy, who had a hip injury and was seeking unspecified damages.
Lopez’s suit alleges was pressured back into football activities after suffering concussions in 2013 and 2014 during training camp, that he was ridiculed after his first concussion and that practices included “unnecessarily brutal” head-to-head contact drills. Lopez suffered another concussion in 2015 and was forced stop playing football. His suit contends he was left with short-term memory loss, depression and anxiety, and that he attempted suicide in 2016 by overdosing on a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications.. He claims his injuries have kept him from finishing school.
Moala’s suit alleges that he suffered from multiple concussions and hip injuries that required two surgeries before ending his college career in 2017. According to the lawsuit, coaches did not take his complaints seriously.
According to Bateman’s lawsuit, he alleges that he was forced to play before serious injuries in both feet had sufficiently healed and was discouraged from seeking medical attention.
Lacy’s suit alleges he was discouraged from complaining about pain in his right hip. He eventually had surgery in 2017 and missed that season. After rehabbing from surgery, Lacy hoped to be drafted by the NFL or signed as an undrafted free agent but was not, according to the lawsuit. He later signed with the Massachusetts Pirates in the Arena Football League but was released in May 2019.
In response to those lawsuits, UCLA’s athletic department said in a statement in 2019, “We strongly deny and will defend ourselves against the allegations made in the lawsuit. We handle every injury with the highest standard of care, and take potential head injuries very seriously.”
Mora, who received a $12 million buyout under the terms of his last contract at UCLA, was out of coaching, living in Idaho and working on TV for four years when he contacted UConn to express his interest in the job. He has explained to NFL Hall of Famer Morten Andersen in a podcast this week that he stayed out of coaching to spend more time with his family.
UConn AD David Benedict traveled to Idaho to spend several days with Mora before hiring him Nov. 11.
According to Los Angeles Superior Court records, Mora, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm and assistant trainer Anthony Venute were dismissed from the lawsuits brought by the UCLA players on Sept. 28 (Lopez), Sept. 29 (Moala) and Oct. 28 (Lacy), and papers were filed Nov. 2 (by Bateman) to dismiss individuals from the fourth.
The lawsuits are ongoing with UCLA regents as defendants.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com
