Huntington University has placed two cross-country coaches on administrative leave, after a lawsuit filed in federal court September 30 accused the school of allowing a former coach to sexually abuse student athletes and inject them with performance-enhancing drugs.

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District for Indiana, accuses former Huntington cross-country coach, Nicholas Johnson, of doping and sexually assaulting numerous student athletes. It also accuses Huntington University—a small, Christian school in Huntington, Indiana—of negligence for failing to protect its students. And the suit alleges that Huntington’s current cross-country coach and Johnson’s wife, Lauren Johnson, knew about the abuse and doping—as did assistant coach, Curtis Hines.

The suit names Huntington University and Nicholas Johnson as defendants, along with Lauren Johnson and Curtis Hines.

Both Lauren Johnson and Hines have been placed on administrative leave “until further notice pending investigation,” the university told The Washington Post.

On Monday, more than 200 current and former Huntington students reportedly signed a petition, calling for the removal of university leaders who knew about Nicholas Johnson’s alleged abuse.

Huntington did not respond to a request by The Roys Report (TRR) for a statement about the lawsuit.

However, in a statement to the Washington Post, the school said, “The University has and continues to provide a variety of opportunities and directed avenues for students who were impacted to be heard, obtain counseling services, and make Title IX inquiries. We remain committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities, that are free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.”

‘Larry Nassar-esque Massages’ & Alleged Rape

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Hannah Stoffel and Emma Wilson, were Huntington students and members of the track and cross-country teams. They say Coach Johnson regularly sexually assaulted female athletes through his “Larry Nassar-esque massages.”

Stoffel, whose lawyer told TRR that his clients are not seeking anonymity, accused Johnson in the suit of raping her on several occasions. The suit also accused Johnson of doping athletes with unknown substances.

“Nicholas Johnson is . . .  a serial sexual predator who used . . . his position of power and authority to sexually exploit the children and women he coaches,” the federal complaint reads.

The suit also asserted that Johnson’s behavior was “common knowledge” in the athletic department and the university should be responsible for not protecting the plaintiffs.  

Because Huntington University receives federal funds, it is subject to federal law known as Title IX, which protects women athletes from sexual discrimination, including sexual harassment and violence.

Stoffel alleges in the suit that Johnson sexually assaulted several times in different locations from July 2020 through November 2020.

According to Stoffel’s account in court documents, Stoffel was living in an apartment with Wilson. She told Johnson that the lock on the exterior door was sticking so he advised her to “leave the door unlocked.”

She describes an incident in 2020 when Johnson came to her apartment to “give her a massage.” Stoffel says she informed Johnson she did not “need or want a massage,” but he came to her apartment anyway, got into her bed, and began touching her legs and private areas.

According to the suit, Stoffel told Johnson to stop, but he did not, and continued the assault.

In November 2020, Stoffel says Johnson assaulted her again after asking to meet her in the sports complex. The suit says that when Stoffel arrived at the complex, the lights were out. Johnson began massaging Stoffel’s calves, and then groped her under her shorts, the suit says.

Johnson ignored Stoffel’s requests for him to stop, Stoffel claims, and continued to sexually assault her.

On multiple other occasions, Stoffel describes how Johnson would isolate Stoffel to “treat” and then sexually molest her.

Besides the physical assaults, Stoffel said Johnson would “psychologically torture” her by telling her “she had never been loved” and that “he was the only one who loved her.”

Plaintiff Wilson also asserts that she was a victim of Johnson’s massages and extended and lengthy “hugs” that involved him pressing his body against hers for lengthy periods of time to congratulate her for a good performance.

Nicholas Johnson fired after arrest & wife replaces him

In December 2020, Johnson was arrested and charged with child seduction, kidnapping, and identity deception for an incident involving a female, high school track athlete.

According to a probable cause affidavit reported by The Herald Press, Johnson had created a fraudulent email account to organize a fake out-of-state recruiting visit with the athlete. Johnson reportedly told police he gave the athlete “chest treatment” during the trip, which involved “sensual touch.”

In February 2022, Johnson pleaded guilty to identity deception and prosecutors dropped the other charges. Johnson was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years of home detention. According to Huntington County Prosecutor Jeremy Nix, the victim in the case was “extremely uncooperative.”

After Johnson’s December 2020 arrest, Huntington fired Johnson and elevated his wife, Lauren Johnson, to head cross-country coach.

According to the complaint, Lauren Johnson knew about her husband’s victimization of the female athletes and failed to intervene to protect the women. It makes similar allegations against assistant coach Hines.

“The inactions and deliberate indifference of Defendants Curtis Hines, Lauren Johnson, and Huntington University allowed Johnson to batter Plaintiff and create an environment that hindered female students from fully participating in the athletic programs of Huntington University,” the suit stated.

Even after Nicholas Johnson was fired, he continued to “provide workouts to runners at Huntington University” with many students visiting Johnson and his wife’s home for “running advice and camaraderie,” the suit stated.

The suit also alleged that both Nicholas and Lauren Johnson brought a “doping” program to Huntington. The suit says the program was similar to one in which Nicholas Johnson had participated while working with now-disgraced coach Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Track Club.

The plaintiffs complain that the Johnsons required them to take unknown substances, claiming students were part of a “study.”

On one occasion, Stoffel recounts that Johnson, over her protests, held her down and injected her with four shots, two in her lower back and two in the “area of her uterus.”

Wilson claims she was given unknown pills to “help with the inflammation” after she complained of her knee hurting. She was also massaged with unknown substances, the suit says.

The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees in the lawsuit.

The defendants have not yet filed an answer to the complaint.

Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctor from Baylor University. She has homeschooled her three children and is happily married to her husband of 25 years.