CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae said the lawsuit filed this week by a former player alleging he was bullied by teammates "came out of nowhere" and "blindsided" the program.
Aidan Howard's lawsuit, in which he claims he was harassed because of a learning disability and seriously injured when forced to fight another teammate, was filed in a Pennsylvania federal court this week.
First-year UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall, who is not named in the lawsuit, offered a brief comment after Virginia's 35-14 loss to No. 22 North Carolina on Saturday.
"I love running a fantastic football program in every regard. And every means every," Mendenhall said. "I love the young men that I coach, and they know that. The investigation is ongoing, and the university policy is that I'm not to speak regarding any of that while the investigation is ongoing."
The lawsuit names six defendants, including university president Teresa A. Sullivan, athletic director Craig Littlepage, wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, graduate assistant Famika Anae and wide receivers Doni Dowling and David Eldridge.
Hagans and Famika Anae both coached during Saturday's game, while Dowling and Eldridge both played.
Robert Anae, Famika's father, said the lawsuit "came out of nowhere, and it kind of blindsided all of us. We did look at that as a distraction. We had to handle it as such and we'll continue to handle that as a distraction."
He declined further comment, saying he would let the legal system take its course.
"I think in the American system, you're presumed innocent until proven [guilty]. That's my take on the American system," Anae said after Saturday's game.
In the lawsuit, Howard claims he was injured in a fight with Hasise Dubois, which was instigated by Dowling and Eldridge as part of Howard's initiation. Howard suffered a broken eye socket in the fight, witnessed by the younger Anae and about 100 others, according to the complaint.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.