NEW BRITAIN, Conn., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A Kenyan native was ridiculed and coerced into drinking blood when he ran track at Central Connecticut State University, the runner's lawsuit alleges.
Charles Ngetich, who was on full scholarship, is suing the college and former track coach George Kawecki, who retired in June, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Sunday.
Kawecki allegedly coerced Ngetich into drinking a cup of blood in the fall of 2005 after telling him it was part of a tribal ritual and demanding that Ngetich drink it because he was too thin, the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in New Britain said.
In December 2006, Kawecki allegedly pointed to a puppy and asked Ngetich, "How many people can you feed with this?"
The alleged ridicule continued and Ngetich became depressed, his athletic and academic performance dropped and he was removed from the track team and lost his scholarship by the spring of 2008, the lawsuit said.
College officials cited privacy laws in declining to comment on the lawsuit, the Courant reported.
