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Suit says coach coerced college player into sexual acts

CHICAGO, May 16 (UPI) -- A former Concordia University Chicago baseball player's lawsuit claims a coach coerced him into performing sexual acts and promised to help get him get drafted.

Anthony Collaro's suit, filed Tuesday in Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court, alleges coach Spiro Lempesis promised to promote Collaro to recruiters and major league scouts in exchange for videotaped sexual acts. It claims Collaro was forced to perform sexual acts over a dozen times, and was never contacted by scouts.

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Collaro was 10 years old when he met Lempesis at a baseball summer camp, and pitched for the Concordia team Lempesis coached, the lawsuit said.

The suit alleges Lempesis began restricting Collaro's playing time after Collaro refused to perform a sexual act in 2009.

"This has had a profound effect on his (Collaro's) life, because he lost an opportunity at fulfilling one of his dreams," said Anthony Romanucci, Collaro's lawyer.

The school and Lempesis were named as defendants, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Lempesis was fired from Concordia in 2010. Concordia President John Johnson said in October the coach had been fired for "suspected inappropriate sexual conduct."

Lempesis was arrested, but not charged, in June 2012 on suspicion of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving a minor, Oakpark.com reported.

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