A former University of Virginia football player is suing the school after claiming that teammates bullied and mocked him over a learning disability and forced him into a hazing ritual this summer that left him with a broken eye socket.The federal civil rights lawsuit, filed Friday by Aidan Howard in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania, alleged that the university fostered a culture of bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination. Howard, a freshman wide receiver, claimed he witnessed other football players coerce first-year teammates into conduct which imitated and mimicked sexual acts, and that players were forced to participate in fights and wrestling matches while naked or partially naked, an act referred to at UVA as ramming.Howard asked for and was granted a release from the program in August. He transferred to Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, an FCS school.?Howards suit claims that coaches knew about his injuries and what caused them, but did nothing to reprimand the football players who he says verbally and physically assaulted him, nor did they enforce school and NCAA rules against hazing, bullying and discrimination. The suit alleges that the university, administrators, coaches and fellow students violated aspects of federal Title IX gender equity laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act and negligence laws, among others. ?Howard states in the suit that the upperclassmen on the team began bullying and harassing him because of his soft-spoken and mild-mannered nature soon after he began taking classes at UVA this summer. The lawsuit alleges that teammates Doni Dowling and David Eldridge, also listed as defendants, perceived Howard to be soft and not manly like other student athletes in the football program. Dowling, a junior, is Virginias second-leading receiver in yards this season, and Eldridge, a sophomore pass-catcher, is fifth.[They] would question Aidans toughness and manliness and would call him stupid, dumb, slow, and retarded, the lawsuit states, alleging that the players would make fun of him because he didnt comprehend plays and routes as well as his teammates.The suit also alleges that wide receivers coach Marques Hagans harassed and bullied Howard when he didnt understand something, which served to encourage similar discriminatory behavior among his teammates. Hagans is named as a defendant in the suit, though Bronco Mendenhall, in his first season as Virginias head coach, is not. ?Outside the Lines requested interviews with all the defendants in the lawsuit, including university president Teresa Sullivan, athletic director Craig Littlepage, Hagans, graduate assistant Famika Anae, and Dowling and Eldridge. University spokesman Anthony P. de Bruyn wrote in an email that the school was aware of the allegations and has made all of the required external notifications in accordance with state law. He continued, The university has been actively investigating these reports consistent with its obligations under the law and university policy, but would not comment on ongoing litigation. The two football players did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ? ?A test at UVA diagnosed Howard with a learning disability, and he was receiving additional academic support, of which coaches and players were aware, according to the lawsuit. The suit also accused teammates of taking and sharing photos of Howard with their cellphones and writing captions or comments on them stating he was dumb while in the presence of Hagans and other coaches. ?The lawsuit states that, on Aug. 12, Dowling and Eldridge forced Howard to fight another first-year football player after a team practice as part of an initiation into the football program to prove his toughness and manliness. Howard did not want to fight but felt as though he had no choice, for fear of continued bullying and harassment, according to the lawsuit. ?The lawsuit continues to describe the incident: Dowling and Eldridge taunted Howard during practice and used athletic tape to mark off a fighting area in the locker room. They forced Howard and the other football player to enter the ring to flashing lights, loud music and announcement to simulate a prize fight. ?Howard suffered severe eye injuries after being struck by the other football player, who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit because, according to Howards attorneys, he, too, was being forced and bullied by the older players to fight against his will. The suit states that Howard immediately experienced double-vision in his right eye and was in pain. ?About 105 people, including Anae, watched the fight, and several other student athletes recorded or tried to record it on their cellphones, but no one attempted to stop it, the suit states. Howard says he heard Anae yell, No phones, before the fight began, admonishing players not to record it. ?According to UVAs website, Anae