Former Nic Wrestler Has Beef With Owen Rosen Files $750,000 Claim Against Head Coach, School

Alleging that his athletic and academic rights were violated, a former North Idaho College wrestler has filed a tort claim against head coach John Owen and the school. Matt Rosen, 21, seeks $750,000 in damages.

In his claim filed by Spokane attorney Russell Van Camp, Rosen alleges his health, safety and well-being were jeopardized due to the overall lack of supervision and control of the NIC wrestling program.

The claim is the first legal posturing before a civil lawsuit can be filed, Van Camp said. Tort claims must be filed with the state against the named government entity (NIC) before lawsuits can be leveled against state-operated entities or their employees.

If NIC rejects the claim, Rosen may file a lawsuit.

The claim centers around Rosen’s final match Feb. 11 at the Region 18 Tournament, a qualifying tourney for the national junior college tourney.

Rosen, a redshirt sophomore heavyweight, alleges Owen was negligent in not protesting a scoring error in a 2-1 loss when the referee took a point away from Rosen and awarded it to his opponent. The winner qualified for nationals.

He contends that Owen knew the referee failed to give him a point, which would have sent the match into overtime.

Rosen’s father, Leonard Rosen, attempted to have the national tournament postponed or canceled, saying that his son’s ability to land a scholarship to a four-year school would be harmed if he wasn’t allowed to compete in the national meet. But the elder Rosen ran out of time and the national tournament was contested without his son.

“I’m making it my life’s mission to make sure it doesn’t happen to somebody else,” Rosen’s father, of La Jolla, Calif., said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “I don’t care what this costs me, I want justice served. It’s not a money issue with me, it’s a principle issue. It’s what’s right and what’s wrong.

“I think that the school thinks it’s in some sort of bubble, that it’s untouchable. Let me tell you something: It gets cold in Coeur d’Alene in the winter, but there’s a blizzard coming from the Rosen family. I am not going away.”

NIC officials declined to talk specifically about the case, but offered a statement supporting Owen.

“We feel that the case is without merit,” school spokesman Steve Schenk said. “We feel very strongly that these issues should be decided in the athletic arena and not in the courtroom. We think that John Owen’s record speaks for itself and we stand behind him.”

Owen has been advised by NIC’s attorneys not to discuss the claim.

Rosen finished the season with an 8-18 record. He was winless in dual-meet matches, and five victories were by forfeit.

It’s further alleged by Rosen that his health and safety were jeopardized when Owen placed him in the heavyweight class rather than having him wrestle at his normal weight, 190.

Rosen, living in Hawaii, also claims that Owen pressured him to take college courses which were not transferrable to other colleges.

, DataTimes