MLS star Aaron Herrera is CUT by his team in mysterious decision just weeks after being named in $100m hazing lawsuit

DC United has waived Aaron Herrera just weeks after the defender was named in a $100million hazing lawsuit by one of his former Real Salt Lake teammates.

Ex-goalkeeper Jeffrey Dewsnup, who claims he was 15 when he first started training with Real Salt Lake, is suing the team, its current and ex-players and Major League Soccer over alleged hazing incidents which he claims led him to attempt suicide.

In the May 2026 complaint, which was obtained by The Daily Mail, Dewsnup alleges that four players and a coach 'engaged in sexualized conduct' towards him almost immediately after he signed a four-year contract with the MLS franchise in December 2020 at the age of just 16.

He named Herrera as one of the alleged culprits, along with David Ochoa, Tate Schmitt and Justen Glad. Former goalkeeper coach Ignacio Hernandez is also included in the lawsuit for 'verbal abuse' and 'harassment'.

Less than a month later, Herrera has been waived by DC United despite being under contract through the 2026 MLS season, the team announced on Wednesday. 

When confirming his exit, DC United did not reference the lawsuit he has been named in, making the decision somewhat mysterious given the 29-year-old Guatemala international has made 29 appearances so far this season.

Dewsnup claims that the four players in question 'sexually abused' him and commented upon his genitalia size as part of 'hazing traditions that preyed on minors'. The lawsuit also alleges that Herrera in particular exposed his own genitalia 'while jumping up and down in the locker room in 2021.' Ochoa is accused of making explicit comments about his genitalia.

The suit, filed by Dewsnup's attorney Brian K. Jackson, claims that three players - including Herrera - threw a ball at his 'naked buttocks' while he was changing as part of an 'extreme and outrageous' game they would allegedly torment him with.

Jackson added that his client 'suffered severe emotional distress past and future including anxiety requiring medication, a suicide attempt in April 2022, a diagnosis of post‑traumatic stress disorder, and ongoing psychological harm that no reasonable person could be expected to endure.'

Dewsnup 'also suffered from physical pain and suffering' at the hands of the group, he claimed in the lawsuit.

Separately, Hernandez is accused in the court paper of being 'aggressive' towards Dewsnup, forcing him to train while injured, accusing him of faking the fitness problem and 'harassing' him. 'Mr. Dewsnup was fearful of the verbal abuse and began training on his injured shoulder to avoid Mr Hernandez' anger and verbal abuse.'

The suit claims Dewsnup's father reported the allegations to the club, which has been accused of 'deliberately failing to investigate' and 'failing to take any corrective action'. His son was allegedly taken to the emergency room in 2022 after the suicide attempt and still suffers from PTSD as a result of the abuse he claims to have suffered.

MLS, meanwhile, is also named in the suit as it 'owed duties as to the supervision, transportation, housing, training, overseeing his medical including medical injuries and protecting a vulnerable minor child placed into an adult professional environment without parental supervision.'

Dewsnup, now 22 years old, retired from soccer shortly after leaving Real Salt Lake in 2022. None of the players included in the lawsuit, other than Glad, are still with the team. Hernandez is also no longer on the coaching staff.

However, Real Salt Lake told The Daily Mail in a statement: 'Real Salt Lake takes any claims related to athlete safety extremely seriously. The club is aware of a complaint filed by a former professional player and firmly denies the allegations. The club will vigorously defend itself through the legal process.'

The Daily Mail has also reached out to Herrera, Ochoa and Glad's attorneys, as well as Schmitt and the MLS, for comment.