More than 15 former Indiana men’s basketball players allege improper sexual conduct by a former team physician, and they claim that university officials — including the late coach Bobby Knight — knew of the doctor’s behavior.
Two former Hoosiers sued the school last fall, but the number of complainants has grown to five with another 10 expecting to also pursue litigation, according to ESPN on Tuesday.
In the existing lawsuit, former players allege that Dr. Bradford Bomba, who died last month at the age of 89, regularly performed rectal exams on male athletes during physicals despite the fact that medical guidance did not recommend them for college-age men. The lawsuit argued that this amounted to sexual misconduct, and it claimed university officials were aware of this behavior, yet failed to stop it.
The players said that they raised complaints, with some even requesting a different physician. However, the athletes alleged that Knight, who died in 2023, and head athletic trainer Tim Garl instructed players to continue seeing Bomba.
Garl, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, was the head athletic trainer from 1981 until this year, when Indiana said it would not renew his contract. Garl’s attorneys, emphasizing that the trainer did not supervise Bomba, noted that rectal exams were a normal part of a physical.
During his initial deposition a year ago, Bomba refused to answer 45 questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Last month, Indiana commissioned an investigation that found Bomba’s digital rectal exams were performed in a “clinically appropriate manner,” adding that there was “no evidence to suggest that Dr. Bomba achieved sexual gratification.”
However, Michelle Simpson Tuegel — representing the group of 10 players who are preparing to file suit — said two of her clients contradict that finding. One individual said Bomba “fondled his genitalia” during a physical.
Some medical experts indicated that it was uncommon for a physician to perform a rectal exam without any concerning history or symptoms. These procedures are generally used to screen for prostate and other cancers. In the 1990s, the American Cancer Society recommended them for men who were 50 and older.
An Indiana University spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation.
–Field Level Media
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