A third former Indiana University men’s basketball player has been added to a lawsuit alleging the university did nothing to stop repeated rectal exams the players received from former team physician Brad Bomba Sr., acts that they say constituted sexual abuse.
As reported by Daniel Carson of The Indiana Lawyer, John Flowers, a 1981 McDonald’s All-American high school player who played at IU from 1981 to 1982, has joined former players Charlie Miller and Haris Mujezinovic as plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
The players alleged that Bomba, the team’s physician, routinely and repeatedly subjected the players to medically unnecessary, invasive and sexually abusive rectal examinations
Kathleen DeLaney of DeLaney & DeLaney LLC, who is representing the three former IU players, said in a released statement, “I’m proud of my clients for taking a stand against what we now believe to have been widespread sexual abuse spanning decades. Following the deposition of Dr. Bomba, Sr., who invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than forty-five times, we have expanded the case to include claims against Tim Garl, who Dr. Bomba, Sr. testified was his supervisor during the time he worked for Indiana University. We hope that Indiana University and Mr. Garl will acknowledge this dark chapter in the athletic department’s history and follow the example set by the University of Michigan and other Big Ten schools by compensating the victims of abuse.”
Related: IU Men's Basketball Team Doctor Pleads the Fifth in Title IX Lawsuit
IU spokesman Mark Bode provided The Indiana Lawyer with a link to the university’s September 2024 statement in which IU announced that, in response to learning of the allegation, the university retained international law firm Jones Day to conduct an independent review.
That review was to include witness interviews, a review of available documentation and engagement with medical experts to determine: 1) the background facts related to the annual physicals of IU student athletes conducted by Bomba; 2) if the conduct was appropriate, necessary or within the standard of care; and 3) what medical professionals and athletic department or university officials were aware of the conduct and, if warranted, what action did they take.
"The lawsuit alleges that IU knew about ongoing sexual abuse and failed to act on this knowledge by systemically mishandling and turning a blind eye to players’ complaints of Bomba’s sexual assaults," Carson wrote. "It also alleges that IU’s failure to prevent sexual assaults allowed the team doctor’s abusive behavior to persist for years, caused harm to students, and perpetuated a policy of deliberate indifference to and tacit acceptance of Bomba’s sexual assaults."
Garl allegedly continued to assign players to Bomba for physical examinations, despite knowing that the doctor would sexually assault those players, according to the lawsuit, per Carson's reporting.
Court documents showed Bomba sat for a deposition Dec. 4 during which he "invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refused to answer more than 45 questions, on the advice of legal counsel.”
