Several former Indiana men’s basketball players claim that Bob Knight was aware of the alleged sexual misconduct by the team’s physician. According to Front Office Sports, at least a dozen players say that Knight continued to allow Dr. Bradford Bomba to examine players despite the allegations.
Two players, Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller, sued the university and former head athletic trainer Tim Garl last October, claiming they “had active knowledge” of Dr. Bomba’s actions, The Athletic’s Mark Puleo reports. Two more players joined the lawsuit in April and now, 10 more basketball players are considering legal action.
“My ten clients and numerous other players from the 1970s to the 1990s were subjected to completely unnecessary penetrative exams and other forms of sexual misconduct by team physician Brad Bomba Sr. for his own sexual gratification,” attorney Michelle Simpson said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “Since these men bravely began to come forward last fall, Indiana University has repeatedly tried to avoid responsibility, falsely asserting that what happened to them doesn’t constitute abuse. That should be decided by an Indiana jury rather than the University and its hand-picked private law firm. My team and I will do everything in our power to ensure these survivors have their day in court.”
Bomba, who was the team’s physician for around 30 years until the late 1990s, died last month at the age of 89. Knight passed away in November 2023 at 83.
“On May 1, Indiana released an independent investigation that cleared Bomba of wrongdoing. Bomba was initially deposed in 2024, but refused to answer 45 questions, instead invoking his 5th Amendment rights. Before his passing, a judge ruled Bomba wasn’t capable of being further deposed,” Front Office Sports reports.
This lawsuit is similar to the ones brought against Michigan State and Ohio State by athletes who accused team doctors of sex abuse and received multimillion-dollar payouts.
Knight spent 29 seasons at Indiana, winning three championships.
