Connect with us

Indiana

More former Indiana basketball players allege sexual misconduct by ex-team doctor

Published

on

More former Indiana basketball players allege sexual misconduct by ex-team doctor


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

More former men’s basketball players for Indiana University have come forward alleging sexual misconduct by a former team physician, while stating school officials, including the late head coach Bobby Knight, were aware of the situation. 

Last fall, former Hoosier players Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller filed a lawsuit against Bradford Bomba Sr., who died last month. The suit claimed the two were sexually abused by Bomba during their time playing for Indiana. 

That lawsuit, which was filed in October, now has five ex-athletes named in it, while 10 additional men are planning to pursue litigation against Indiana, per ESPN. 

Advertisement

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

A general view of the Indiana Hoosiers shorts logo during the Empire Classic college basketball game against the Connecticut Huskies on Nov. 19, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“I have two sons who are the same age that I was when that happened to me,” Mujezinovic, who played for the Hoosiers in the late 1990s, said in an email to ESPN. “At the time, I viewed myself as an adult, but now I realize, looking at my own kids, how young and powerless me and my teammates actually were.

“The adults within the basketball program who were entrusted with our care knew what was happening to us. They joked about it and let it continue.”

Bomba routinely gave male athletes rectal exams during their physicals despite no medical recommendations to do so, according to the lawsuit. Bomba worked as the men’s basketball physician for almost 30 years. 

Advertisement

FORMER INDIANA BASKETBALL PLAYERS SAY TEAM DOCTOR SEXUALLY ABUSED THEM WITH UNNECESSARY PROSTATE EXAMS

Longtime trainer Tim Garl was listed as a defendant in January after another former player, John Flowers, joined the lawsuit. Flowers said Garl was aware of Bomba’s “invasive, harassing, and demeaning digital rectal examinations.”

“After his first physical, Flowers’s teammates told him he had ‘passed’ Dr. Bomba, Sr.’s ‘test,’ and that he would not have to undergo a digital rectal examination again,” the lawsuit states. “Garl laughed at Flowers and his freshman teammates and made jokes at their expense regarding the digital rectal examinations they endured.”

Bobby Knight was one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time. (AP)

Players allegedly complained about the exams, some of which said they wished to have a different physician look at them in the future. However, Knight and Garl continued to have players see Bomba. 

Advertisement

Another player, Butch Carter, who played for Indiana in the late 1970s, wrote in a letter that he told Knight he never wanted to see Bomba again. The letter is in the lawsuit, though Carter is not a part of the lawsuit. 

An outside investigation was done to look further into the allegations, and it found that rectal exams are a normal part of a physical. Indiana also released a statement in September 2024 saying they would be conducting an independent review.

Indiana hired the law firm Jones Day to conduct the investigation, which involved speaking with “100 individuals,” going through “10,000 emails,” and reviewing “more than 100,000 pages of physical documents spanning six decades,” according to the report released on April 25. 

With Bomba’s death last month, and the outside investigation clearing him of sexual misconduct, the legal path for these players will be a difficult one. 

A general view of the IU logo on the official Adidas basketballs as seen when the Indiana Hoosiers played against the Michigan State Spartans on Jan. 22, 2023, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.  (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But Michelle Simpson Tuegel, who is representing the 10 men prepared to file their lawsuit, states two of her clients have stories contradicting those findings, saying Bomba’s actions were not sexual, per ESPN. One of the men, who played in the late 1990s for the Hoosiers, claimed Bomba “fondled his genitalia” during a physical. 

“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,” said Simpson Tuegel in a statement to Fox News Digital. “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.”

Indiana University told Fox News Digital it does not comment on litigation. Additionally, the university pointed to the Jones Day investigation results as reference.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement





Source link

Indiana

Indiana gambling case, Bears schedule and McDonald’s Park | Week in Review

Published

on

Indiana gambling case, Bears schedule and McDonald’s Park | Week in Review


On this episode of “Week in Review,” we cover the Indiana gambling case, the Bears’ 2026 schedule release and the Bulls landing the No. 4 draft pick. We also look at Jim’s Original moving after 85 years and Chicago Fire FC’s new McDonald’s Park stadium name. Plus, Cole Kmet joins Cop on a Rooftop, a White Sox phenom goes one on one and more top stories from around Chicago.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indiana

Indiana law enforcement takes up donations for Special Olympics

Published

on

Indiana law enforcement takes up donations for Special Olympics


FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — More than 50 Indiana law enforcement agencies are taking to the roof to help local athletes. 

Police and safety officers will be stationed around various Dunkin’ Donuts, taking up donations for the Special Olympics. People who monetarily donate will receive a coupon for a free donut. Those who donate $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free medium hot coffee. 

“Supporting the Special Olympics isn’t just an event for us — it’s a commitment to people who inspire us every day,” Sergeant Wes Rowlader said. “These athletes show what determination, courage, and community truly look like. Every dollar we raise helps transform that spirit into training, competition, and lifelong confidence.” 

More than 20,000 Hoosier athletes train and compete for free within the Special Olympics. To date, Cop on a Rooftop has raised more than $125,000 for Special Olympics Indiana. 

Advertisement

The Indiana State Police will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 9821 Lima Road in Fort Wayne from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Indiana

Man shot by security guard in hospital emergency room waiting area in Gary, Indiana

Published

on

Man shot by security guard in hospital emergency room waiting area in Gary, Indiana


A man’s family is demanding answers after he was shot by a security guard inside a hospital emergency room waiting area on Tuesday night in Gary, Indiana.

Methodist Northlake Hospital officials said, around midnight Tuesday night, its security staff responded quickly after a patient took out a gun. The hospital said he’d threatened to shoot himself or others.

The hospital commended the security guard who shot the man for “neutralizing the threat and helping ensure the safety of our patients and employees.”

Family members identified the man who was shot as Otis Brown. They said he is a kind father to a 12-year-old boy.

Advertisement

“Just a great person, a happy-go-lucky, always out there trying to do the right thing,” said his fiancée, Stacey Taylor.

Taylor said she was on a business trip when she got a call that Brown had been shot multiple times.

“Scared, uncertainty; you know, what story is right? You know, what happened?” she said.

After he was shot, Brown was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.

Taylor said she had no idea why Brown went to Methodist Northlake Hospital in the first place. His family said he was trying to leave the hospital when the shooting happened, claiming that the hospital gave him his gun back after he was cleared to leave.

Advertisement

“We just want to get answers, just want to know what happened, particularly when people are defaming his name,” Taylor said.

She and Brown’s family hope the hospital has surveillance video footage that can help provide answers.

Gary police have not provided any details on the shooting. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the shooting at the request of Gary police, but did not provide any further information.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending