INDIANAPOLIS — Six former members of the Indiana University Indianapolis men’s basketball team are suing the school over abuse they claim they suffered under now-fired head coach Paul Corsaro.

Previous reporting indicates the university terminated Corsaro in May. He later indicated that his termination came at the end of a university investigation into the alleged mistreatment of men’s basketball players.

On Monday, six members of Corsaro’s 2024-25 IU Indy men’s basketball team filed a lawsuit against the university, and thus made their allegations against their former coach public.

The 12-page complaint, which was filed in Marion County Superior Court, alleges Corsaro’s actions led all six players to suffer irreparable harm, including physical injury, loss of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, loss of scholarship opportunities, loss of future NIL revenue and compounding of medical bills.

The players involved in the lawsuit directed explosive allegations toward Corsaro. They allege he subjected them to physical and emotional abuse that drove some of them to contemplate suicide. Other players claimed they struggled to sleep at night because the trauma inflicted upon them by Corsaro caused them to get night sweats and experience jarring nightmares.

One player reportedly called the suicide hotline on at least two occasions while playing for Corsaro. Another player indicated that his parents and members of the men’s basketball team’s staff staged an intervention because they were worried he would harm himself.

One of the players also claimed that an athletic trainer ordered him to undergo an EKG and have bloodwork done in addition to other medical examinations. The underlying medical symptoms the player experienced were, according to court filings, the result of stress and anxiety that playing for Corsaro created.

Allegations against Corsaro

All six players indicated that Corsaro would routinely direct derogatory slurs at them. Those slurs ranged in scope, targeting people’s intellectual ability, sexuality and more.

In the complaint, one player claimed he suffered a concussion while playing for Corsaro. That player finished practice the day he sustained the concussion and did not seek medical treatment until the next day because he feared retribution from Corsaro.

Once the player sought medical treatment, he was formally diagnosed with a concussion. The player indicated that, after he suffered the concussion, Corsaro ridiculed him and called him a “soft p****.” That player also alleged that Corsaro told him, “real men play through concussions.”

Another player claimed Corsaro “branded” him with a marker. The player reported that Corsaro drew a large “P” on his skin after he missed a free throw. The “P,” according to the player, stood for “p****.”

According to the lawsuit, when one of the players rolled his ankle and was slow to return to play, Corsaro told him his mother “must have raised a real b****.”

Additional filings in the case indicate one player sustained a foot injury during the 2024-25 season. That player was urged back to full action too quickly by Corsaro, and that player later suffered a more significant, career-ending injury.

Players also alleged that Corsaro did not hesitate to humiliate them in front of others. One player claimed Corsaro instructed him to “grab his balls and squeeze” to make sure they were still there. The player indicated that Corsaro made that comment in front of the entire IU Indy women’s track team.

Additional documentation filed in the case also reports that one of Corsaro’s outbursts was so large in scope that the IU Indy volleyball team froze during one of their team lifts. Court records indicate the IU Indy volleyball team was shocked by Corsaro’s actions.

One player indicated that he was punched by one of his teammates during a conditioning drill. That player reported that Corsaro appeared to have instigated the violence because he continually pinned the team needing to complete extra sprints on him. After the player was punched, Corsaro seemed to be pleased by the act of violence, according to case filings.

The complaint alleges that Corsaro met with his players’ parents on numerous occasions to talk about the team’s mental health struggles. During those meetings, Corsaro reportedly pledged his support to struggling players. That support, however, never actually came, per the players.

One player even claimed that Corsaro weaponized a meeting he had with parents publicly. That player indicated that, in front of the entire team, Corsaro said, “This is why I have to have a meeting with mommy and daddy.”

That player reported that his parents met with Corsaro because the physical and mental abuse he allegedly endured caused him to lose 10 pounds in a week.

In the complaint, the players alleged that Corsaro’s abuse had on-court ramifications. He reportedly told one player, “You better find a new girlfriend because you are not going to be here next year.” He also dismissed another player implicated in the lawsuit from the team and cut the playing time of another who brought concerns to his attention.

One player, who was not part of the lawsuit, is quoted in the complaint as saying Corsaro told him he needed to start playing “like a Black player and not a white player.” Other documents filed in the case indicate Corsaro asked a player if he was “afraid of Black guys” during an exhibition game.

The players also alleged that, in addition to the psychological abuse, Corsaro physically harmed them. One player indicated that Corsaro choked him and punched his sternum. Another player claimed Corsaro routinely bumped, shoulder slammed and shoved members of his team.

When one player was injured in a crash, Corsaro did not allow him to be around the team while he was recovering, according to case filings. That same player claimed Corsaro called him “useless” and a disappointment to his parents. The player also indicated that he was the only player Corsaro did not text a happy birthday message to last season.

One Black player alleged that Corsaro also threatened to call the police when he could not finish a sprint.

Documents filed in the case allege that Corsaro instructed his assistant coaches to delete practice footage that might have captured some of the alleged moments of abuse, like his kicking of basketballs, throwing of clipboards and berating of team managers.

Lawsuit claims IU Indy is responsible for harm athletes endured

The former players’ lawyers allege that IU Indy was negligent in its hiring of Corsaro. The lawyers’ filings criticize the university’s hiring practices and the school’s infrastructure for monitoring the behavior and activity of its coaches.

The lawsuit alleges that IU Indy allowed Corsaro to continue coaching and cause harm to student-athletes throughout the 2024-25 season. The lack of accountability, according to the players’ lawyers, led to the student-athletes effectively losing a year of collegiate eligibility playing under Corsaro.

The players’ filings also claim some members of the university’s staff are required to report certain types of abuse to proper school channels. Corsaro’s assistant coaches, team managers and other support staff, according to documents filed in the case, would all fall into that category. Coaches of other sports that may have witnessed Corsaro’s alleged actions would also be among those required to report inappropriate behavior.

Corsaro’s assistants deleting footage only exacerbates their inaction in what they witnessed, according to court documents. The complaint also alleges that coaches supported players’ grievances with Corsaro privately and acknowledged that what he was doing was wrong. Still, they did not report his behavior to the university, per case filings.

The players also claim the university breached a contract with them. In the players’ eyes, they entered into a contract with the university to play basketball in exchange for payment of tuition, room and board and other education-related expenses.

The players believe the contract was breached when Corsaro allegedly violated the university’s codes of conduct, but he remained the head coach for the entire 2024-25 season.

Fallout

A letter the players’ lawyers sent IU Indy in June urged the school to pay more than $2.4 million in damages to the players for the abuse they allegedly suffered under Corsaro.

Court records indicate the university later rejected the claims set forth in the players’ June letter. IU Indy also told the players’ lawyers they did not intend to engage in settlement talks.

The university sent its response to the letter on June 17, according to court documents. The players’ lawyers filed their complaint against the school on Monday.

All six of the players left IU Indy at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Additional legal action taken by Corsaro

IU Indy is now sandwiched in the middle of two legal cases related to Corsaro.

A report from October indicates Corsaro filed a tort claim against IU Indy. In that claim, Corsaro indicated that IU Indy defamed him and effectively ensured he’d never be hired as a coach again when they terminated him.

In the claim, Corsaro reported that he wasn’t made aware of the allegations that were brought against him until he received a letter from the university. Corsaro also claimed that the university’s athletic director repeatedly assured him he likely wouldn’t lose his job at the end of the school’s investigation of the allegations brought against him.

Corsaro also indicated that the report IU Indy produced during its investigation only corroborated two of the allegations brought against him. The two substantiated incidents included in the report related to Corsaro cursing during team practices and bumping a player during a practice.

“The Final Report provided absolutely no discussion, and certainly made no finding, that the ‘substantiated’ allegations amounted to ’cause’ sufficient to terminate Corsaro for-cause,” Corsaro’s tort reads.

Corsaro also claimed that IU Indy’s athletic director repeatedly endorsed his use of profanity during practice. He also indicated that the time he bumped a player happened during a drill in which he was teaching his team to “properly absorb contact when attempting to score under the basket.”

Corsaro’s tort claims the university turned its back on him because it feared a lawsuit might be filed. The tort was filed fewer than three months before Corsaro’s ex-players lodged their complaint against the university.

In a statement provided to IndyStar, IU Indy Athletics cited the allegations brought forth by former players as the reason for Corsaro’s dismissal.

“Based on the complaints, the IU Office of Vice President and General Counsel conducted an investigation and concluded that Corsaro’s behavior did not meet the university’s values and standards regarding the treatment of student athletes,” IU Indy’s statement to IndyStar read in part. “Based on these conclusions, IU Indianapolis has dismissed Paul Corsaro. The search for a new coach will begin immediately.”

Corsaro claimed the university’s statements were “plainly false” in his tort. He indicated that the school asserted, without evidence, that he mistreated his players. Corsaro alleged the university’s final report did not support the termination decision IU Indy ultimately came to.

Where are we now?

Corsaro went 10-22 overall and 6-14 against Horizon League opponents during his tenure as head coach of the Jaguars. Ben Howlett was tapped to replace Corsaro as the head coach of the IU Indy men’s basketball team.

Howlett is the third coach the Jaguars have had in the last five seasons. Corsaro was preceded in the role by Matt Crenshaw, who coached the team from the 2021-22 season and 2023-24 season.

The assistant coaches on Corsaro’s staff are no longer with the team. The Jaguars are currently 3-9 on the 2025-26 season.

The status of Corsaro’s tort claim against IU Indy is currently unclear. Some subpoenas have been filed in the ex-players’ case against the university, but not much additional action had been taken as of this article’s publication.