Former IU basketball players file suit alleging abuse by former team doctor Brad Bomba Sr.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Two former Indiana men’s basketball players have sued Indiana University, alleging sexual abuse while they were being examined by former team doctor Brad Bomba Sr. .

Former Indiana basketball players Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Indianapolis. According to a press release from the law firm DeLaney & DeLaney, they claim “they were routinely subjected to medically unnecessary, invasive and sexually abusive rectal examinations by Dr. Bradford Bomba, the team physician.”

In the DeLaney & DeLaney press release, Mujezinovic said, “I stand for all student-athletes who have suffered abuse. I hope more of our former teammates come forward and share their stories publicly.

Miller said, “I will never understand why IU leadership did nothing to protect us from what I now understand to be sexual abuse. »

In September, Indiana University announced that it had retained the law firm Jones Day to conduct an independent review of the abuse allegations initially outlined in a letter to the university on behalf of a former player.

“The review will include interviews with witnesses, review of available documentation, and engagement with medical experts to determine: 1) the basic facts related to the annual medical examinations of IU student-athletes conducted by Dr. Bomba, Sr. . 2) whether the conduct was appropriate, necessary, or consistent with the standard of care; and 3) what medical professionals and athletic department or university officials were aware of this conduct and, if warranted, what actions they took,” the Indiana University statement said about this.

Bomba is a member of the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame. Finishing the football team in the 1950s, he served as team physician for all Indiana teams from 1962 to 1970. He began serving as basketball physician in 1979 and remained in this position until the end of the 1990s.

According to the players’ lawsuit, Indiana University is responsible for these complaints because the suit alleges they would be considered a violation of Title IX.

“Since its enactment, courts have interpreted Title IX to protect students from sexual assault or sexual harassment in educational programs or activities operated by recipients of federal funding,” the complaint states.

“Given that sexual assault and sexual harassment are inherent forms of sex discrimination, allegations that an educational institution that receives federal funding subjected a student to sexual harassment or sexual assault while the student was participating in an educational program or activity that falls within the protection of Title IX,” the complaint continues.

The complaint also states that “despite being aware of these common, pervasive and repeated sexual assaults, IU systematically mishandled and turned a blind eye to complaints from Hoosier men’s basketball players regarding sexual misconduct by the Dr. Bomba, Sr., contrary to federal regulations. .”

“Instead, Mujezinovic, Miller and their former teammates were forced to choose between enduring the sexual abuse inflicted by Dr. Bomba, Sr. or giving up their chance to play for a very prestigious basketball program and complete their studies at IU,” the complaint continues. .

There is no statute of limitations for civil cases regarding these issues.

More Indiana athletes could be added to the class-action lawsuit. Their case seeks unspecified monetary damages on behalf of all former athletes who were victims of abuse at the hands of Bomba.

Another former Indiana men’s basketball player has retained separate legal representation in a possible civil action against Indiana University. This player, who chose to remain anonymous, is represented by the Simpson Tuegel law firm, based in Dallas.

According to a press release from Simpson Tuegel, the player was an Indiana basketball player in the 1990s who played for Bob Knight.

“After recently seeing another player come forward, I felt compelled to confirm and substantiate their claims. Although it’s not easy to talk about, I was subjected to horribly invasive and completely unnecessary exams by team doctor Brad Bomba Sr., propagated as a perverse rite of passage within the culture toxic hazing, dehumanization and silencing of the program,” the press release states. , referring to the former Indiana player as John Doe.

“All that mattered to the University was winning games and protecting its reputation. I was a victim of sexual abuse and emotional torment at IU, the impacts of which I still carry with me today,” the statement continued.

The Simpson Tuegel Law Firm has represented abuse survivors in high-profile cases such as the Larry Nassar case involving Michigan State gymnastics athletes, the George Tyndall case involving several Southern California athletes and the Robert Anderson case involving Michigan athletes.

USC agreed to an $852 million settlement in the Tyndall case. Anderson’s settlement was $460 million and Nassar’s was $380 million.

Miller and Mujezinovic were teammates in the mid-1990s.

Miller played at Indiana from 1995 to 1998, starting 58 of the 126 games he played for the Hoosiers. A 6-7 forward, Miller averaged 6.4 points and made 34.1 percent from 3-point range during his Indiana career. Miller later played professional basketball in Europe.

Mujezinovic arrived at Indiana in 1995 after beginning his career at the collegiate level. In two years with Indiana, the 6-9 center started 25 of 62 career games and averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Chicago native also played professional basketball in Europe and now runs a construction company in Bloomington.

In the Mujezinovic-Miller complaint acquired by Hoosiers On SI, Mujezinovic and Miller were required to submit to a physical examination. The complaint says players were assigned to Bomba Sr. or his son Brad Bomba Jr. by men’s basketball athletic trainer Tim Garl, who still serves in the same role at Indiana.

Miller was examined by Bomba four times during his time in Indiana. The complaint says: “Dr. Bomba subjected Miller to medically unnecessary, invasive, harassing and humiliating digital rectal exams.

The complaint also alleges that Bomba’s exams were openly discussed by men’s basketball players in the locker room in the presence of IU employees, including assistant coaches, athletic trainers and other staff members. men’s basketball.

The complaint also states that “neither Mujezinovic nor Miller knew, or had reason to know, that IU had injured them until they consulted an attorney in 2024.”

The complaint says there was no medically necessary reason for Bomba to routinely perform rectal exams on healthy student-athletes at that age.

The full complaint is included in the tweets linked below. Warning! There is explicit language included in the complaint.