A third former Indiana men’s basketball player has alleged a team doctor sexually abused him in a lawsuit. John Flowers joins former players Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller in a class-action lawsuit against the Indiana University Trustees.
In the lawsuit, Flowers stated he was forced to receive at least two unnecessary prostate examinations by Dr. Bradford Bomba Sr. while playing for Indiana from 1981 to 1982. The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Indiana.
The lawsuit also names longtime men’s basketball trainer Tim Garl as a defendant. It alleges Garl was aware Bomba was subjecting players to “invasive, harassing, and demeaning digital rectal examinations” when Garl would send players to Bomba.
“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.”
Flowers contributed his claims to an original lawsuit filed by Mujezinovic and Miller back in October 2024. Mujezinovic played for the Hoosiers in the 1990s when legendary coach Bobby Knight was at the school.
“I am proud to stand up on behalf of my former teammates and other IU basketball players to seek justice for the sexual abuse we endured as members of the Hoosiers,” Flowers said in a statement.
Kathleen Delaney, who is serving as the attorney for Flowers, Mujezinovic and Miller, alleges Bomba may have sexually abused at least 100 male athletes during his time at the school.
Indiana spokesperson Mark Bode told NBC Sports the school “does not comment on litigation.” The university stated in September it has hired a private law firm to perform an “independent review” of the allegations.
Flowers, Mujezinovic and Miller are suing Garl and the Indiana University Trustees under Title IX.
Bomba provided medical care to Indiana’s sports team from 1962 until 1970, and from 1979 until the late 1990s, according to the lawsuit. Bomba, 88, is not currently listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
In December 2024, Bomba invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on several occasions during a deposition regarding the alleged rectal examinations on Hoosier athletes.
