Bomba and Garl.

[Victorbmyboy]

Not good.

Longtime IU men's basketball trainer named as defendant in Bomba Sr. lawsuit

Tim Garl, trainer for IU men's basketball since 1981, was added to a class action lawsuit alleging serial sexual abuse by former team doctor.

indianapublicmedia.org

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

i'm not a doctor but not seeing why 19 yr old ball players need proctology exams.
Nowhere good for this story to go. Just wondering why, all these years later...this surfaces.

 

[IUMD98]

i'm not a doctor but not seeing why 19 yr old ball players need proctology exams.
Nowhere good for this story to go. Just wondering why, all these years later...this surfaces.

They don’t.

 

[MTBRider22]

They don’t.

I see your screen name, so hopefully you can answer this.

I've heard many guys say that when they went into the military, they were given the finger treatment. Including my father when he was drafted and went to Vietnam. I'm wondering if maybe this was more common with the older generation of doctors? Maybe as science and technology have evolved, it's now realized this isn't required for younger men therefore it doesn't make sense now? I know Bamba is a very old dude, so you have to figure some of what he was originally taught is no longer valid. Definitely not sticking up for him, but generally curious about what's at play.

 

[CriticArisen]

Link is to an article about an identical lawsuit from 2006-2016 for pre employment physicals for correction officer applicants for the California State Prison system.

Lawsuit: Rectal exams for Calif. COs were unnecessary, invasive

About 190 current and former COs, who said they were subjected to the exams, filed a lawsuit against the CDCR

www.corrections1.com

 

[IUMD98]

I see your screen name, so hopefully you can answer this.

I've heard many guys say that when they went into the military, they were given the finger treatment. Including my father when he was drafted and went to Vietnam. I'm wondering if maybe this was more common with the older generation of doctors? Maybe as science and technology have evolved, it's now realized this isn't required for younger men therefore it doesn't make sense now? I know Bamba is a very old dude, so you have to figure some of what he was originally taught is no longer valid. Definitely not sticking up for him, but generally curious about what's at play.

You are 100 percent correct. When Dr. Bomba went through training it was standard for rectal exams to be done on routine physicals. Times change and standards of care evolve. I went through med school and residency during the time of some of these allegations and at that time we were not taught to do routine rectal exams on adolescent/young adults. I have no doubt that Dr. Bomba was not doing this for any sexual pleasure but just as part of what he considered a routine physical.

 

[UTFO]

I see your screen name, so hopefully you can answer this.

I've heard many guys say that when they went into the military, they were given the finger treatment. Including my father when he was drafted and went to Vietnam. I'm wondering if maybe this was more common with the older generation of doctors? Maybe as science and technology have evolved, it's now realized this isn't required for younger men therefore it doesn't make sense now? I know Bamba is a very old dude, so you have to figure some of what he was originally taught is no longer valid. Definitely not sticking up for him, but generally curious about what's at play.

My dad was US Army doc. In 60s. Said he did it a fair amount and he was an OBGYN resident, so...

I'd ask Bomba: out of all the DREs you did on IU athletes, did any ever amount to any sort of positive finding?

If he's 0-150...well...

Nothing really needs to be said then.

 

[Bucket Getter]

My dad was US Army doc. In 60s. Said he did it a fair amount and he was an OBGYN resident, so...

I'd ask Bomba: out of all the DREs you did on IU athletes, did any ever amount to any sort of positive finding?

If he's 0-150...well...

Nothing really needs to be said then.

Hmmmm...not really sure doctors are trained to think like that. What if the 151st had some serious issue that could have been treated, but the doctor was tired of doing the exam?

 

[UncleMark]

When Dr. Bomba went through training it was standard for rectal exams to be done on routine physicals. Times change and standards of care evolve. I went through med school and residency during the time of some of these allegations and at that time we were not taught to do routine rectal exams on adolescent/young adults.

Bolded is the key.

I'm 70 years old and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, it's of a type that doesn't grow (at least not much) and doesn't usually metastasize, so the current medical wisdom is to just keep an eye on it and not get excited -- odds are I'll die of something else long before the prostate cancer does me in. Point being, this is a relatively recent approach; in the not too distant past they would have freaked out about the C-Word and wanted to cut.

I have to believe that Bomba was following the protocol that was standard at the time.

 

[Indyhorn]

Brad Bomba has a huge Catholic family- I am certain that he wasn’t sticking a finger up any player’s arse for pleasure. This crap is a cash grab by former players who didn’t maximize their selves in college in my view.

 

[Jssanto]

Brad Bomba has a huge Catholic family- I am certain that he wasn’t sticking a finger up any player’s arse for pleasure. This crap is a cash grab by former players who didn’t maximize their selves in college in my view.

There are so many crash grab lawyers that this always has to be considered.

 

[IUMD98]

Bolded is the key.

I'm 70 years old and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, it's of a type that doesn't grow (at least not much) and doesn't usually metastasize, so the current medical wisdom is to just keep an eye on it and not get excited -- odds are I'll die of something else long before the prostate cancer does me in. Point being, this is a relatively recent approach; in the not too distant past they would have freaked out about the C-Word and wanted to cut.

I have to believe that Bomba was following the protocol that was standard at the time.

He was not following the standard of care when Charlie Miller was playing.

 

[IUFan4Lifer]

He was not following the standard of care when Charlie Miller was playing.

How do you know?

 

[UncleMark]

He was not following the standard of care when Charlie Miller was playing.

How often do old practitioners change the way they have operated for years? My mom was an old school country doctor, same vintage as Bomba. Her ongoing education consisted of a subscription to JAMA and whatever the drug reps told her was the latest and greatest new thing.

 

[IUMD98]

How do you know?

I was in medical school the years that Miller played.

 

[BA47591]

It's Miller and haris mujezinovic on this case isn't it? I'm not sure how many physicals Brad Bomba gave over 40 years but one would believe that Coach would've heard something and went ape shit. Pat was around at that time, no way anything inappropriate went on. However, I had a USMC enlistment physical in 89' and it didn't involve invasive rectal checking.

 

[UTFO]

Hmmmm...not really sure doctors are trained to think like that. What if the 151st had some serious issue that could have been treated, but the doctor was tired of doing the exam?

True.

It was a different time then.

 

[bsmitty08]

i'm not a doctor but not seeing why 19 yr old ball players need proctology exams.
Nowhere good for this story to go. Just wondering why, all these years later...this surfaces.

In my 4 years of college ball, our physicals never included that.

 

[WhyisIUBBcursed]

I’ve been in practice for 25 years. This is pure and utter horseshit. When I started practice in 2000, the founder of my practice who opened up in the early 70’s was doing rectals on a lot of men and pelvics on a lot of women that made me scratch my head at the time. Now after all these years I understand. He does what he was trained to do. It’s very difficult to change ingrained habits. I was taught as dogmatic in med school that every woman after menopause needs to be on hormone replacement therapy. We now know that is false but it took me some time to come to terms with that. This is a pure cash grab and these former players (unless some really weird shit comes out of this story) should be drawn and quartered

 

[hookyIU1990]

If Woodson, Buckner & Whittman are getting their grift on, is it surprising that others won't try?

 

[All4You]

I was in medical school the years that Miller played.

But Bomba wasn't

 

[ce36ei]

i'm not a doctor but not seeing why 19 yr old ball players need proctology exams.
Nowhere good for this story to go. Just wondering why, all these years later...this surfaces.

Knight died.

 

[IUMD98]

How often do old practitioners change the way they have operated for years? My mom was an old school country doctor, same vintage as Bomba. Her ongoing education consisted of a subscription to JAMA and whatever the drug reps told her was the latest and greatest new thing.

That is the problem. He didn’t adjust to the changing times.

But Bomba wasn't

no he wasn’t but he didn’t adjust to the changing times. As a physician you cannot keep practicing outdated techniques any longer. Again this was nothing sexual but the payers went through an embarrassing, uncomfortable and unnecessary exam. Does it warrant a lawsuit probably not but that’s the way things are these days.

 

[trailrunner]

Not good.

Longtime IU men's basketball trainer named as defendant in Bomba Sr. lawsuit

Tim Garl, trainer for IU men's basketball since 1981, was added to a class action lawsuit alleging serial sexual abuse by former team doctor.

indianapublicmedia.org

He was only holding the flashlight!

 

[UncleMark]

Again this was nothing sexual but the payers went through an embarrassing, uncomfortable and unnecessary exam. Does it warrant a lawsuit probably not but that’s the way things are these days.

They're all unnecessary if they don't find anything, aren't they?

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Brad Bomba has a huge Catholic family- I am certain that he wasn’t sticking a finger up any player’s arse for pleasure. This crap is a cash grab by former players who didn’t maximize their selves in college in my view.

Because no Catholics have ever fingered young boys’ rectums??

 

[trailrunner]

Because no Catholics have ever fingered young boys’ rectums??

Cmon only a few priests.

 

[Stuffshot]

Hmmmm...not really sure doctors are trained to think like that. What if the 151st had some serious issue that could have been treated, but the doctor was tired of doing the exam?

A cancer survivor is on the team right now.

 

[trailrunner]

A cancer survivor is on the team right now.

Hodgins I believe

 

[dbmhoosier]

Indiana AD Dolson green lights December letter sent to investigative firm in support of Bomba Sr.

The letter was signed by 14 physicians who have practiced medicine in the IU and Bloomington community.

www.idsnews.com

 

[CG Paul]

Check out this article from IndyStar:

Law firm finds that former Indiana basketball team physician didn't act 'in bad faith'

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2025/05/01/indiana-basketball-brad-bomba-investigation-report/83389825007/

 

[BusdriverE]

A cancer survivor is on the team right now.

Was, that was last yr, Myles Rice no longer on team

 

[All4You]

Check out this article from IndyStar:

Law firm finds that former Indiana basketball team physician didn't act 'in bad faith'

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2025/05/01/indiana-basketball-brad-bomba-investigation-report/83389825007/

Quoted below from the story is the response by the plaintiffs' attorney...

DeLaney & DeLaney, the law firm representing the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Indiana University and Tim Garl, responded to the report stating, “The Jones Day report confirms that IU officials knew that Dr. Bomba, Sr. was penetrating these young athletes’ rectums and IU refused to stop it.”

Does that law office have no shame?

 

[Tammany Hall]

Looks even more like a money grab now.

 

[jiouhyu]

I have suspected all along some old player told someone about his rectal exam and how the other players coaches all had a good laugh. Now, X years later, friend of player says, “hey that wasn’t right. U were violated.” Now old player gets convinced he was violated because he can’t resist the pot of gold after he speaks to a lawyer who convinces him that he was indeed violated. At the end of the day it was an old school, thorough exam and now players are butt hurt about their feelings that they never even knew they had.

 

[OpenWheels]

That is the problem. He didn’t adjust to the changing times.

no he wasn’t but he didn’t adjust to the changing times. As a physician you cannot keep practicing outdated techniques any longer. Again this was nothing sexual but the payers went through an embarrassing, uncomfortable and unnecessary exam. Does it warrant a lawsuit probably not but that’s the way things are these days.

Until I read that I thought this was a money grab... But not a little embarrassment!
(Not sure why they would be, for a checkup by a doctor, but if you say so.)

I wouldn't poke fun if it was likely to have any chance at all of being an assault of any kind. But come on... so many physicians said they used to be routine, it's obvious the doc felt he needed to be thorough.
,

 

[abraxis]

I bet Butch Carter has always been jealous of his brother’s NFL money. He sees perfectly clear through his once hazy window of opportunity. I recall he had a bone to pick with Knight. Maybe it was some other post college snafu. I don’t remember seeing him at alumni events, but I could be wrong again. I’m calloused from it.

 

[hozo4ultimate]

I’ve been in practice for 25 years. This is pure and utter horseshit. When I started practice in 2000, the founder of my practice who opened up in the early 70’s was doing rectals on a lot of men and pelvics on a lot of women that made me scratch my head at the time. Now after all these years I understand. He does what he was trained to do. It’s very difficult to change ingrained habits. I was taught as dogmatic in med school that every woman after menopause needs to be on hormone replacement therapy. We now know that is false but it took me some time to come to terms with that. This is a pure cash grab and these former players (unless some really weird shit comes out of this story) should be drawn and quartered

I like any MD that uses the term, "pure and utter horseshit." I haven't followed much of this stupidness, but to your point, I'm betting there are similar shenanigans elsewhere. Some firms are willing to dedicate resources to some pretty ridiculous scenarios. They just need to hit on one...

 

[abraxis]

I like any MD that uses the term, "pure and utter horseshit." I haven't followed much of this stupidness, but to your point, I'm betting there are similar shenanigans elsewhere. Some firms are willing to dedicate resources to some pretty ridiculous scenarios. They just need to hit on one...

Shenanigans are everywhere, in all walks of life. Law firms welcome shenanigans. As our population explodes, it gets harder to control the shenanigans, real or imagined. Lawyers know this and smile as their wealth multiplies with the people doing stupid chit.

 

[abraxis]

I’ve been in practice for 25 years. This is pure and utter horseshit. When I started practice in 2000, the founder of my practice who opened up in the early 70’s was doing rectals on a lot of men and pelvics on a lot of women that made me scratch my head at the time. Now after all these years I understand. He does what he was trained to do. It’s very difficult to change ingrained habits. I was taught as dogmatic in med school that every woman after menopause needs to be on hormone replacement therapy. We now know that is false but it took me some time to come to terms with that. This is a pure cash grab and these former players (unless some really weird shit comes out of this story) should be drawn and quartered

After the pill came out IU eventually started dispensing them at the Infirmary on 10th St and Jordan…excuse me, Eagleson. Promiscuous coeds were required to have a pelvic exam before received. First year Med students came down from Indy periodically to help with these pelvic exams. My roommate at the time was so blessed to take part in this observation, this “teaching” moment. He called it “one of the rewards of medicine.” I never asked to smell his finger. I didn’t have to.

I bet today these exams aren’t necessary for birth control pills, much like the once popular rectal exams for prostate, two-fingered coughs for hernia, tonsillectomies for sore throats and circumcisions for tradition and wealth accumulation (They got to keep their tips without reporting it to the IRS.)

Physicians once used leeches. Things change. I think Bomba is safe from prosecution because 14 local doctors have already come forward to support this invasive procedure, calling it the reasonable standard of care at that time.