Hoosiers Now

Former Indiana Basketball Players File Suit Alleging Abuse By Former Team Doctor Brad Bomba Sr.

Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller have filed a class action suit against Indiana University alleging sexual abuse during medical examinations. Another unnamed former Indiana basketball player has retained separate counsel.

Todd Golden

Basketball showing the IU logo.
Basketball showing the IU logo. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Two former Indiana men’s basketball players have sued Indiana University, alleging sexual abuse while being examined by former team physician Brad Bomba Sr.

Former Indiana basketball players Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller filed the class action complaint in Federal Court on Tuesday in Indianapolis. According to a press release from the DeLaney & DeLaney law firm, they allege “they were routinely subjected to medically unnecessary, invasive and sexually abusive rectal examinations by Dr. Bradford Bomba, the team’s physician.”

In the DeLaney & DeLaney press release, Mujezinovic stated, “I’m standing up for all student athletes who have suffered abuse. I hope that more of our former teammates will speak out and share their stories publicly.”

Miller stated, “I will never understand why IU leadership did nothing to protect us from what I now understand was sexual abuse.”

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

“The review will include witness interviews, a review of available documentation and engagement with medical experts to determine: 1) the background facts related to the annual physicals of IU student athletes conducted by Dr. Bomba, Sr.; 2) if the conduct was appropriate, necessary, or within the standard of care; and 3) what medical professionals and athletic department or university officials were aware of the conduct and, if warranted, what action did they take,” said the Indiana University statement on the matter.

Brad Bomba Sr.
Brad Bomba Sr. is shown in an Indiana University file photo taken in 1993. / Indiana University public archives

Bomba is a member of the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame. An end on the football team in the 1950s, he served as team physician for all of Indiana’s teams from 1962-70. He began serving as basketball physician in 1979 and stayed in that capacity into the late 1990s.

According to the players’ lawsuit, Indiana University is liable regarding these complaints as the suit alleges they would be considered a Title IX violation.

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

“Since sexual assault and sex-based harassment are inherently gender-based forms of discrimination, allegations that an educational institution that receives federal funding has subjected a student to sex-based harassment or sexual assault while the student was participating in any education program or activity fall within the ambit of Title IX’s protection,” the complaint continues.

The complaint also states, “despite its knowledge of these routine, pervasive, repeated sexual assaults, IU systemically mishandled and turned a blind eye to Hoosier men’s basketball players’ complaints of Dr. Bomba, Sr.’s sexual misconduct, contrary to federal regulations.”

“Instead, Mujezinovic, Miller, and their former teammates were forced to choose between enduring the sexual abuse Dr. Bomba, Sr. inflicted or abandoning their chance to play for a highly prestigious basketball program and complete their education at IU,” the complaint continued.

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

Other Indiana athletes could be added to the class action suit. Their case seeks unspecified monetary damages on behalf of all former athletes who were subject to abuse by Bomba.

Another former Indiana men’s basketball player has retained separate legal representation in a potential civil claim against Indiana University. This player, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is represented by the Dallas-based Simpson Tuegel Law Firm.

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

“After seeing another player recently come forward, I felt obliged to confirm and substantiate his claims. Though not easy to talk about, I was subjected to horrifically invasive and completely unnecessary exams by team physician Brad Bomba Sr., propagated as a perverse rite of passage within the program’s toxic culture of hazing, dehumanization, and silence,” said the press release, referring to the former Indiana player as John Doe.

“All that mattered to the University was winning games and protecting reputations. I was subjected to sexual abuse and emotional torment at IU, the impacts of which I still carry with me to this day,” the statement continued.

The Simpson Tuegel law firm represented survivors of abuse in high-profile cases such as the Larry Nassar case involving Michigan State gymnastics, the George Tyndall case involving multiple Southern California athletes and the Robert Anderson case involving Michigan athletes.

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

Haris Mujezinovic, Charlie Miller
The 1996-97 Indiana men's basketball team photo. Haris Mujezinovic (55) is in the bottom row. Charlie Miller (3) is on the top row. / Indiana University public archives

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

Miller played at Indiana from 1995-98, starting 58 of the 126 games he played for the Hoosiers. A 6-7 forward, Miller averaged 6.4 points and made 34.1% from 3-point range over his Indiana career. Miller later played pro basketball in Europe.

Mujezinovic came to Indiana in 1995 after he began his career at the junior college 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 pro basketball in Europe and now runs a construction firm in Bloomington.

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

Miller was examined by Bomba four times during his time at Indiana. The complaint says, “Dr. Bomba subjected Miller to medically unnecessary, invasive, harassing, and demeaning digital rectal examinations.”

The complaint also alleges that Bomba’s examinations 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 men’s basketball staff.

The complaint also states that, “Neither Mujezinovic nor Miller knew, or had reason to know, that IU injured them until they consulted with legal counsel in 2024.”

The complaint states 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 within the Tweets linked below. Warning! There is explicit language included in the complaint.

Related story

  • INDIANA INITIATES INVESTIGATION: Indiana University has retained counsel and initiated an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by former men's basketball team doctor Brad Bomba Sr. CLICK HERE.
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Todd Golden
TODD GOLDEN

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