Editor's Note: This story includes mention of sexual violence or assault.
Indiana Athletics has parted ways with head men’s basketball trainer Tim Garl, the Indianapolis Star’s Zach Osterman first reported Monday.
Christopher Lee, Garl’s personal attorney from the Indianapolis based law firm Dinsmore & Shohl, emailed the Indiana Daily Student a statement detailing Garl’s departure from the program.
"Long time Athletic Trainer for Men’s Basketball at Indiana University, Tim Garl, was informed by Athletic Director, Scott Dolson, that his contract will not be renewed for his 45th basketball season,” the statement read. “Garl feels grateful for the incredible opportunities he has had during his career having served every head coach starting with Bob Knight.”
Indiana hired Garl as the head men’s basketball trainer in 1981. In the statement, Garl also went on to thank Knight and then-athletic director Ralph Floyd for hiring him for the position.
After Knight's dismissal from the program in 2000, Garl went on to serve under six different head coaches. At the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, he finished his 44th season in the position.
In the statement, Lee said Garl appreciated and thanked all the head coaches he served under, as well as the players, athletic department staffers and “Hoosier Nation” for their support.
While working with IU, Garl also served on the United States Olympic Committee for 25 years, the longest serving member in the group’s history. On the committee, he served as Vice Chair and Chairman of the USOC Sports Medicine Society.
In Lee’s statement, it said Dolson wanted a “fresh start” for the program as the reason why the program was parting ways with Garl.
On March 18, Indiana hired Darian DeVries to be the next head men’s basketball coach. DeVries was previously the head coach at West Virginia University before leaving to replace former head coach Mike Woodson at Indiana.
The two sides part ways more than two months after former IU men’s basketball players amended a previous lawsuit against IU alleging the university systemically mishandled its response to known routine and repeated invasive rectal exams by former team physician Bradford Bomba Sr. The amended lawsuit alleges Garl assigned players to Bomba Sr. knowing the physician would sexually assault them.
At the time of the amendment, the lawsuit listed three former players. Larry Richardson Jr. and Butch Carter joined John Flowers, Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller in March to bring the list of total plaintiffs to five.
In response to the suit, Garl released a statement Feb. 2 that read, “The central premise of Plaintiffs’ case is fatally flawed – the evidence will show that the prevailing standard of care at the relevant time included digital rectal examinations as part of a complete physical examination of college-aged males. In fact, failing to perform them would have fallen below the standard of care. But even assuming, arguendo, that rectal examinations were not required by the applicable standard of care, they were not inappropriate.”
In a motion filed by Lee and obtained by the Herald-Times on March 10, Lee alluded to the fact Garl’s tenure with the program could come to an end as he argued for an expedited ruling with the ongoing complaint.
"At the end of the season, Indiana University will announce the next head coach, so that individual can begin preparing for the 2025-2026 college basketball season. Such an outcome would bring an unfair, premature end to Mr. Garl’s illustrious career, and leave him searching for employment with these allegations still unresolved.
One of that individual’s first tasks will be to determine whether to retain existing staff or bring in new staff. Given that Mr. Garl is the only individual defendant named in the amended complaint, and is still employed by Indiana University as the head trainer for IUMB, should this case continue past the beginning of April, the next coach may decide not to keep Mr. Garl on the staff while the allegations against him remain pending."
The Herald-Times reported that the court denied Lee’s motion for an expedited ruling and that the judge has not ruled on an original motion to dismiss the initial complaint.
Indiana Athletics could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
According to the statement, Garl’s last day with the program is Monday. For the first time in more than four decades, Indiana will be looking for a new head men’s basketball trainer.
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