A former Indiana men’s basketball third baseman has alleged that the team doctor sexually assaulted him in a lawsuit. John Flowers joins former players Harris Mojzinovic and Charlie Miller in a class action lawsuit against Indiana University trustees.
In the lawsuit, Flowers said he was forced to undergo at least two unnecessary prostate exams 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 coach Tim Jarl as a defendant. It alleges that Jarl was aware that Bomba was subjecting players to “invasive, harassing and humiliating digital rectal examinations” when Jarl would send players to Bomba.
“After his first physical examination, his teammates told him that he had passed Dr. Pompa Sr.’s test and that he would not have to undergo a digital rectal exam again,” the lawsuit states. Jarl laughed at Flowers and his new colleagues and made jokes at their expense regarding the digital rectal examinations they underwent.
Flowers contributed his claims to the original lawsuit filed by Mogizinovic and Miller in October 2024. Mojizinovic played for the Hoosiers in the 1990s when legendary coach Bobby Knight was at the school.
“I am proud to stand on behalf of my former teammates and other IU basketball players to get justice for the sexual assault we experienced as members of the Hoosiers,” Flowers said. He said in a statement.
Kathleen Delaney, who is serving as an attorney for Flowers, Mojzinovic and Miller, claims Bomba may have sexually assaulted at least 100 male athletes during his time at the school.
Indiana spokesman Mark Boddy told NBC Sports that the school “does not comment on lawsuits.” The university said in September that it had hired a private law firm to conduct an “independent review” of the allegations.
Flowers, Mojzinovic and Miller sued Jarl and the Indiana University trustees under Title IX.
Bomba provided medical care for the Indiana 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 testimony regarding alleged rectal examinations on Hoosier athletes.