In March 2025, Indiana University informed Tim Garl, head men’s basketball athletic trainer, that he would not return for his 45th season with the Hoosiers. Garl’s contract was not renewed and athletics director Scott Dolson called it a “fresh start” for the team’s sports medicine staff.
That dismissal occurred amid a highly publicized legal battle between former student-athletes who alleged sexual misconduct at the hands of the team doctor, Brad Bomba, and later also named Garl as a defendant.
Now, according to The Indiana Daily Student, Garl has filed a lawsuit against Dolson and the Indiana University Board of Trustees, alleging wrongful termination and age discrimination.
Related: Indiana University Cut Ties With Longtime Basketball Athletic Trainer Named in Lawsuit
Garl began his tenure as head men’s basketball in 1981, serving under coach Bob Knight and the next five IU men’s basketball coaches. He was shocked to learn that his contract would not be renewed, following a meeting with Darian DeVries who would have been the sixth coach that Garl worked alongside. Garl reported a previous conversation with DeVries that did not indicate he would soon part ways with the Hoosiers. Said Garl, the two discussed “offseason training and recovery plans for incoming players as well as [Garl’s] role on the staf.”
Along with the wrongful termination allegations, Garl’s lawsuit also calls out the university for not defending him in the lawsuit filed by former student-athletes, and he claims the university has yet to reimburse his attorneys’ fees in that legal matter.
A federal judge dismissed that case in April 2026, claiming the statute of limitations had expired.
Garl was 68 years old at the time of his termination in March 2025, and he believes that the IU athletics department declined to renew his contract in part because of his age. IU’s spokesperson declined to give the IDS comment on the litigation.
