A 68‑year‑old trainer who spent nearly five decades overseeing the health and conditioning of Indiana University’s men’s basketball team has filed a lawsuit accusing the school of wrongful termination and age discrimination.
Allegations and Legal Claims
Tim Garl, who joined the university staff in 1981 and rose to become the program’s senior trainer, was terminated in March 2025 after refusing to follow directives that he says violated state and federal statutes, NCAA rules and basic medical ethics.
University officials, led by Vice President for Athletics Scott Dolson, contend that performance problems — specifically an alleged failure to maintain proper documentation of medical care and an unauthorized entry into restricted team areas — formed the basis for the dismissal.
Garl asserts that no written rationale was ever provided and that administrators pressured him to sign a release waiving any future claims, a request he declined.
The controversy also intersected with a separate lawsuit involving former players who accuse team physician Brad Bomba Sr. of sexual misconduct; Garl was named as a co‑defendant in that case, though the allegations against him are unrelated to his employment dispute.
After filing complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission in September 2025, Garl received a notice from the EEOC that cleared him to pursue legal action. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has since accepted his complaint, while a related case was dismissed in March 2026 on statute‑of‑limitations grounds and is now under appeal.
In his filing, Garl seeks reinstatement, reimbursement of legal fees and compensation for lost wages, benefits and other monetary damages, arguing that the university’s conduct breached both age‑discrimination statutes and the ethical standards expected of NCAA staff.