Former NBA player and coach Butch Carter has filed an amended lawsuit alleging that he was sexually abused by Dr. Bradford Bomba Sr., the physician for the Indiana University basketball team, during his time as a player. Carter, who later played for teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers and coached the Toronto Raptors, is the fifth former Indiana University player to report raising concerns about Bomba’s unnecessary rectal examinations to legendary coach Bobby Knight.
Carter’s testimony is part of a revised complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, which accuses university officials of neglecting their duty to protect student-athletes from Bomba’s actions. He is now a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Indiana University trustees and longtime trainer Tim Garl, who is accused of being aware of the abuse allegations but failing to act. The lawsuit, initially filed in October with two plaintiffs, is pursued under Title IX, a federal law requiring colleges and universities to implement safeguards against sexual predators.
The lawsuit claims that in 1979, Dr. Bradford Bomba Sr., the team physician for Indiana University basketball, sexually abused Butch Carter during a physical examination at Assembly Hall. According to the filing, Bomba allegedly “put on gloves, lubed his fingers, and instructed Carter to bend over the table” before inserting at least one finger into Carter’s anus. Carter, now 66, stated that no other doctor had ever performed a rectal examination on him during a physical exam.
Carter, who played for Indiana’s basketball team from 1976 to 1980, reported the incident shortly afterward to head coach Bob Knight, team trainer Bob Young, and George Taliaferro, who worked in the university president’s office. According to the lawsuit, Young dismissed Carter’s concerns by saying the rectal exam was part of a standard procedure. Later in his senior year, Carter told Knight he would not see Bomba again for medical care and insisted on visiting another doctor, Dr. Robert Miller. Knight reportedly relented and “left it alone.”
Carter also disclosed the abuse to his mentor Taliaferro, Indiana University’s first African American football player, who responded by calling Bomba “a piece of s—.” Despite multiple complaints from Carter about Bomba’s conduct during exams and his repeated efforts to keep players away from Bomba, Knight allegedly took no action to address the issue.
In his affidavit, Carter noted that during his time in the NBA, annual physical exams by team doctors were routine and only once involved a rectal examination due to a swollen prostate. He further stated that he raised concerns about Bomba’s behavior years before four other plaintiffs—John Flowers, Haris Mujezinovic, Charlie Miller, and Larry Richardson Jr.—reported similar abuse.
Carter expressed pride in coming forward and encouraged other Indiana basketball players to share their experiences publicly. Dr. Bomba, now 88, could not be reached for comment. A university spokesperson and Bomba’s attorney did not immediately respond to inquiries. Indiana University previously announced it had hired a private law firm to investigate allegations of inappropriate prostate and rectal exams conducted by Bomba during annual physicals.
The lawsuit accuses Indiana University of failing to act on complaints about Bomba’s misconduct and argues that this constitutes a violation of Title IX protections against sexual assault or harassment in federally funded education programs.
