Former Indiana basketball head trainer Tim Garl has taken his fight with the school to court, filing a lawsuit Tuesday against the university’s Board of Trustees and athletic director Scott Dolson in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
The suit says Indiana wrongfully terminated Garl and discriminated against him because of his age. Garl was 68 when he was dismissed in March 2025 after 44 years as IU’s head trainer, with Dolson telling him the program wanted a “fresh start” for the training staff under incoming coach Darian DeVries. Court documents describe that news as “shocking” to Garl.
According to the filing, Garl was still in active talks with DeVries about joining his staff and was helping develop an “offseason training and recovery plan for incoming players.” The lawsuit says he was given no real explanation for the decision and was told only that he needed to clear out his office within a week.
Garl’s complaint argues that Indiana aimed to replace him “with a younger, less experienced, less respected, and cheaper Head Trainer” in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”) and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Before the lawsuit could be filed, Garl first had to go through the EEOC process. He received a right-to-sue letter in July 2026 after the commission investigated the allegations. During that process, Indiana sent the EEOC a letter saying Garl had “deficiencies” in his performance.
The school’s letter said Garl “consistently and repeatedly" failed to properly document his medical care and was involved in a “heated and inappropriate” altercation with another member of the team’s medical staff. It also said, “Garl had been made aware of these issues and had not been receptive to the feedback from his employer,” according to the filing.
Garl pushed back hard in his suit, attaching support letters from former IU coach Mike Woodson, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and 17 former Hoosiers, including James Blackmon, Luke Goode, Calbert Cheaney, Jared Jeffries, Yogi Ferrell, Cody Zeller, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Trey Galloway.
Woodson wrote, “During my time as head coach for Men's Basketball at Indiana University, I gave Tim Garl superior performance evaluations,” and added, “I know that he has had a positive influence on the Indiana University men’s basketball team, staff, and athletic department. Any suggestion that he is not at the top of the Athletic Training profession is completely wrong.”
Izzo, who has known Garl for 40 years, said he had asked for Garl’s opinion multiple times over the years when Michigan State had problems, calling it “That’s the ultimate sign of appreciation for his professionalism” - a sentiment former players echoed as well.
The lawsuit also says Garl wants his job back, along with attorney fees and monetary damages. He is asking the Board of Trustees to reinstate him and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Dolson.
Another wrinkle in the case dates to January 2025, when Garl was added as a co-defendant in a lawsuit against the school filed by former Indiana players over alleged misconduct by former team physician Brad Bomba Sr. That case has since been dismissed, though the plaintiffs have appealed.
Garl says Indiana should be responsible for paying his attorney fees, arguing, “Even though IU has agreed since August 2025 that Mr. Garl committed no bad acts and was acting within the scope of his employment,” the school has refused to pay “all” of the costs and fees he incurred.
Garl is represented by attorneys from Dinsmore & Shohl, an Indianapolis-based law firm.
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