After 44 years, he says one phrase gave the real reason away - and the story later shifted
Indiana University fired its longtime men's basketball head trainer because of his age, a new lawsuit alleges.
The trainer spent 44 years caring for Indiana's men's basketball players, working under seven head coaches. On March 31, 2025, the university let him go. In a complaint filed August 11, 2026, in federal court, he alleges the real reason was his age.
He was 68 when he was terminated. According to the filing, days earlier, on March 26, the athletic director told him the program wanted a "fresh start." The complaint says he received no other explanation and was told to empty his office within the week.
The timing, the complaint alleges, didn't add up. It says he had been discussing his role with the incoming head coach and had begun mapping an offseason training plan for new players. The filing also alleges the university asked him to sign a release giving up any claims against it.
The most instructive part for HR professionals is what the complaint says came next.
After the trainer filed an age discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the university responded in February 2026 by pointing to "deficiencies" in his performance, according to the filing. But the complaint alleges that explanation surfaced only after he complained. It says the athletic director, questioned under oath in a deposition, never raised any deficiencies, and instead pointed...
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