Six former men’s basketball players at IU Indianapolis are suing the university, alleging physical and emotional abuse by fired coach Paul Corsaro.
The students are Briggs McClaim, Nathan Dudukovich, Ronald Rutland III, Ebenezer Ogoh, Caleb Hannah and Julian Steinfeld. They allege Corsaro punched, choked and shoved them as well as threatened their scholarships, in a complaint filed Monday in Indianapolis.
The lawsuit said Corsaro “innovated increasingly demeaning humiliations” for the players, such as referring to them by slurs and pressuring one to play through a concussion.
One player said he contemplated suicide because of the abuse. All six eventually left the team.
Because the alleged interactions happened in IU facilities with security cameras and assistant coaches nearby, the lawsuit said IU knew, or should have known, about the abuse.
The university fired Corsaro in May after an internal investigation. He coached the Jaguars for a little more than a year.
IU spokesperson Teresa Mackin said the university doesn’t comment on pending litigation. It did issue a statement after firing Corsaro that it found his conduct “did not meet the university’s values and standards”.
Corsaro denies accusations. In a statement posted to X in May, he accused IU of unfairly damaging his reputation. Corsaro said the team “fostered a strong culture, the significance of which was regrettably overlooked by some.” He also said IU did not give him a chance to appeal its decision as permitted by his contract.
Corsaro submitted a tort claim against IU Indianapolis in October for wrongful termination and defamation, saying the investigation only corroborated two of the players’ accusations: that he cursed during practice and that he once bumped a single player, which he said was part of a drill.
The claim also said IU never told Corsaro why he was being fired but wrote to the Indy Star that it was due to him mistreating players.
He hasn’t yet filed a lawsuit.
The athletes are represented by Carmel-based law firm Doehrman Buba Ring and Ohio-based Cooper Elliot. Kristyn Wilson, a spokesperson for Cooper Elliot, said attorneys were not granting interviews but “letting the complaint speak for itself.”
