Kevin Wilson resigned as head coach at Indiana earlier in the week, and reports detailing issues athletic director Fred Glass, "thought had been long resolved," led to the stunning parting of ways.
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According to a report by IndyStar, two external investigations into the handling of injuries at Indiana led to Wilson leaving the program.
The first involved a player, Nick Carovillano, who reportedly injured his back during a collision at practice.
Carovillano then told trainers, but they allegedly wouldn't treat him when told he didn't have pain radiating down his legs. The pain reportedly persisted, he was told he was soft and he continued to lift weights and practice.
An external doctor reportedly told Carovillano he had a bone fragment and three damaged disks, according to the report, and he returned to school. He said trainers treated him differently when told the extent of his injuries, but while rehabbing, here's what Wilson allegedly told him:
"He would come over and yell at us, saying, 'I'm paying $70,000 a year for you to sit on your ass,'" Nick Carovillano said. "That happened about halfway through the season and carried on to the end of it. If you were injured, he just wanted to make you feel like crap. He just wanted to make you feel bad, so you basically would stop being injured."/em>
That led to this response by Glass, per the report:
"As you know, IU will not tolerate any behavior among you and your staff that penalizes, ostracizes, or criticizes any injured football player. I trust that you and your staff are abiding by this long standing policy."
An outside report concluded that Carovillano, among others, was not treated properly. According to the report, Wilson followed recommended changes that included refraining from jokes or implied pressure toward injured players.
Five former players reportedly argued against the idea that the trainers or coaching staff didn't properly deal with injuries.
According to the report, Glass was forced to pursue a second review of the program after he told the IndyStar he was, "really shocked in early November, when issues arose that (he) thought had been long resolved."
A prior report by ESPN, per a former Hoosier, noted at least five Indiana players were interviewed by athletic department officials and university lawyers about the coach's treatment of players.
Per the report, one former player's father told ESPN his son suffered a concussion in practice ahead of the 2015 season and was rushed back to the field, causing his symptoms to get worse:
"He was out about a week and they started a normal concussion regiment, in which he was allowed to work out for about 20 minutes and gradually increase it," the former player's father said. "But after he worked out for 20 minutes, they had him run about 6 miles. After that, my son was feeling fine. But when he went home, he started throwing up and his symptoms went haywire."
Wilson had led the Hoosiers to back-to-back seasons of bowl eligibility. Last year's Pinstripe Bowl was Indiana's first appearance in college football's postseason in almost a decade. With a 6-6 record this year, Indiana was expected to go to their first back-to-back bowl games since 1991.
Wilson had recently inked a six-year contract extension, putting him at Indiana through 2021.
