When it was first revealed that Kevin Wilson was out at Indiana, the departure was reported as Wilson resigning.
Quickly, the narrative changed and we heard Wilson was let go by the school. Then came along the reports that Wilson had been abusive toward his players.
The next step in this process appears to be players coming forward and expressing how they were treated by the now-former Hoosier head coach. While some might come out and defend their time in Bloomington, others were not afraid to tell Indiana Daily Student about some of the things Wilson put players through.
Here is what some players said they experienced while playing for Wilson.
During another season, former player Laray Smith said he was told by trainers he had a back bruise. Doctors disagreed and told Smith he had a blood clot in his back. Wilson still pressured him to play. Smith played the game. To this day, he said he wishes he hadn’t.
One former player, who asked to be anonymous, from Wilson’s first season said trainers were scared to tell Wilson of injuries because he would “cuss them out.” Wilson would then go and cuss the player out for reporting it.
Former defensive lineman Nick Carovillano said trainers ignored his requests for treatment and told him to “stop being a pussy.” It was eventually discovered by doctors that Carovillano had herniated discs. His father, Dean, said Carovillano could hardly walk.
Former receiver Dominique Booth told WTHR he was put through a challenging workout despite his concussion. When he got home he vomited and suffered residual concussion symptoms for three months, he said.
These players weren’t the first to express their feelings about Wilson as a coach. One former player sparked an investigation in 2015, which reportedly was a major factor in Wilson’s firing.
But at the same time, plenty of former Hoosiers came out and defended Wilson.
Not all football players had the same experiences. Many current and former IU players and staff members, including Peyton Eckert, Ralston Evans and Nate Sudfeld, went out of their way to defend Wilson.
Eckert, a former offensive lineman who played in 24 games at IU, missed his junior season with a back injury. He said Wilson and offensive line coach Greg Frey would constantly check on his status and watch out for his well-being.
“When they brought it up, and I said how great I felt through the pain, they told me that my life after football should mean just as much to me as getting back on the field,” he told the IDS.
Elliott Wratten spent seven seasons with IU as a student assistant and graduate assistant and now coaches at Alcorn State. He said he never witnessed or heard of any of these claims in his time, and Wilson always taught coaches and players never to question the trainer.
Slowly but surely we are starting to get more and more details of the Wilson era. And while it appeared that Wilson finally had Indiana making some strides, it appears as though his entire time with the Hoosiers will be defined by his treatment (or mistreatment) of players.
