Kevin Wilson Player Treatment Investigation Reportedly Led to Indiana Departure

Following Kevin Wilson's resignation as the Indiana Hoosiers' head football coach Thursday, it was revealed Saturday that a 2015 investigation into his treatment of players contributed to his departure.

According to Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star, Wilson stepped down after six years at the helm, and athletic director Fred Glass cited "philosophical differences" as the reasoning.

Per Osterman, however, questions about Wilson's handling of injured players cropped up last year and persisted to the point that the two sides decided to part ways.

The investigation was prompted when the father of former Indiana defensive lineman Nick Carovillano, Dean Carovillano, complained to the university that Wilson created an unhealthy environment for injured players.

Carovillano suffered a back injury in 2015 that wasn't properly diagnosed until after a doctor at home in Cincinnati told him to stop playing. After further testing in Indianapolis, he was told he had a bone fragment and three damaged discs. Carovillano had practiced and lifted weights for three weeks prior to that despite being in pain.

He said the trainers and the rest of the coaching staff treated him well after his diagnosis but that Wilson berated him and other injured players:

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He would come over and yell at us, saying, 'I'm paying $70,000 a year for you to sit on your ass.' 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.

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Carovillano left the school at the conclusion of the season, at which point his father called associate athletic director Anthony Thompson to complain about the manner in which his son was treated.

The university then hired a law firm to investigate the following complaints: 

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(1) the University's medical care of Nick's injury was inadequate; (2) the coaching staff exerted improper influence over the provision of medical care to Nick and other injured players; and (3) a general 'unhealthy culture' surrounding the football program led Nick and other injured players not to obtain the necessary medical care.

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Although the investigation concluded the first two complaints were invalid, Glass wrote in a memo that Wilson may have created an uncomfortable environment for injured players:

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Even within the unique culture of football, there were behaviors that may create an unhealthy environment for injured players. This last conclusion was based on a variety of findings, including your own admission that you made jokes to injured players or implied that they are not useful members of the team.

Some players said that they felt pressure or witnessed coaches pressuring others and indicated that they found it depressing and demoralizing to have coaches make such comments when they were already frustrated with their injuries. It was found that coaches appear to push players to work harder than they should when they have injuries that are unconfirmed by an outside test.

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Glass stressed the importance of no longer making jokes and not making injured players feel pressure to play. While exit interviews suggested Wilson had heeded the advice, new issues surfaced this season.

Although specifics are unknown, Glass suggested they were a contributing factor in Wilson's departure:

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If these issues had been in a vacuum, they would've been the kinds of things we could've worked through. It wasn't the first time I dealt with these issues. There comes a time when you run out of chances. ...

... Was my decision (Thursday) impacted by things that went on before, including this? ... The answer is yes.

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Wilson went 26-47 in six seasons at Indiana with one bowl appearance, and the Hoosiers are once again bowl-eligible this season after going 6-6.

Tom Allen was named Wilson's replacement, and he is soon expected to sign a six-year contract, according to Osterman.

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