Six former Utah football players who played for the Utes between 2020 and 2024 have alleged that the program mishandled their injuries, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Edge rusher Van Fillinger, wide receiver Mycah Pittman, running back Jaylon Glover tight end Miki Suguturaga, defensive lineman Tevita Fitu and one anonymous player claimed they felt pressured to return to game action before they were fully healed. In some cases, like that of Fillinger, players said their injuries were also misdiagnosed.
In 2022, Fillinger injured his leg in practice, saying he heard a "snap" before going down. Despite an inability to walk, Fillinger was diagnosed with an ankle sprain and had to wear a walking boot throughout the week. Finally, at the end of the week, Fillinger got an X-ray, and it revealed a season-ending tibia fracture.
Upon returning for the 2023 season, Fillinger claims the ankle in that same leg hadn't fully healed, saying it was "just destroyed." Fillinger's doctor recommended six weeks of rest, and he alleges his position coach Lewis Powell originally agreed to let him redshirt.
The Tribune obtained audio of a doctor's appointment attended by Fillinger, his mother and a Utah physician. In the audio, the physician discussed a six-week recovery time for Fillinger.
Just three weeks after that, Utah edge rusher Logan Fano suffered a season-ending ACL tear, and Fillinger said Powell asked him about returning to action under the direction of then head coach Kyle Whittingham. When he asked what might happen if he didn't play, Fillinger was threatened with dismissal.
"He said that I'll be kicked off the team if I don't play," Fillinger said.
Fillinger played 11 games that season and recorded 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. After the season, Fillinger required a second surgery to repair his ankle.
In 2024 fall camp, Pittman was diagnosed with an ankle sprain after getting tangled with a Utes defender. Pittman underwent an X-Ray but did not receive an MRI. Despite the injury, Pittman also said he felt extra pressure to return quickly.
"The pressure to play was definitely there," Pittman said. "If you aren't able to go, it is kind of frowned upon, obviously, because coaches want to win football games."
Weeks passed, and Pittman's ankle didn't improve. That's when doctors ordered an MRI, and Pittman was diagnosed with a partially torn Achilles and a high ankle sprain. His father, Michael Pittman, said he felt Utah "did what they thought was better for the team's outcome instead of my son's long-term health."
Glover echoed that sentiment. He said there was often a disconnect between the coaching staff and the medical staff because the coaches' top priority was winning football games.
"I feel like a lot of the time the training staff would be on one page, but the coaching staff was on another because it was all about, 'We need him back,'" Glover told the Tribune.
All the players who spoke to the Tribune had similar stories about being pressed into action too quickly, but Fotu's also includes an NIL dispute. After tearing his MCL as a redshirt freshman, Fotu claims doctors told him he would miss several weeks, but his position coach told him "the head man" wanted him to "push through."
"They'd threaten to put someone else in front of me," Fotu told the Tribune. "They'd even threaten to take away my scholarship. It was kind of heartbreaking. I thought these guys would care about me."
Despite that experience, Fotu said he was enticed to stay out of the transfer portal after his junior season when the program offered him NIL money. Fotu said he never got the money that was promised to him, and that created friction between him and the coaching staff.
In a statement to the Tribune, Utah Athletics and University of Utah Health said player health is a "top priority."
"The University of Utah Department of Athletics follows all University and national guidelines to ensure student success and safety," the statement said. "We routinely evaluate our processes and welcome the opportunity to make adjustments if we determine our policies are not meeting expectations."
After the 2025 season, Whittingham parted ways with Utah and is now the coach at Michigan. Reached for comment by the Tribune, Michigan referred the outlet back to Utah, claiming Whittingham had no say in medical decisions with the Utes.
"Coach Whittingham or his coaching staff did not make medical decisions [at Utah]," Michigan said in its statement. "He followed the lead of the medical team," the Michigan spokesperson said.
