Six Ex-Utah Players Claim Kyle Whittingham, Program Mishandled Their Injuries

A group of Utes from the 2020s made public accusations in the ‘Salt Lake Tribune’ Friday.

Kyle Whittingham left Utah for Michigan this offseason after two decades on the job. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A group of six former players who suited up for Utah in the 2020s have accused the program—and, in several cases, former coach Kyle Whittingham specifically—of mishandling their injuries during their time on the team.

The players made the accusations to Jason Batacao in a lengthy piece published Friday in the Salt Lake Tribune. The group includes defensive end Van Fillinger, defensive tackle Tevita Fotu, running back Jaylon Glover, wide receiver Mycah Pittman (whose father, ex-NFLer Michael Pittman Sr., also raised questions in the piece), and defensive end and tight end Miki Suguturaga—as well as one player who chose to remain anonymous.

“The University of Utah Department of Athletics follows all University and national guidelines to ensure student success and safety,” Utah told Batacao in a statement. “We routinely evaluate our processes and welcome the opportunity to make adjustments if we determine our policies are not meeting expectations.”

Michigan, where Whittingham now coaches, insisted to Batacao that Whittingham “did not make medical decisions,” while new Utes coach Morgan Scalley “referred the Tribune to the athletic department’s statements.”

A number of concerning claims at Utah

Fillinger, the biggest name in the piece—he was a second team All-Big 12 selection in 2024—alleged that Utah’s staff reneged on an agreement to redshirt him in 2023 while he recovered from a broken tibia.

“[Defensive line coach Lewis Powell] said that I’ll be kicked off the team if I don’t play,” Fillinger said, claiming that Powell specifically told him that directive came from Whittingham.

Fillinger and others took issue with the Utes’ medical staff’s handling of injuries, with Mycah calling Utah “very old school. You’d have to be seriously injured before you miss a couple games.”

Fotu additionally claimed that the Utes shorted him on NIL money in ’24, an allegation that Utah claimed ignorance on and indicated it would look into.

The Utes have been consistent winners on the field this decade, finishing in the top 15 of the AP poll in three of the past five years. At 177–88 lifetime, Whittingham is the winningest coach in school history.

Former Utah defensive end Van Fillinger was a second-team All-Big 12 performer for the Utes. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Another potential cycle of negative headlines for Michigan—which has been here before

The Wolverines, who fired coach Sherrone Moore in December over an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and a subsequent arrest on multiple charges including home invasion and stalking, hired Whittingham with a desire to move past the parade of scandals that has dogged the program in recent years.

It remains to be seen how much the negative headlines stick, but that, for the moment, appears to have flown out the window. In college football, few cultural issues—alleged or proven—are treated as greater sins than being a distraction. Whittingham will have questions to answer ahead of his team’s Sept. 5 opener against Western Michigan.

As for Michigan, this is not an unfamiliar topic for a scandal. In 2014, then-athletic director Dave Brandon’s revelation that quarterback Shane Morris remained in a game after demonstrating concussion symptoms hastened Brandon’s resignation.

Scrutiny of football’s age-old practice of playing through injuries intensified in the 2010s amid concerns about head injuries, and these allegations seem likely to spur continued, necessary discussion on that front.

---

PODCAST: Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.