That article is important because it’s the first actual allegation from band members that I’ve seen.
But again, come back to what Pollard said the other day. No police reports. No mention of anything by numerous police officers who were directly escorting or around the band at various points. No mention of anything by the band directors who themselves met at the end of the evening.
The fact is, once Barta went public with nothing but vague accusations, he created an incentive for 1) Iowa fans to exaggerate or outright invent incidents - and spread them far and wide - to make ISU look bad, and 2) ISU fans not to believe any accusations, to make Iowa look bad. He opened up a huge vacuum for people to fill with whatever they want to believe, and that's what they did.
I read about this broken ribs thing but I also read that someone else witnessed it and said a band member tripped and fell on his own drum. Who the hell knows, and how can you assume anyone is telling the truth at this point if they aren't willing to file a police report or go on record with the media?
My theory remains the same as the other day when the joint press release came out. Yes something happened but once Barta was educated on how ISU fans/band members are treated in Iowa City he realized the Ames incident was pretty run-of-the-mill and backed off.