Throughout 2020, more allegations about male students being sexually assaulted on campus were levied against Ohio State University. Richard Strauss, the now-deceased doctor once on the payroll of OSU, is now known to have committed well over 2,000 instances of sexual assault of male student athletes during his tenure at the school. Strauss was the team doctor at OSU for two decades.
The sexual assault perpetrated by the OSU team doctor included 2,200 incidents involving the fondling of male students. In addition, Straus is now thought to have committed at least 127 rapes of male student athletes at OSU. Hundreds of men have reported allegations that they were sexually abused by Strauss during his time providing medical services to university students.
Strauss commenced his sexual predatory behavior as early as 1979. Male students began reporting sexual assaults, including rape, as early as that year. The university staff physician sexually assaulted college men when working with various athletic teams, when working at the student health center, and when providing what were supposed to be professional services at an off-campus clinic that also served the student population.
An alarming number of men have already come forward with their experiences of being sexually molested or raped by Strauss prior to 2019 and 2020. To date, former OSU students who’ve “gone public” about being sexually assaulted or raped by the university physician has reached approximately 400 men as of the beginning of 2021. The incidents of sexual assault oftentimes occurred in what were supposed to be physical examinations of the college students.
Despite OSU administration being advised time and again about the sexual misconduct of Strauss beginning in 1979, university officials took no action during the life of the school’s doctor. The sexual predator died in 2005, meaning the misconduct went on for over 20 years with the knowledge of the school.
The lack of action by OSU in reasonably protecting its students from a serial sexual predator now involves a member of the United States of Representatives. Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan was the assistant wrestling coach during a significant portion of the time Strauss was molesting and raping students, including members of the OSU wrestling team.
Multiple former OSU students have revealed that one of the school officials they reach out to regarding be assaulted by Strauss was Jim Jordan. The first of such reports to Congressman Jordan was from a college wrestling referee. The referee, who currently is referred to as John Doe 42 because of the nature of the allegations, advises that he told Jordan that Strauss masturbated in front of him in the locker room showers. Other targets of the doctor’s sexual misconduct also name Jordan as one of the school officials to which they reported sexual harassment and abuse.
Many of the men who were sexually assaulted or abused by the OSU physician have reported suffering an array of long-term problems. These include debilitating depression and anxiety. A notable number of these individuals ended up dropping out of college as a direct result of being targeted and assaulted by Strauss. Some of the men now report that they have tremendous fears about sending their own children off to college.
If you are an adult survivor of sexual abuse, a Doan Law Firm sexual assault lawyer is available to answer any questions you might have about your rights. Our legal team has established a 24-hour adult survivor of sexual abuse hotline at (800) 349-0000. A compassionate, caring, experienced member of our team is available to you via our hotline 365 days a year, including major holidays.
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