Over the last few months, the Ohio State University has been dealing with allegations that former wrestling team doctor Richard Strauss sexually abused male athletes over the course of the last 2 decades with the team. Now, Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, who was an assistant coach with the OSU wrestling team, is being accused of knowing about the abuse and doing nothing to stop it.
What is Dr. Richard Strauss Accused of?
Another university physician is accused of sexually abusing athletes – and university employees allegedly had knowledge of the abuse and did nothing to protect the students.
Doctor Richard Strauss, who was the Ohio State University physician for wrestling and other sports, has been accused of sexually assaulting athletes from the 1970’s through the late 1990’s. Jim Jordan was OSU’s assistant wrestling coach from 1986 – 1994. A former OSU wrestler, Dunyasha Yetts, told reporters that Strauss groped him at least 3 times during routine exams in the early to mid-1990’s. Yetts told Jordan about the groping the very first time it happened, in 1992. In fact, Yetts said that he directly told Jordan and wrestling head coach Russ Hellickson of the abuse and that Jordan and Hellickson did not report it.
Yetts said that he went into Strauss’s office for a thumb injury and that Strauss started to pull down Yetts’s shorts. When Yetts left the office, he told Jordan and Hellickson what happened. Yetts said that he and his teammates had talked to Jordan numerous times about Strauss’s behavior.
Several former Ohio State athletes have told reporters that Jim Jordan must have known that Strauss was sexually assaulting athletes. The athletes said it was “common knowledge” that Strauss would take showers with the wrestling team, even though he was not involved in any workouts. Jim Jordan’s locker was right next to Strauss’s locker. One wrestler said that Strauss would linger in the locker room, nude, with a newspaper in his hand, and stare at the genitals of the athletes.
Another wrestler told reporters that “everybody used to snicker about how you go into his [Strauss’s] office for a sore shoulder and he tells you to take your pants down.”
A former Ohio State varsity athlete, who said he was examined by Strauss in 1994, told reporters that Strauss straddled and mounted his thigh and then rubbed it. The athlete said that Strauss asked him to get naked so he could assess for a hernia, and then “inspected his penis in detail” for a substantial amount of time. Strauss examined this athlete again in 1995, and this time, the physical lasted 20 minutes, with 15 minutes being devoted to Strauss inspecting the athlete’s genitalia very closely. In 1996, when this athlete was given a sports physical exam by a different physician, the exam was markedly different; it lasted 5 minutes, and the athlete wasn’t required to get naked.
In June, OSU’s lawyers were informed by former wrestler Mike DiSabato that, according to testimony from athletes of multiple OSU varsity sports, it is estimated that Strauss raped and/or sexually assaulted at least 1,500 / 2,000 athletes at Ohio State from 1978 – 1998. DiSabato is the athlete who first brought allegations against Strauss that prompted OSU to start an investigation. He had decided to talk to OSU officials about the abuse earlier this year when he was following the Larry Nassar sexual assault cases.
Strauss passed away in 2005, at which time his death was ruled a suicide. Jim Jordan has been performing his current job as a public servant since 2007.
How We Can Help You
Experiencing a sexual assault is life-changing. The way you view the world will never be the same. The legal team at Grewal Law wants to help you take back your life. We want to begin the healing process by helping you navigate the judicial system. As a victim of sexual abuse on campus, you deserve justice and access to resources to help you find healing.
Hire an experienced firm who understands how a sexual assault claim is filed and how the case proceeds through the judicial process. We can also help connect you to resources that will help you throughout the recovery process including counseling and support groups.
If you were a patient of Dr. Strauss, please contact the attorneys at Grewal Law PLLC today to discuss your rights and make sure your voice is heard. Let your voice be heard and ensure that the people who allowed this to happen are held accountable for their actions.
We’ve teamed up with Columbus attorney Mark Kitrick of Kitrick, Lewis, & Harris Co., LPA to investigate and pursue these claims.
Why Hire Grewal Law To Represent You?
Being a sexual assault victim is a life-changing event that leaves many survivors vulnerable and unsure where to turn for help, both legally and emotionally. Sexual abuse cases are complex and sensitive and require an experienced attorney who understands the unique issues that survivors face.
Mick Grewal and the attorneys and staff at Grewal Law focus on helping survivors find healing through the trauma, while also fighting vigorously for justice to hold all responsible parties accountable.
Grewal Law is always focused on being compassionate to their clients’ legal & emotional needs. We are unceasingly aggressive in our pursuit of justice against sexual predators and those who employ them.
An Experienced, Dedicated, and Compassionate Team
Our law firm pursues compensation for victims of sexual abuse. We are currently handling claims against USC, Michigan State, George Tyndall, Larry Nassar, and others.
Grewal Law is honored and humbled to currently represent 111 of the 333 plaintiff-survivors of former Michigan State University and U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team doctor Larry Nassar. Michigan State University recently agreed to a $500,000,000 settlement.
Contact Us for a Free Confidential Case Review
When you call our firm, the first thing we do is protect your rights, including your right to privacy. And we will fight for your rightful compensation.
Likewise, we will conduct an exhaustive investigation in order to determine who knew what, and when they knew it so that those responsible for allowing sexual abuse can be held accountable for the trauma they have caused to the survivors. This will allow us to hopefully prevent events like the Nassar and Tyndall tragedies from ever happening again.
If you or a loved one believe you have been subjected to sexual assault, abuse, or harassment by Dr. Strauss please call us for a free, confidential consultation.