More Victims Come Forward in Ohio State’s Sexual-Abuse Investigation of Sports Doctor
By Claire HansenAugust 30, 2018
Ohio State investigators said on Thursday that nearly 150 former students had accused Richard Strauss, a sports doctor who is now deceased, of sexual abuse.Associated Press
Nearly 150 former Ohio State University students have reported they were sexually abused by a campus sports doctor, Richard Strauss, who is now deceased, and the fact-finding stage of an investigation into his conduct could conclude by this fall, the university said on Thursday.
In a letter read to the university’s Board of Trustees, Kathleen Trafford of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, the law firm appointed by the Ohio attorney general’s office as special counsel to the university, said 145 former students had reported that Strauss abused them. The letter served as an update on the investigation, which is being conducted by the law firm of Perkins Coie.
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Ohio State investigators said on Thursday that nearly 150 former students had accused Richard Strauss, a sports doctor who is now deceased, of sexual abuse.Associated Press
Nearly 150 former Ohio State University students have reported they were sexually abused by a campus sports doctor, Richard Strauss, who is now deceased, and the fact-finding stage of an investigation into his conduct could conclude by this fall, the university said on Thursday.
In a letter read to the university’s Board of Trustees, Kathleen Trafford of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, the law firm appointed by the Ohio attorney general’s office as special counsel to the university, said 145 former students had reported that Strauss abused them. The letter served as an update on the investigation, which is being conducted by the law firm of Perkins Coie.
Investigators have searched more than 500 boxes of documents that they believe are relevant to the case, the letter said.
The number of victims has risen by nearly 50 since the last update on the investigation, in July. In August the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced an inquiry into Ohio State’s handling of sexual-abuse reports by former students.
Ohio State opened the investigation into Strauss’s behavior in early April, after a former wrestler reported that Strauss had sexually abused him. While employed by the university, Strauss served as a team physician from 1981 to 1995, including a stint as the wrestling team’s doctor. He also worked for Student Health Services. He died in 2005.
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The misconduct allegations date from 1979 to 1997. The victims played on a range of teams, including more than 15 varsity sports and one club sport. Students who were treated at Student Health Services have also detailed alleged misconduct while under Strauss’s care.
Former students have also reported acts of misconduct that occurred at Strauss’s off-campus private medical office, the university said.
The investigators are also looking into allegations of a “sexually exploitative atmosphere” in Larkins Hall, the university’s since-demolished gymnasium, the letter said.
Former wrestlers told NBC News in July that Strauss’s behavior was an open secret, and that he was known to shower with athletes and molest them during appointments.
