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United States Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is being accused of ignoring multiple sexual assault claims while serving as the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University, according to NBC News. The latest allegation comes in a lawsuit filed by a professional referee who says that Jordan dismissed a direct report from the ref saying that disgraced doctor Richard Strauss masturbated in front of him in a shower after a match.
According to the lawsuit, Jordan brushed off the allegation.
“Yeah, that’s Strauss,” Jordan and former head coach Russ Hellickson reportedly replied. He is also accused of saying, “yeah, yeah, we know.”
After an independent investigation earlier this year, it was revealed that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male students. The most damning part of the allegations is the studet-athletes believed “that their coaches, trainers and other team physicians were fully aware of Strauss’ activities, and yet few seemed inclined to do anything to stop it.”
Former Ohio State wrestler Dunyasha Yetts previously came out and said that he spoke directly to Jordan about Strauss, but that there was never anything done about his complaint.
That shows the culture of ignoring the sexual abuse from Strauss that reportedly spanned decades.
“It was common knowledge what Strauss was doing so the attitude was it is what it is,” the unnamed referee said. “I wish Jim, and Russ, too, would stand up and do the right thing and admit they knew what Strauss was doing, because everybody knew what he was doing to the wrestlers. What was a shock to me is that Strauss tried to do that to me. He was breaking new ground by going after a ref.”
From NBC News:
An investigation commissioned by the university and conducted by the Perkins Coie law firm found that what Strauss was doing was an “open secret” and that the coaches and administrators at Ohio State knew for two decades that the doctor was abusing students but failed to stop him, according to a report released in May.
Jordan has long denied the allegations of ignoring complaints against Strauss, but the allegations continue to surface.
“I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it,” Jordan told Politico.
