Former Ohio State athletic doctor abused at least 177 students over two decades, investigation reveals - cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A now-deceased Ohio State University athletic doctor abused at least 177 students between 1979 and 1998, and university officials failed to notify the proper authorities or take adequate steps to address his actions, according to a report released Friday.

The university released the long-awaited report, which confirmed many of the allegations former male students publicly against Dr. Richard Strauss in the past year and expanded on them. The university faces two lawsuits by former students related to Strauss’ actions.

Ohio State’s president issued an apology to all of Strauss’ victims when the university released the report Friday.

The report, compiled by the Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie, says 500 people were interviewed as part of the probe. Investigators describe Strauss as a doctor who abused his position by requiring invasive exams for the most minor of ailments. A number of former male students said Strauss would routinely touch their genitals during every visit, even for ailments such as a sore throat, the report says.

Many victims were abused through Strauss’ work in the university’s athletics department, as a team doctor for many sports. Others experienced abuse at the university’s student health center, or through what Strauss called “medical studies.”

“We observed that, in many cases, a student’s most egregious experience of abuse did not occur during the student’s first encounter with Strauss,” the report states. “Rather, the abuse escalated over time, in a series of examinations with the student.”

University officials knew about Strauss’ actions as early as 1979, as male students complained about him performing “excessive” and seemingly unnecessary genital exams, the report says. However, complaints were not taken outside the athletics or student health departments until 1996.

That year, officials suspended Strauss as a treating physician after a student health patient accused Strauss of fondling him during an examination, according to the report. Strauss was also removed from the athletics department.

Still, he remained a tenured faculty member. In fact, he opened an off-campus “men’s clinic” after being disciplined, where he continued to abuse students, the report states.

“During this period, Strauss persisted in protesting his removal from Athletics and Student Health to various University officials,” the report says.

The university reported his actions to the State Medical Board of Ohio the same year, but the board did not impose discipline.

Of the 177 people it says Strauss abused, 22 said they did not believe what Strauss did to them constituted “abuse,” though their description of the exams the doctor performed were not considered acceptable.

An additional 38 interviewees said they were abused at student health services, but were uncertain if Strauss or another doctor abused them.

Strauss retired from the university in 1998 and killed himself in 2005.

Ohio State President Michael Drake said in his apology that “our institution’s fundamental failure at the time to prevent this abuse was unacceptable – as were the inadequate efforts to thoroughly investigate complaints raised by students and staff members.”

The report bolsters allegations contained in two federal lawsuits against Ohio State. The university has agreed to try and settle those suits in mediation set for next month.

An attorney representing some of Strauss’ victims said in a statement that those victims are hopeful the report will "force OSU to take responsibility for its failure to protect young students.”

Two victims also echoed the lawyers’ comments in the report.

“Dreams were broken, relationships with loved ones were damaged, and the harm now carries over to our children as many of us have become so overprotective that it strains the relationship with our kid,” said Kent Kilgore, who has described abuse by Strauss and is suing the university.

The investigative report has been anticipated since stories about Strauss’ abuse became public. Strauss’ accusers have said that university officials and coaches knew about the abuse and did not stop him.

Among those coaches was Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who worked as an assistant wrestling coach in the 1990s. Jordan has denied knowing anything about Strauss’ actions.

The report does not mention Jordan or any other coaches by name. However, one former student told investigators that Strauss’ actions were an “open secret” and consistent that it was considered normal within the athletics department, the report says.

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