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26 Former OSU Football Players Join Strauss Lawsuit

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TheBadOwl's picture
May 30, 2019 at 12:22pm
74 Comments

Didn't see anything about this but it seems like a major development.

Per the Dispatch (Emphasis is mine) 

Another 37 former students — most of them football players — have filed a lawsuit against Ohio State University, saying they were abused by Dr. Richard Strauss but the university ignored or disregarded their complaints.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus. Former Ohio State wrestler and Strauss whistleblower Michael DiSabato is listed as the first plaintiff on the suit, in addition to 36 unnamed John Does.

At least 26 of the plaintiffs played football at Ohio State, the complaint said. A number of them went on to play in the NFL, said Dayton attorney Michael Wright, who is representing the plaintiffs. He would not specify an exact number.

A report conducted by law firm Perkins Coie and released May 17 found that at least 177 students were sexually abused by Strauss over his nearly 20-year career at Ohio State, and that university employees knew about the doctor’s abuse but failed to act. Strauss died by suicide in 2005.

Almost none of the plaintiffs participated in the Perkins Coie investigation into the doctor’s sexual abuse, Wright said. The plaintiffs alleging abuse in the latest lawsuit therefore would not have been included in investigators’ total of 177 students abused, Wright said.

As far as I know, this is the first time former football players have come forward during this investigation; also, these are new allegations as none of these plaintiffs were part of the previous investigation. 

Also, pretty heartbreaking quote here:

One former football player was so upset by his experience with Strauss in the early 1990s that “he has not gotten another physical since 1992,” the complaint said.

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